April 24, 2001

ARDESTA LAUNCHES TRANSLUME, INC., AN OPTICAL COMPONENTS START-UP COMPANY

ANN ARBOR, M.I. April 24, 2001 - Ardesta LLC has launched a start-up company, Translume, Inc. to focus on optical components for the telecommunications industry.

Using ultrafast femtolaser technology originally developed at the University of Michigan, Translume writes three-dimensional waveguides and machines other optical features inside or on the surface of glass materials. The result is an unmatched level of integration and manufacturability.

Translume's team will be led by Dr. Philippe Bado who will serve as chief science officer. He will be based in Ann Arbor, MI.

Having spent the last 20 years researching ultrafast lasers, Dr. Bado was formerly vice president for technology at Clark-MXR, Inc. in Dexter, Michigan. He holds a Ph.D. in physical chemistry and a master's degree in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego. A Swiss native, Bado has written dozens of articles on optics and micromachining and holds one French and three U.S. patents.

Three additional scientists will also be joining Translume: Dr. Mark Dugan, Dr. Ali Said and Dr. Tom Sosnowski.

"Present optical fabrication methods fail," Bado said. "Translume solves these problems by writing waveguides inside bulk glass with a focused beam of light as its tool bit. The result is a prescribed pattern guided by a computer. This accurate "direct write" method will make us the supplier of choice of components and subsystems for the all-optical network of the future."

"Everyone is demanding increased bandwidth and the market for optical telecommunications components is surging. We see Translume as the perfect company to lead the dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) components market that is expected to grow by 50% annually." Rick Snyder, Ardesta CEO said.

"Today's great research universities understand that commercialization of innovative technology is key if the public is going to benefit from the outstanding research that they do. Technology developed by U-M engineers will, through several CUOS (Center for Ultrafast Optical Science) corporate relationships, four CUOS spinoff companies and Ardesta, correct vision problems, make manufacturing more efficient and expedite communication. We are excited that our legacy continues with today's Translume announcement," Stephen W. Director, dean of the University of Michigan's Engineering School said.

About Ardesta LLC

Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ardesta is dedicated to the development of the microsystems industry. The company invests in start-ups and early stage companies; provides business and technical resources to support these companies; and develops industry-building resources such as publications, web sites and trade shows. Other investments in Ardesta's network of companies include Sensicore of Ann Arbor, MI; Micronics of Redmond, WA; Ion Optics of Waltham, MA and HandyLab of Ann Arbor, MI. The company's Web site is www.ardesta.com