4. Stock-Based Compensation

The Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to calculate the fair value of stock option awards as of their grant date. Stock-based compensation expense for the three and nine months ended September 30 was as follows (in thousands):


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2013		2012		2013		2012
Cost of revenues	$	59	$	10	$	103	$	36
Selling, general and administrative		348		205		1,529		679
Research and development		84		85		261		255

Total stock-based compensation	$	491	$	300	$	1,893	$	970

On May 17, 2013, the Company commenced an offer (the “Exchange Offer”) to its employees and directors to exchange certain outstanding options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock granted under the Company’s Amended and Restated 2000 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, as amended (the “2000 Plan”), on a one-for-one basis, for replacement options to purchase shares of common stock, to be granted under the Company’s 2000 Plan (the “Option Exchange”). All outstanding options under the 2000 Plan granted to employees and directors prior to January 1, 2013, whether or not vested, were eligible for the Option Exchange (“Eligible Options”). Eligible Options included those options with time-based vesting provisions (“Time-Based Eligible Options”) and those options with performance-based vesting provisions tied to the achievement of certain quarterly revenue targets by the Company’s Brick Business Unit (“Performance-Based Eligible Options”). Options for the purchase of shares of common stock of the Company’s subsidiaries, VI Chip Corporation and Picor Corporation, were not eligible for the Option Exchange.

Pursuant to the Exchange Offer, which expired June 17, 2013 (the “Offer Expiration Date”), 638 eligible participants tendered, and the Company accepted for exchange, options to purchase an aggregate of 1,531,077 shares of the Company’s common stock, representing approximately 91% of Eligible Options. Upon acceptance, the tendered options were cancelled, and the Company granted an equivalent number of new options (the “Replacement Options”) under the 2000 Plan. All Replacement Options vest over five years, have a 10 year term, and have terms substantially similar to other time-based vesting options awarded under the 2000 Plan. Replacement Options granted in exchange for Time-Based Eligible Options have an exercise price equal to $6.29 (being 120% of the last reported sale price per share of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ on the Offer Expiration Date). Replacement Options granted in exchange for Performance-Based Eligible Options have an exercise price equal to (i) $6.29 (being 120% of the last reported sale price per share of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ on the Offer Expiration Date) with respect to Replacement Options that vest on or prior to the first anniversary of the Offer Expiration Date; (ii) $7.34 (being 140% of the last reported sale price per share of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ on the Offer Expiration Date) with respect to Replacement Options that vest after the first anniversary of the Offer Expiration Date but on or prior to the second anniversary of the Offer Expiration Date; (iii) $8.38 (being 160% of the last reported sale price per share of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ on the Offer Expiration Date) with respect to Replacement Options that vest after the second anniversary of the Offer Expiration Date but on or prior to the third anniversary of the Offer Expiration Date; (iv) $9.43 (being 180% of the last reported sale price per share of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ on the Offer Expiration Date) with respect to Replacement Options that vest after the third anniversary of the Offer Expiration Date but on or prior to the fourth anniversary of the Offer Expiration Date; and (v) $10.48 (being 200% of the last reported sale price per share of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ on the Offer Expiration Date) with respect to Replacement Options that vest after the fourth anniversary of the Offer Expiration Date.

For financial reporting purposes, the exchange of Time-Based Eligible Options for Replacement Options was considered a modification of both the exercise price and the vesting terms of the cancelled options. The accounting for these modifications results in total incremental expense of approximately $365,000, which, combined with the remaining unrecognized expense from the original grant date value of approximately $318,000, will be recognized over the associated service period (i.e., the five year vesting period) for each new vesting tranche. Because the Company had not previously recorded stock-based compensation expense for the Performance-Based Eligible Options, as the Company determined it was not probable the Brick Business Unit would meet the revenue targets required to trigger vesting of such options, the exchange of Replacement Options for Performance-Based Eligible Options has been accounted for as the grant of new options as of June 17, 2013, the Offer Expiration Date. As referenced above, because these Replacement Options have five different exercise prices (i.e., an increasing exercise price for each of the five different vesting periods, each with a different term to expiration), the value of such Replacement Options, calculated using the Black-Scholes methodology, was based on the assumption each vesting tranche represented a distinct instrument. The resulting total expense of approximately $2,300,000 will be recognized over the associated service period for each vesting tranche, as if the grant were, in substance, five grants of distinct instruments with different exercise prices and different, sequentially shorter, terms to expiration. The unrecognized compensation expense for these Replacement Options was approximately $2,047,000 as of September 30, 2013.

Under the retirement provisions of the 2000 Plan and the option agreements applicable to the Replacement Options, the Company records all stock-based compensation expense for an option grant by the earlier of (a) the end of the associated service period (i.e., the vesting period) or (b) by age 62.5 of the employee or director to whom the options were awarded. Because of the age of certain recipient employees and directors, a number of Replacement Options granted were subject to immediate recognition of the associated total stock-based compensation expense. Accordingly, as a result of the Option Exchange, the Company recorded stock-based compensation expense during the second quarter of 2013 of approximately $625,000, of which approximately $450,000 was the result of immediate expense recognition due to the age of the recipient employee or director.

Separate from the Option Exchange, on May 14, 2013, the Company awarded options to purchase, at an exercise price of $5.35 per share, an aggregate of 150,000 shares of common stock, under the 2000 Plan, to certain officers. In addition, on June 21, 2013, the Company awarded options to purchase, at an exercise price of $5.67 per share, an aggregate of 70,552 shares of common stock, under the 2000 Plan, to directors as a component of their annual compensation. The total stock-based compensation expense recognized during the second quarter of 2013 for these awards was approximately $208,000, of which approximately $190,000 was the result of immediate expense recognition due to the age of the recipient officer or director.

During the third quarter of 2010, the Company granted an aggregate of 1,243,750 Performance-Based Eligible Options. Based on the final results of the Option Exchange, a total of 66,000 of these Performance-Based Eligible Options remain outstanding as of September 30, 2013. Under the accounting rules for performance-based awards, the Company is required to assess, on an ongoing basis, the probability of whether the performance criteria will be achieved. If and when achievement is deemed probable, the Company will begin to recognize the associated compensation expense for the remaining stock options over the relevant performance period. As of September 30, 2013, the Company determined it was not probable the revenue targets could be achieved and, accordingly, has not recorded any compensation expense relating to these options since the grant date. The unrecognized compensation expense of these performance-based options was approximately $414,000 as of September 30, 2013.

On December 31, 2010, the Company granted 2,984,250 non-qualified stock options under the VI Chip 2007 Stock Option and Incentive Plan with performance-based vesting provisions tied to achievement of certain margin targets by the VI Chip subsidiary. As of December 31, 2010, the Company determined it was probable the margin targets could be achieved and, accordingly, began recording stock-based compensation expense relating to these options beginning January 1, 2011. This determination remains the same as of September 30, 2013 and, accordingly, expense has been recorded through that date. The unrecognized compensation expense for these performance-based options was approximately $777,000 as of September 30, 2013.