Borealis Announces Smooth Wafer Technology

    LONDON--Sept. 5, 2001--Power Chips plc, and Cool Chips plc, subsidiaries of Borealis Exploration Limited (BOREF), announce that a patent, titled "Wafer Having Smooth Surface", as Patent 6,281,139, was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on August 28th, 2001. Further patent applications related to Power Chips(tm) and Cool Chips(tm) technology are pending.
    Power Chips(tm) are small solid-state wafer devices capable of generating electricity from heat, or, in the case of Cool Chips(tm), pumping heat from one side of the device to the other when an electric current is applied, providing active cooling for a wide variety of potential applications. For more information about these technologies see our web sites at www.powerchips.gi and www.coolchips.gi. The new patent and other related patents are available on the web site.
    The patent describes a method for preparing a very smooth surface for wafers in order to improve the precision with which wafer-based devices can be used. When silicon wafers are created, for example, they typically have a surface covered with tiny holes. While the wafer can be polished to produce a smoother surface, local depressions in the surface of the wafer persist. These depressions, or holes, limit the extent of detail that can be etched onto the surface.
    The new patent involves depositing a base surface on the wafer, and then a second surface at an angle, so it does not fill the holes. A third surface is grown electrochemically in the holes, to fill them.
    Isaiah W. Cox, President of Power Chips plc, says "This innovation is very useful for Cool Chips and Power Chips, which benefit from flat surfaces. In addition, we expect that the techniques we describe in this patent will find applications within other semiconductor areas, such as semiconductor chip production as well as for obtaining good thermal contacts with thermal interfaces and heat sinks."

    Borealis Exploration Limited has 5,000,000 shares outstanding. Borealis' business is reinventing the core technologies used by basic industries, including electric motors, steelmaking, electrical power generation, and cooling and refrigeration.

    Forward Looking Statement at http://www.borealis.gi/ForwardLookingStatement.htm