NEWS

4Wave Awarded $2 Million from NIST to Develop Innovative Optical Filter and Thin Film Deposition Technique

Biased Target Ion Beam Deposition (BTIBD) technique is expected to advance the development of nanotechnology applications within optical, semiconductor and storage industries.

Sterling, VA, September 15, 2003 – 4Wave, Inc., a thin film deposition development company, has been awarded a $1.97 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Advanced Technology Program (ATP) to develop a four-channel miniature optical filter chip. The chip will be a coarse wave division multiplexer (CWDM) for use in 10-Gigabit Ethernet transceivers. Development includes the continued innovation of a thin film deposition technique called Biased Target Ion Beam Deposition (BTIBD).

“We are very encouraged by the ATP grant,” said Trey Middleton, 4Wave’s Vice President of Business Development. “The BTIBD technique and the multi-filter chip will enable nanotechnology companies to develop advanced devices not currently possible.”.

Compared to today’s products, 4Wave’s four-channel CWDM mux/demux optical filter will be 250 times smaller, far more reliable, and up to 80 percent less expensive to manufacture. Critical components of the chip include four optical filters and a reflective mirror all fabricated on a single glass substrate interlaced with channels for linking to other elements of optical assemblies. This single-chip integration breaks new ground in the communications industry and will help meet the emerging demand for CWDMs driven by new IEEE standards for 10-Gigabit Ethernet transceivers, a market estimated to reach $4.4 billion by 2005 (Source: ElectroniCast).

4Wave is a Milestone Equity Partners portfolio company. Milestone’s Chris Bradley commented, “Despite optical industry challenges, 4Wave’s commitment to their technology and business opportunity has been unwavering. 4Wave is lighting a path to significant growth in the optical, storage and nanotechnology industries.”

About 4Wave, Inc.

4Wave is the premier developer of atomic layer engineering techniques through ion beam processing innovations. 4Wave’s expertise in ion beam and plasma processing systems, ion/electron/plasma sources and in-situ process monitors for the etching and deposition of thin films has resulted in the development of the Biased Target Ion Beam Deposition Technique (BTIBD). BTIBD is uniquely suited to demanding nanotechnology advancements in optical, semiconductor and magnetic device industries. (www.4waveinc.com)

About Advanced Technical Program

The ATP provides cost-shared funding to help advance particularly challenging, high-risk R&D projects that have the potential to spark important, broad-based economic or social benefits for the United States. The program supports projects that industry cannot fully fund on its own because of significant technical risks. ATP awards are made on the basis of rigorous, competitive peer review of the scientific and technical merit of each proposal. The program accelerates enabling technology research, but does not support product development work. (www.atp.nist.gov)

About Milestone Equity Partners

Milestone Equity Partners, LLC is a private equity investment firm for early stage and growth companies. Milestone’s business-building services accelerate the growth of a company’s market value, focusing on corporate strategy, product strategy, market analysis, sales, management team expansion, financing, and driving liquidity. (www.milestone-ep.com)

4Wave Contact:
Trey Middleton, VP Business Development
703.787.9283x100
tmiddleton@4waveinc.com

Milestone Equity Partners Contact:
Mark Fedeli
703.762.1846
mfedeli@milestone-ep.com