News

01/22/2002
Press Release

Isonics Corporation Announces Start of $2 Million Silicon-28 IPP Program in Joint Sponsorship With U.S. Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to Study Isotopically Pure Silicon for Improved Microelectronics
Tuesday January 22 GOLDEN, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2002-- Isonics Corporation (Nasdaq:ISON - news), a leader in the development of isotopically engineered semiconductor materials and a supplier of isotopes for life sciences and health care applications, announced that it has received the first delivery of highly enriched silicon-28, silicon- 29, and silicon-30 under the U.S. Department of Energy's Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention Program (IPP Program) that is targeted to employ Soviet weapons related scientists in commercial activities. The enriched silicon isotopes will be used to fulfill the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement that Isonics entered into with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) to study isotopically pure silicon for improved microelectronics. The IPP project is a collaborative effort among Isonics, LBNL, and the Electrochemical Plant Isotope Separation Facility in Zelenegorsk, Russia. The $2 million project is jointly sponsored by the Department of Energy and Isonics. Isonics will manufacture isotopically pure silane gas and epitaxial wafers, which will be used by LBNL to perform fundamental experiments in solid-state physics as well as to manufacture semiconductor devices. The DOE funding is used to acquire silicon isotopes from Russia and to fund basic research on silicon at LBNL. Isonics will have rights to any intellectual property developed under the program. Dr. Stephen Burden, Isonics' Vice President for Semiconductor Materials, commented, ``This program will conduct an extensive study of the properties of isotopically pure silicon isotopes and pave the way for commercial production of silicon-28. This is the first of two deliveries scheduled under this program. We expect the second delivery to be in the first half of this year. These isotopes will aid our commercialization efforts while our Russian partner has been able to fund their capacity expansion plans to support the future needs of the worldwide semiconductor industry.'' Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will study the properties of highly enriched silicon-28, silicon-29, and silicon-30 isotopes including transport studies in isotope superlattices and magnetic resonance studies in silicon-29. Additionally, enriched silicon-30 will be studied for improvements in neutron transmutation doping (NTD) of silicon for power semiconductor applications. LBNL Staff Scientist Joel Ager commented, ``The availability of large quantities of silicon-28 and also the rarer isotopes, silicon-29 and silicon-30, creates the opportunity for a number of fundamental studies in heat transfer, atomic diffusion, and spin and dopant control that may have an impact in both solid state physics and in semiconductor technology.'' Isonics is a world leader in isotopically engineered materials and produces isotopically pure silicon-28 chemicals and wafers for the semiconductor industry. Isonics also markets and sells stable isotopes for the health care industry such as carbon-13 for diagnostic breath tests and drug design, and oxygen-18 for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Stable isotopes can be thought of as ultra pure materials. For additional information visit http://www.isonics.com. 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, and which may result in the parties being unable or unwilling to complete the transaction described 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, 2001 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which include the Company's cash flow difficulties, dependence on significant customers, and rapid development of technology, among other risks. 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. Contact: Isonics Corporation, Golden Dr. Stephen J. Burden, 303/279-7900 sburden@isonics.com or Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, Calif. Glen Dahlbacka, 510/486-5358 ghdahlbacka@lbl.gov or Investor Relations Services, Inc., New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Gary Frank, 386/409-0200 ison@invrel.net