Tiger Optics Awarded Rights to Five New Patents for
Gas Analysis Technology Advancements

Warrington, PA – February 4, 2008 –Tiger Optics LLC, a leading manufacturer of laser-based trace gas and ambient monitors, today announced that it has received patents rights from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for five new innovations of the company’s patented Continuous Wave Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CW CRDS) technology.  Demonstrating Tiger Optics’ focus on research & development and commitment to expanding CW CRDS applications, the new advancements will enable Tiger Optics to offer more versatile and powerful sensors at a more attractive price point to a broader range of customers. 

Further, the new patents improve analytical sensitivity and increase the range of species that can be measured, allowing Tiger Optics to expand beyond gas analysis into the field of liquid analysis. Tiger Optics is now positioned to develop biological and chemical applications for such applications as Homeland Security and medical research, among others. In particular, Tiger Optics’ inventions have strong potential for area monitoring and sensing of biochemical releases, for use in liquid chemical analysis, cancer research, and additional safety and security applications.
“CRDS is an extremely versatile platform technology that addresses the need for fast, accurate, and highly sensitive molecular sensors at a very low cost of ownership,” said Lisa Bergson, CEO for Tiger Optics.  “With our newest inventions, Tiger Optics not only enhances the power of CRDS technology with regard to gas analysis, but also widens its potential for medical and Homeland Security advancements.” 

Considered “21st Century Spectroscopy,” CW CRDS was invented at Princeton University, with patents exclusively licensed to Tiger Optics in the early 1990s.  In early 2002, Tiger Optics became the first company to commercialize CW CRDS technology to enable faster and more accurate gas analysis at a lower total cost of ownership.  Today, Tiger Optics has sold more than 500 modules, detecting a variety of molecular species including moisture, oxygen, methane, and ammonia.  With $15 million in cumulative sales in more than a dozen countries, Tiger Optics’ analyzers are used by over 100 major companies worldwide. Its customers span an array of industries, with semiconductor, chemicals, laboratory, energy, electronic, industrial, and specialty gas chief among them.

Patents Rights Summary:
Tiger Optics has recently been awarded the following patent rights:

• US Patent 7255836, 8/14/2007, “Analytical sensitivity enhancement by catalytic transformation.” This jointly developed Princeton-Tiger Optics patented technology results in the world’s first laser-based ultra-trace oxygen analyzer using CRDS.  With this development, Tiger was able to commercialize the world’s first laser-based trace oxygen analyzer, measuring as low as 100 parts-per-trillion. Other applications, such as total hydrocarbon detectors, are being researched.
• US Patent 7277177, 10/2/2007, “System and method for controlling a light source for cavity ring-down spectroscopy.” This patent allows significant cost savings and a better signal-to-noise ratio in Tiger Optics’ commercial CRDS-based trace gas analyzers.
• US Patent #7318909, 01/15/2008, “Method and apparatus for enhanced evanescent field exposure in an optical fiber resonator for spectroscopic detection and measurement of trace species.” This technique uses a modified fiber optic loop as the cavity ring-down cell. It has great potential for detection of trace species in both area monitoring and liquid phase, and improves sensitivity of the fiber-loop CRDS.  This method has already been demonstrated to allow detection of single human cancer cells.

In 2006, Tiger Optics obtained the following patent rights related to trace species detection in liquids:

• US patent 7046362, 5/16/2006, “Fiber-optic based cavity ring-down spectroscopy apparatus.” This technology exploits the low loss of optical fibers developed for telecommunications to make trace species detectors that can be immersed in liquids or buried in solids to provide perimeter monitoring of chemical spills.
• US patent 7113286, 9/26/2006, “Apparatus and method for improved analysis of liquids by continuous wave-cavity ring down spectroscopy.”

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About Tiger Optics

Tiger Optics, LLC leads the way in 21st Century Spectroscopy by bringing to market the world’s first commercial gas analyzers based on patented Continuous Wave Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CW CRDS) technology. Designated transfer standards by many of the world’s leading national laboratories, Tiger’s cutting-edge gas analyzers offer absolute accuracy, real-time response, high sensitivity and low cost of ownership to meet the most demanding applications in an array of analytes, including moisture, oxygen, methane, acetylene, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde  and ammonia.  With over 500 points in operation, Tiger Optics analyzers are now improving process yields for over 80 companies worldwide in a host of industries, including: semiconductor, laboratory, process control, automotive, industrial and specialty gas. (redundant with above an appears to be obsolete (over 100 above vs. over 80 here)Headquartered in Warrington, PA, Tiger Optics is represented in the United States and internationally by a select group of sales and service organizations highly experienced in gas analysis and well versed in the advantages of CW CRDS technology.  For additional information, visit www.tigeroptics.com

Media Contact:
Matt McLernon
Bite Communications for Tiger Optics
(212) 857-9378
matt.mclernon@bitepr.com