LINTHICUM, Md., April 9, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has received Category 1A Department of Defense Trusted Foundry accreditation for its Advanced Technology Laboratories (ATL).
The Trusted Foundry accreditation program was established to assess the integrity of the people and processes used to design, generate, manufacture, and distribute national security critical microelectronic components.
ATL is part of Northrop Grumman's microelectronics development and production facility in Linthicum, Md. The company's semiconductor foundry has been supplying state-of-the-art microelectronic devices to the Defense Department community since the mid-1960s. With this accreditation, ATL can supply devices for applications requiring the highest level of trust.
"With this major accomplishment, the Northrop Grumman foundry becomes one of a very limited number of trusted suppliers that can fabricate both classified and unclassified Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) devices for critical Defense Department applications," said Chuck Brinkman, sector vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Advanced Concepts and Technologies Division.
The Trusted Foundry accreditation requires use of stringent policies and procedures regarding "chain of custody" during the manufacture of ASIC devices. This, in turn, provides safeguards against supply disruption, modification or tampering with the devices as well as unauthorized reverse engineering. The accreditation, given by the Defense Microelectronics Activity, is the highest level awarded to a foundry.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $32 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.