Digi-Key Corporation Expands Cree Product Line to Include Gallium Nitride HEMTs for Microwave Applications

Business Wire, Jan 22, 2009

DURHAM, N.C. & THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. -- Digi-Key Corporation and Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE) announced today that Digi-Key is now stocking Cree's Gallium Nitride (GaN) HEMT transistors for general purpose microwave applications. Digi-Key's portfolio of Cree offerings encompasses SiC power components, SiC MESFETs, high-brightness and high-power LEDs, and now, GaN HEMT transistors.

Cree's GaN HEMT general-purpose transistors, in power levels ranging from 10W to 90W, are ideal for microwave applications that require high efficiency, multi-octave bandwidth performance. These transistors offer high frequency performance to 6GHz, high gain, and low parasitic capacitance within small package footprints. This enables smaller, lighter, and more energy efficient systems, often with fewer amplifier components, than required with other microwave transistor technologies.

"We are pleased that Digi-Key is stocking Cree GaN HEMT transistors," said Jim Milligan, Cree's director of RF and microwave products. "Digi-Key has the distribution expertise and industry channels to help accelerate the adoption of our GaN HEMT technology."

Digi-Key President and COO Mark Larson commented, "Relied upon by engineering and purchasing communities for product selection and availability, Digi-Key is committed to providing its customers with the latest and most sought-after technologies. To that end, we are very pleased to make Cree's GaN HEMT transistors available to our customers."

About Digi-Key Corporation

One of the world's fastest growing distributors of electronic components, Digi-Key has earned its reputation as an industry leader through its total commitment to service and performance. As a full-service provider of both prototype/design and production quantities of electronic components, Digi-Key has been ranked #1 for Overall Performance for 17 consecutive years from among the nation's more than 200 distributors (EE Times Distribution Study/August 2008). Offering more than 1.5 million products from 400 quality name-brand manufacturers, Digi-Key's commitment to inventory is unparalleled. Access to the company's broad product offering is available 24/7 at Digi-Key's top-rated website, www.digikey.com.

About Cree

Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and setting the stage to obsolete the incandescent light bulb through the use of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly LED lighting. Cree is a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, LED retrofit solutions, and semiconductor solutions for backlighting, wireless, and power applications. Cree product families include recessed LED down lights, lighting-class power LEDs, high-brightness LEDs, blue and green LED chips, power-switching devices, and radio-frequency/wireless devices. Cree solutions are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, backlighting, electronic signs and signals, variable-speed motors, and wireless communications. For additional product and company information, please refer to www.cree.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated. Actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors, including customer acceptance of LED products; the rapid development of new technology and competing products that may impair demand or render Cree's products obsolete; and other factors discussed in Cree's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 29, 2008, and subsequent filings.