REDMOND, WA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 11/13/07 -- Data I/O Corporation (NASDAQ: DAIO), the leader of semiconductor device programming solutions, has made an announcement to its customers today to emphasize the importance of cell margin verification for mission-critical applications.

Cell margin verification is a method designed into certain families of flash-based microcontroller devices from NEC, Freescale, Infineon and Texas Instruments. These devices are typically used for mission-critical applications in the automotive, medical equipment, industrial and aerospace industries. Cell margin verification ensures that devices are programmed as specified and data-retention is ensured by the manufacturer.

Cell margin verification is performed on Data I/O's programming platforms to ensure data retention. After every device is programmed and cell margin is verified, the result of the verification is logged into a log file on Data I/O's automated programming systems. Customers can access the log file to analyze the root cause of device failures.

"Even though flash-based memory technologies are quite reliable, quality of programming can still make a difference in data retention of a device due to hardware and environmental conditions," said Harald Weigelt, Vice President of Worldwide Sales. "A marginally programmed semiconductor device can cause data loss or change data, unexpectedly causing a system failure. This exposes our customers to unnecessary costs, risks and liabilities via system failures and recalls. A large recall can cost a customer in millions of dollars, impacting profitability adversely. To reduce this risk, Data I/O implements cell margin verification on microcontrollers that support this feature," said Mr. Weigelt.

For memory and microcontroller devices that don't support cell margin verification feature, Data I/O's programming platforms provide the necessary tools to verify each device after programming it.

For further information on cell margin verification, visit Data I/O's web site for a white paper at http://www.dataio.com/cellmarginverification.pdf.

To inquire about the list of devices that support cell margin verification from different manufacturers, please contact Data I/O Corporation at support@dataio.com or +1-425-881-6444.

About Data I/O

With over 35 years of expertise in delivering intellectual property to programmable devices, Data I/O offers complete, integrated manufacturing solutions in wireless, automotive, programming center, semiconductor, and industrial control market segments for OEM, ODM, EMS and semiconductor companies. Data I/O provides hardware and software solutions for turnkey programming and device testing services, as well as in-system (on-board), in-line (right before use at the SMT line), or in-socket (off-line) programming. These solutions are scalable for small, medium and large volume applications with different device mixes. Data I/O Corporation has headquarters in Redmond, Wash., with sales and services worldwide. For further information, visit the company's website at http://www.dataio.com.

Contact:
Data I/O Corporation
Kennan M. Yilmaz
Email Contact
Tel: +1-425-867-6910