For immediate release: October 25, 2017
Chinese Institute for High Energy Physics Commits to Zecotek’s LFS Scintillation Crystal for Adoption in Advanced Scientific Equipment
Singapore, October 25, 2017 - Zecotek Photonics Inc. (TSX-V: ZMS; Frankfurt: W1I.F, OTCPK: ZMSPF), a developer of leading-edge photonics technologies for healthcare, industrial and scientific markets, is pleased to announce that its patented LFS scintillation crystals have been successfully assessed by the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP), the largest research laboratory in Beijing, China. Due to the positive results, IHEP has committed to use LFS crystals in current and future experiments. Contractual discussions for a long-term contract are in process.
“This is another notable milestone for Zecotek with the value of the initial contract estimated to be in the millions of dollars with a realistic forecast of significant growth,” said Dr. A.F. Zerrouk, Chairman, President, and CEO of Zecotek Photonics Inc. “The most valuable opportunity for Zecotek is IHEP’s Circular Electron Positron Collider which, when built, will be three times larger than the large hadron collider at CERN and seven times more powerful. The extreme high energy generated in this new collider requires LFS scintillation crystals with much higher radiation hardness compared to the crystals used in the smaller large hadron collider with a lower energy environment. This is another significant validation of the quality of Zecotek’s technology. We see increasing momentum of interest across many companies and sectors for our patented photonics technologies and look forward to the conclusion of a very successful year.”
Located in Beijing, IHEP is one of the world’s preeminent centres for physics research with its main campus hosting the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider, the BESIII experiment, the Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, and most of IHEP’s research and administrative staff. Due to the scope and size of the experiments and monitoring installations, IHEP’s requirement for LFS scintillation crystals will be significant.
IHEP conducts theoretical and experimental research into particle and astro-particle physics and related research in accelerator technologies and nuclear analysis techniques. It is part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and is China’s largest laboratory studying particle physics. Its focus is to understand the universe at the most fundamental level – from the smallest subatomic particles to the large-scale structure of the cosmos.
One of IHEP’s most ambitious projects is the design and construction of the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC). CEPC is a long-term collider project which will serve as a Higgs Factory, where precise measurement of Higgs properties can be conducted. By creating and studying millions of Higgs particles, any tiny deviations from theoretical predictions about the particles’ nature will open new paths to exploring science beyond the Standard Model of particle science.
The collider project is to be completed in two phases. The first phase includes a circular electron-positron collider in a tunnel with a circumference of between 50 and 70 km. This ring is expected to collide electron and positron beams at energies of 240 – 250 GeV.
The second phase of the project will be to upgrade the first ring to a proton-proton collider with an unprecedented energy a thousand higher than in the first phase. This phase of the project will offer a unique opportunity for direct searches for New Physics in the high-energy range far beyond the CERN LHC reach.
Scintillation crystals play a vital role in fundamental research, healthcare, industrial and security applications, where they are used to convert high-energy photons into visible light. Zecotek’s patented LFS scintillation material with all its variants are known to be very bright and were developed specifically for use in high-energy physics experiments, medical imaging systems and other applications. Scintillation crystals are extensively used in particle physics experiments and in other environments where the detection hardware is exposed to very large doses of ionising radiation. Radiation hardness directly translate into fewer replacements of detector blocks and less frequent recalibration of detection systems.
About Zecotek
Zecotek Photonics Inc (TSX-V: ZMS; Frankfurt: W1I) is a photonics technology company developing high-performance scintillation crystals, photo detectors, positron emission tomography scanning technologies, 3D auto-stereoscopic displays, 3D metal printing, and lasers for applications in medical, high-tech and industrial sectors. Founded in 2004, Zecotek operates three divisions: Imaging Systems, Optronics Systems and 3D Display Systems with labs located in Canada, Korea, Russia, Singapore and U.S.A. The management team is focused on building shareholder value by commercializing over 50 patented and patent pending novel photonic technologies directly and through strategic alliances with Hamamatsu Photonics (Japan), the European Organization for Nuclear Research (Switzerland), Beijing Opto-Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. (China), NuCare Medical Systems (South Korea), the University of Washington (United States), and National NanoFab Center (South Korea). For more information visit www.zecotek.com and follow @zecotek on Twitter.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on management’s expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual future results and trends may differ materially from what may have been stated.
For Additional Information Please Contact:
Zecotek Photonics Inc.
Michael Minder
T: (604) 783-8291
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