Microsemi Corp

Microsemi Corp., the Santa Ana-based semiconductor firm, said Thursday that it agreed to acquire Linfinity Microelectronics Inc. of Garden Grove from Symmetricom Corp. in a $24.13-million cash deal. Symmetricom said it expected to report a net after-tax loss of up to $4 million, or 26 cents a share, from the deal, which is expected to close by the end of March.

Microsemi Corp. said it will record an $8-million to $10-million charge in its fourth quarter to reduce the carrying value of military-related inventories and other assets where there has been a permanent reduction of value. Microsemi said substantially all the charges result directly from changes in military procurement policies and practices that call for the use of commercial products rather than a mandatory use of military standard parts.

Continuing its drive to build a major presence in the portable telecommunications market, Microsemi Corp. has acquired the semiconductor operations of Narda Microwave for $5 million in cash. It is Microsemi's second major purchase of a telecommunications components maker this year. "If we come to the market with just one or two parts [to sell], we aren't much, but if we have a handful of parts, we can be an important supplier to original-equipment manufacturers," said Philip Frey Jr.

Microsemi Corp., noting that its military unit has encountered stiffer competition that has eroded inventory values, said Friday that its results for the most recent quarter will include a charge of $5.9 million. The company, a Santa Ana-based supplier of semiconductors and other power-management products, also said it is shutting down its Microsemi-BKC unit, a supplier of military and space parts in Massachusetts, and will consolidate the operations into its other business units.

Microsemi Corp., which has drawn praise from Wall Street for curtailing its defense business in recent years, will likely see a surge in military orders as the war on terrorism escalates. Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, weapons builders and makers of jet fighters have been calling Microsemi, said company President James J. Peterson, adding that Microsemi is ready to ramp up again.

The folks at Microsemi Corp. can be excused for gloating a bit these days. While flashier chip makers have been battered by a prolonged technology slump, the 40-year-old company is thriving by churning out chips for products from hearing aids to the latest hand-held color computers. "These guys are on intermission, figuring out what's going on," Microsemi Chief Executive James Peterson said with a chuckle, referring to some of his competitors. "And I'm taking their seats."

Despite the persistent nationwide slump in semiconductor sales, Microsemi Corp. of Santa Ana reported its third-quarter net income soared 27%, largely due to military contracts. For the quarter ended July 1, the company reported net income of $1 million compared with $827,000 recorded last year. Sales were $8.9 million, nearly 13% higher than the $7.8 million posted the year before. For the first nine months of the fiscal year, Microsemi reported profits of $2.