TEWKSBURY, Mass., Jan. 31, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- An engineer at Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) Integrated Defense Systems was awarded the 2006 Innovator Award at the North American Molecular Beam Epitaxy Conference and Workshop at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

Dr. William Hoke was honored for his research and development in metamorphic growth of advanced semiconductor devices that have improved capabilities at lower costs than conventional semiconductor technology.

Hoke began Raytheon's molecular beam epitaxy program in 1981. Today, it includes three research and two production systems. Furthermore, he initiated the materials effort for Raytheon's gallium nitride program for high power devices in 2000.

Hoke received bachelor degrees in chemistry and physics from Pennsylvania State University in 1973, and a master's in 1975 and doctorate in 1978, both from the University of Illinois. He joined Raytheon in 1978 and today is a senior engineering fellow working at the Raytheon Radio Frequency Components Center in Andover, Mass. In 2001, he was presented Raytheon's Excellence in Technology award, the company's highest engineering honor.

"Dr. Hoke's knowledge, dedication and contributions have helped Raytheon be a leader in advancing the technology of semiconductors," said Mark Russell, vice president, Integrated Defense Systems Engineering. "We are indeed fortunate to have Bill Hoke on the Raytheon engineering team."

Integrated Defense Systems is Raytheon's leader in Joint Battlespace Integration providing affordable, integrated solutions to a strong international and domestic customer base, including the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of Homeland Security.

Raytheon Company, with 2005 sales of $21.9 billion, is an industry leader in defense and government electronics, space, information technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 80,000 people worldwide.

  Contact:
  Mike Nason
  703.419.1421

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

CONTACT: Mike Nason of Raytheon Company, +1-703-419-1421

Web site: http://www.raytheon.com/