Photonics/Recent Acquisitions

Carpinteria, California - February 11, 2004 - NuSil Technology, a leading formulator and manufacturer of silicone compounds for healthcare, aerospace, electronics and photonics, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Lightspan, LLC, which specializes in design of fluids, gels, coatings, thermosets and encapsulation materials for the fiber optics and photonics industries. Under terms of the agreement, NuSil will maintain the current facility and employee base as a technical services and development center for the photonics industry. The Lightspan brand will serve as the foundation for current and future products and services into this market.

Lightspan designs and manufactures engineered materials based on advanced polymers for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the fiber optics and photonics industries. The company, which built its product portfolio to cater to the needs of performance-driven applications, also offers testing services for optical materials characterization including UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometric transmission, and refractive index vs. wavelength and temperature. NuSil will maintain a relationship with Fiber Optic Center, the current distributor of Lightspan products.

“Folding Lightspan’s experience in the fiber optics and photonics industries into NuSil’s operations immediately positions our company as a leading provider of innovative, high value products for those industries,” said Dick Compton, CEO and co-founder of NuSil Technology. “This is a natural combination for both companies, as Lightspan’s ability to deliver clear, flowable materials such as epoxies, encapsulants and fluids compliments NuSil’s tradition of offering our customers silicone materials that set the standards for quality, reliability and performance.”

NuSil formulates standard and customized silicone products based on the vast, unique array of properties the material provides. Product quality is assured by the company’s Quality System, which begins with an effective design protocol and continues up the supply chain from vendor qualification through re-inspection of finished product inventories.