Oct. 2--TriQuint Semiconductor has agreed to pay $3 million to settle charges that it improperly backdated executive stock options. TriQuint continues to deny any impropriety, though, and federal prosecutors and securities regulators have declined to take any action against the Hillsboro company.

In 2006, The Oregonian reported that TriQuint and three other Oregon companies -- Flir Systems Inc., Cascade Corp. and Hollywood Entertainment Corp. -- granted stock options to their executives on days when their stock price was especially low, making the value of the options unusually high.

Similar practices at other companies led to dozens of federal investigations into "backdating," the practice of retroactively changing option grant dates -- without shareholder permission.

Authorities investigated Flir, TriQuint and Cascade Corp., but took no action against them.

Following The Oregonian's report, though, Flir said stock options granted from 1995 to 2000 -- under prior management -- appeared to have been improperly dated. The company took $14.3 million in charges to account for the problematic options.

TriQuint reported its settlement in August, in a footnote to a financial report. In a detailed filing today, TriQuint reiterated that it denies any wrongdoing but said it will clearly disclose option grant dates and prices in the future. And the company said it will pay $3 million to attorneys for shareholders who sued the company.

TriQuint shares closed at $7 today, down 72 cents, or 9.3 percent.

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