April 12, 1999 07:45
Isonics Corporation Licenses Advanced Semiconductor Patents From
Yale University
Clears Way for Corporate Licensing Fees/Royalties
Patents Cover Key Semiconductor Performance Improvements
GOLDEN, Colo., April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Isonics Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: ISON) announced
today that it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Yale University that entitles the
Company to exclusive intellectual property rights to patents covering semiconductor devices derived from
isotopically engineered materials. The patents claim that isotopic purity yields improved thermal
conductivity and certain other properties critically important to semiconductor manufacturers now and in
years to come. These patents cover silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide and most other isotopically pure
semiconductors and are the basis for Isonics' silicon-28 wafer development and commercialization.
Isonics President and CEO James E. Alexander stated, "We are sufficiently convinced of the scientific
validity and the commercial opportunity presented by isotopically engineered semiconductor devices to
move forward with this agreement, which covers the silicon-28 wafers currently being tested at leading
universities and semiconductor manufacturers.
"This agreement fulfills the second of three primary objectives in our overall strategy for commercialization
of silicon-28," Alexander added. "The first objective was to identify a low-cost domestic resource for the
production of the isotope; this was set into motion by the recently announced partnership with
Eagle-Picher Industries. The final objective is the acceptance of silicon-28 by a semiconductor
manufacturer and full-scale production of devices using our technology. We are now focusing our efforts
more sharply on this goal."
Laboratory tests have shown that isotopically pure silicon-28 has 50 percent higher thermal conductivity
than natural silicon. Independent modeling studies have demonstrated a 20 degree to 30 degree C
reduction in peak operating temperature as a result of using silicon-28. Isonics believes that the improved
thermal conductivity of silicon-28 will facilitate increased performance and improved chip yields. The
attractiveness of silicon-28 is that, while it can provide these benefits over standard silicon, it can be used
without any changes in existing semiconductor manufacturing processes.
Isonics is an advanced materials and technology company which develops and commercializes products
based on enriched stable isotopes. Stable isotopes can be thought of as ultra-ultra pure materials. This
high degree of purification provides advanced performance properties compared to normal materials.
Stable isotopes have commercial uses in several areas, including energy; research, medical diagnostics,
and drug development; product tagging and stewardship; semiconductors; lasers; and optical materials.
Except for historical information contained herein, this document contains forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve
known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company's actual results or outcomes to
be materially different from those anticipated and discussed herein. Further, the Company operates in
industries where securities values may be volatile and may be influenced by regulatory and other factors
beyond the Company's control. Other important factors that the Company believes might cause such
differences are discussed in the risk factors detailed in the Company's 10-KSB for the year ended April
30, 1998 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In assessing forward-looking statements
contained herein, readers are urged to carefully read all cautionary statements contained in the
Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SOURCE Isonics Corporation
/CONTACT: Matt Clawson of Allen & Caron, Inc., 714-957-8440, for Isonics
Corporation; or James E. Alexander of Isonics Corporation, 303-279-7900/
/Web site: isonics.com
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