FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Micro Photonics Offers Breakthrough Technology for Temperature Specific Mechanical Testing

Irvine, California – April 22, 2004 – Micro Photonics Inc., a leading provider of surface materials instruments and laboratory services, introduces a breakthrough in materials technology, temperature specific mechanical testing.

Researchers can easily attach the heating/cooling module to either hardness or scratch platforms to achieve temperatures between the ranges of -196°C and 600°C. Once in place, the module, consisting of a platinum resistance coil, and nearly fully encapsulating enclosure thusly reducing thermal drift, produces highly stable and accurate temperature control. Utilizing the Nano/Micro Hardness platform also offers another unique advantage: a differential surface-indenter depth technique to counter the effects of natural thermal expansion of the sample under test, a technology not available with other hardness testing instruments.

Although the majority of indentation testing is performed at room temperature producing efficient results, the need to investigate the mechanical properties of certain materials at or near their in-service temperatures has grown significantly in recent years, prompting the development of this technology.

Micro Photonics offers contract laboratory testing services, instruments, after-sales service and training for a wide range of surface metrology instruments including: nano/micro mechanical testing, friction, wear, adhesion, scratch resistance and fracture toughness. Ellipsometers are available for thin film thickness and optical properties (n&k), and a large array of non-contact surface profiling instruments for studying roughness, dimensional analysis, and radius of curvature and thickness properties. In addition, Micro Photonics offers x-ray microtomograghy instruments for imaging and analyzing internal microstructures.