JMAR Awarded Broad Patent for X-Ray Lithography Process to Create Higher Performance, Sub-100 Nanometer Semiconductors

- JMAR Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: JMAR) Process is Applicable to X-ray Beams from Both Point-Sources and Synchrotrons - Extends JMAR s Competitive Advantage Over All Other XRL Systems Addressing High-Performance, Sub-100nm Military and Commercial Chip Markets

San Diego, CA. JMAR Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq:JMAR - news), a provider of precision micro- and nanotechnology products, today announced that its JMAR/SAL NanoLithography Inc. (JSAL) division located in Burlington, Vt. has been awarded U.S. Patent Number 6,295,332, titled Method for Improving X-ray Lithography in the Sub-100nm Range to Create High Quality Semiconductor Devices.

JSAL is the world s leading supplier of X-ray lithography (XRL) equipment, having delivered a total of 15 such systems to customers, worldwide, since its formation. The additional broadened coverage provided by this new patent will further strengthen JMAR s ability to compete in the advanced military and commercial semiconductor lithography system markets.

JMAR intends to incorporate the newly patented technology into its most advanced lithography products, including its JSAL XRS 2000 X-ray lithography stepper systems. JMAR believes these technology-enhanced systems, when integrated with its advanced laser plasma X-ray sources at JMAR Research, will provide its customers with the ability to cost-effectively manufacture semiconductors for a broad range of sophisticated, high-performance commercial and military communications products and systems. Included among those products are phased array radars, missile seeker devices, direct broadcast satellite TV receivers, wide-band wireless systems, global positioning satellite receivers, cellular telephones and a variety of sophisticated surveillance systems deemed critical to the nation s efforts to effectively combat terrorism and other threats in the U.S. and abroad.

The market for semiconductor lithography equipment is several billion dollars per year. JMAR estimates that the new integrated JSAL source/stepper XRL systems will sell from $6 million to $10 million each, depending on their configuration and level of performance. That compares favorably with cost estimates for other types of lithography systems currently in development for high-volume silicon processing applications.

Commenting on the specifics of the patent, JSAL Senior Vice President of Technology Robert A. Selzer said, This very significant patent is the result of almost a decade of intensive research in extending the capabilities of our X-ray lithography stepper technology to produce very high quality semiconductor devices having circuit features below 100 nanometers, which is about one one-thousandth of the width of a human hair. Such devices will provide the foundation for a wide range of new high-performance commercial and military electronic products.

Importantly, this is a broad, global Mother Patent covering the overall scope of much of our past XRL system research, he added. As time goes by, we expect to be granted additional patents, many already filed, covering certain specific elements of our recent discoveries in greater depth.

Selzer continued, Our new patent describes improved X-ray lithography systems that use horizontal beams from both point-sources and synchrotrons. To minimize the effects of temperature and airflow fluctuations it incorporates an environmental chamber into the system. For tighter process control it incorporates novel technology for transporting, handling and prealigning the semiconductor wafers and for precisely sensing positional accuracy. It also introduces unique alignment systems using clearly identifiable markers to provide unambiguous data for aligning one wafer processing level to the next. Furthermore, the system includes an in-line X-ray beam collimator, or concentrator, to direct the X-rays onto the mask/wafer target. By so doing, we expect the clarity of the sub-100 nanometer lithography images produced by our systems to be extremely sharp.

By integrating the leading-edge laser plasma X-ray sources developed at JMAR Research (JRI) with JSAL s X-ray steppers containing this newly patented technology, JMAR expects to offer manufacturers of high speed gallium arsenide (GaAs) semiconductors a unique, more economical, integrated XRL processing capability by the end of 2002, Selzer noted. Lithography is a highly precise copying process. X-ray lithography systems consist of a very specialized X-ray light source integrated into a stepper, or aligner. The stepper/aligner precisely positions semiconductor wafers relative to masks that contain the design features of the circuits to be imprinted onto the wafers. As the stepper flashes the light through the mask, the designs of the circuits are imprinted onto photo-sensitive material deposited on the surface of the semiconductor. Subsequent processing converts those imprints into electronic microcircuits.

JMAR s PXS laser plasma X-ray sources were designed to provide the industry with a practical semiconductor manufacturing alternative to the large, expensive synchrotrons often used for research and process development, observed John S. Martinez, Ph.D., JMAR s chairman and chief executive officer. ``The heart of the PXS is JMAR s patented Britelight(TM) solid state laser, which generates the special X-rays needed for lithography.

JMAR s XRL technology offers several potential advantages when compared with other lithography methods, Dr. Martinez added. One of these is the existing proximity mask technology, which enables the use of relatively inexpensive collimators to intensify and direct the short wavelength X-rays onto the mask/wafer targets without the need for the extremely complex and expensive focusing optics that have become inbred in all types of advanced optical lithography techniques, including Deep Ultraviolet (DUV) and EUV. Furthermore, the intrinsic nature of collimated X-ray light enables lithographers to readily manufacture certain critical high performance circuit features that otherwise are very difficult, or impossible, to make with current or envisioned future optical lithography systems.

As we incorporate this newly patented technology into our X-ray steppers, we will be able to offer customers worldwide the ability to perform semiconductor wafer lithography at performance levels that have been previously unavailable anywhere, Dr. Martinez said. ``We expect these systems will shortly be capable of competing successfully for advanced high-speed GaAs processing applications. Ultimately, as our wafer processing throughputs increase, we believe manufacturers will begin to view JMAR s XRL systems as potential candidates for a wide range of high-volume silicon processing applications as well.

During the past several years JMAR has been granted 13 patents containing 309 separate allowed claims covering various types of laser plasma X-ray sources, high-brightness solid state lasers, point-source lithography system technology and X-ray lithography systems, including this new X-ray lithography process patent, which itself contains 10 important XRL system claims. JMAR believes the addition of this new patent significantly expands its already-dominant Intellectual Property position in the XRL process equipment field. Therefore, the company is confident that this broad new patent will further strengthen its ability to become a leading supplier of advanced lithography systems for production of high-performance military and commercial semiconductor devices.

JMAR Technologies Inc. is the world s leading developer and manufacturer of semiconductor X-ray lithography sources and systems and is a leading developer of proprietary advanced laser, X-ray and EUV light sources for other high-value microelectronics products. In addition, JMAR manufactures precision measurement, positioning and light-based manufacturing systems for inspection and repair of semiconductors and continues to play an important role in adapting its precision semiconductor manufacturing technology to the fabrication of advanced biomedical and optical communications products. It is also a fabless provider of high performance integrated circuits for the rapidly growing broadband information transfer market and other microelectronics applications.

The statements herein regarding JMAR s expectations for the successful development and introduction of new products and future sales and potential business opportunities are forward-looking statements based on current expectations that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. These risks include the failure of advanced technology and new intellectual property to perform as predicted or to be fully developed and engineered in a commercial product that is accepted by the marketplace, the failure of pending patents to be issued, competition from alternative technologies, the failure of future orders to materialize as expected, delays in shipment or production, parts and labor shortages, cancellation or re-scheduling of orders, delay in funding of third-party contracts, and the other risks detailed in the company s 2000 Form 10-K and other reports filed with the SEC.

Contact: JMAR Technologies Inc., San Diego Dennis E. Valentine, 760/602-3292 Chief Financial Officer or Rubenstein Investor Relations, New York Tim Clemensen Tel: 212/843-9337