>That still doesn't explain the delay. If they were still on target without DARPA money, why is it being used now as an excuse?
Richard, that is a good question. There could be several answers to this. I have spoken to Dr. Martinez about the funding issues prior to them getting the $13 million DARPA this month. JMAR did not want to make the out of pocket expenditure because it would not be reimbursed. Another factor could have been that another company that JMAR was reliant on for the integration of the stepper was getting funding from the government. According to the info on JMAR's web site, they continued to move ahead anyhow on the Brightlight technology. Here is further info on the update of Brightlight (from the web page):
Over the past two years, an exciting by-product of JMAR's ongoing X-ray lithography (XRL) program has been the creation of a series of very compact, short-pulse, all-solid state laser systems called BritelightT. Although designed as the functional core of JMAR's XRL program, we discovered that BritelightT lasers can also provide the basis for other important new products, including a very unique family of ultra-precision machining systems with enormous near-term commercial potential.
Britelight's sub-nanosecond laser beams interact in special ways with a variety of materials used in the microelectronics industry. Currently, their most promising applications are in advanced manufacturing processes where the removal of extremely precise amounts of material is required. JMAR believes that its Britelight(tm) laser products can substantially improve the way many precision micro-parts are made and will make it possible to fabricate other important, high-value products which cannot be made cost-effectively by any other means.
Based on the enthusiasm expressed for Britelight(tm) by potential customers, JMAR established a separate Britelight(tm) product engineering project in its Precision Systems division at the end of 1997 and expects to receive initial orders for early versions of these products before the end of 1998. These orders will augment JMAR's current custom-built laser manufacturing system business, which in recent years has emerged as an important contributor to JMAR's profitability. Building on this firmly established product base, the outlook for JMAR's advanced laser system business is brighter than ever.
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