PEABODY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 12, 2005--In a move that could revolutionize the way we view the world, ALIS Corporation today announced that it is developing a next-generation microscopy tool that may be able to see things never before visible.

This breakthrough in physics is an important milestone because advancements in electron microscopy have been few and far between since the mid-1960s, and scanning electron microscopes are near their practical performance limits. Today's scientists struggle with problems they can't solve because they can't see what they need to see. In addition, sample preparation procedures are slow, tedious and imprecise. Even with the cleverest of work-arounds, their needs are not being met.

"Our disruptive technology enables an entirely new generation of high resolution imaging and measurement systems," said Bill Ward, president of ALIS Corporation. "Our scanning ion microscope uses a beam of helium ions as the imaging particles. Since ions can be focused into a smaller probe size and have less sample interaction, we can generate higher resolution images with more material contrast so more detail can be seen. We expect to be able to see things much smaller than we've ever been able to see with even the most sophisticated scanning electron microscope (SEM). Magnification over one million times is expected."

The scanning helium ion microscope technology has been under development for over ten years, but recently ALIS scientists achieved a breakthrough that makes commercial use practical. ALIS Corporation is developing a user interface that is much like that of an electron microscope, which means that it will be easy to operate the system. Also, this microscope technology promises to have nearly the same resolution as the transmission electron microscope (TEM) without the tedious sample preparation that is now needed.

Initially, the company will be focusing on the microscopy needs of the semiconductor industry, with a tool specifically designed to meet the needs of failure analysis engineers and scientists. Future systems are expected to address applications like critical dimension measurement, defect review, and defect inspection. In addition, the company is already eyeing applications in the life sciences and material sciences fields for this remarkable new microscope where its revolutionary vision technology may help to break the nanotechnology barrier and answer some of mankind's greatest unanswered questions.

About ALIS Corporation

ALIS Corporation is a provider of next-generation, atomic-level microscopes for the global semiconductor, life sciences and materials sciences industries. ALIS Corporation's disruptive breakthrough in helium ion technology has enabled the company to develop a revolutionary scanning ion microscope and imaging system that allows scientists to see at the atomic level with resolution and material contrast never before seen. The company is headquartered in Peabody, Massachusetts. Additional information about ALIS Corporation and its unique helium ion technology is available on the company's website at www.aliscorporation.com .

Editors Note: ALIS and the ALIS logo are trademarks of ALIS Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.