CONCORD, Mass., July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Starmet Corporation
(Nasdaq: STMT) a Concord, Massachusetts based manufacturer of specialized
metal products, today announced the recent award of a Phase II Small Business
Innovative Research (SBIR) contract by the Department of Energy to further
develop methods for making high purity fluoride gases. These gases are
valuable for chemical vapor deposition in the manufacture of photovoltaic and
semiconductor devices.
This contract, valued at approximately $750,000 over two years, will
assist in the full scale commercialization of Starmet's proprietary Fluorine
Extraction Process (FEP(TM)) for the production of GeF4 and WF6. Germanium
Tetrafluoride (GeF4) is used in the fabrication of silicon-germanium, a source
of germanium for thin film photovoltaic devices, and as a selective
fluorinating agent. Tungsten Hexafluoride (WF6) is used in producing Tungsten
plugs for fabrication of semiconductor contacts and channels, among other
critical applications.
Starmet's FEP(TM) technology can be directly applied to the recovery of
the fluorine contained in the enormous stockpile of depleted uranium
hexafluoride now in storage at DOE sites in Paducah, KY, Portsmouth, OH and
Oak Ridge, TN. Other processes for converting depleted uranium hexafluoride
to uranium oxide produce only low grade hydrofluoric acid. In contrast,
Starmet has demonstrated, at pilot scale, production of high purity fluoride
compounds valuable in electronics, chemical and metals manufacturing.
Production of other fluoride gases such as SiF4, BF3 and TiF4 and
applications for these chemicals currently are being pursued to further
enhance the value of this novel technology. Over the past two years, Starmet
has been granted seven US Patents covering this new technology, and has three
additional patent applications pending.
Special Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:
Statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact are
"forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements include statements
concerning the relative economic benefits of this technology, competing
processes and intended market applications.
Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and
involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and, accordingly, actual results
could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking
statements. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not
limited to: the acceptance of the Company's products and services and the
presence of competitors with greater technical, marketing and financial
resources than the Company.
William T. Nachtrab, Ph.D.
Vice President, Technology.
(978) 369-5410
SOURCE Starmet Corporation
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http://www.starmet.com
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http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/632850.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 632850
CONTACT:
William T. Nachtrab, Ph.D., Vice President,
Technology, of Starmet Corporation, 978-369-5410
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