Press Release Source: Superconductor Technologies Inc.

SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array Project Chooses Superconductor Technologies Inc. to Supply Cryocoolers for Use in Highly Sensitive Receivers
Thursday December 9, 7:05 am ET
STI's Proprietary Cryogenic Cooler to Be Used in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Superconductor Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: SCON - News; "STI"), the global leader in high-temperature superconducting (HTS) products for wireless voice and data applications, today announced that it has been chosen by the SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array Project to supply cryocoolers for use in highly sensitive receivers. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Allen Telescope Array is being described as one of the world's most powerful and flexible radio telescopes and, in addition to traditional radio astronomy, is designed specifically to listen for interstellar signals. Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft donated $11.5 million to the SETI Institute, a private California-based organization dedicated to the search for signs of extraterrestrial life. In collaboration with the University of California's Radio Astronomy Lab, Allen's donation funded the development of an array of hundreds of 20-foot dish receivers being built at the Hat Creek Observatory, 290 miles northeast of San Francisco on land operated by the University of California at Berkeley. Additional funds from Paul Allen and others are seeing the instrument through construction.

"STI's field-proven reliability and high performance were key to our decision to go with Superconductor Technologies' cooler," said David R. DeBoer, project manager for the Allen Telescope Project.

"We at STI are honored to be a part of this endeavor," said Abhijit Karandikar, product manager at STI. "The cryocooler SETI will be using is a slightly modified version of what STI uses in our flagship, SuperLink(TM) Rx, which is used by wireless operators to improve the performance of their networks."

"Our wireless customers have extremely high standards when it comes to performance and reliability. In striving to exceed our customer's requirements, we have developed a cryogenic module that is second to none," said M. Peter Thomas, the company's president and chief executive officer. "In fact, the demonstrated mean time between failures of our cooler now is in excess of a million hours."

The SETI Institute has used telescopes in Australia, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico in its search for extraterrestrial signals and has now embarked on building a dedicated facility in California. Radio waves from distant planets could be the easiest way to prove the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations.

About Superconductor Technologies Inc. (STI)

Superconductor Technologies Inc., headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA, is the global leader in developing, manufacturing, and marketing superconducting products for wireless networks. STI's SuperLink(TM) Solutions are proven to increase capacity utilization, lower dropped and blocked calls, extend coverage, and enable higher wireless transmission data rates. SuperLink(TM) Rx, the company's flagship product, incorporates patented high-temperature superconductor (HTS) technology to create a cryogenic receiver front-end (CRFE) used by wireless operators to enhance network performance while reducing capital and operating costs.

More than 4,450 SuperLink Rx systems have been shipped worldwide, logging in excess of 64 million hours of cumulative operation. In 2002, 2003 and 2004 STI was named to Deloitte & Touche's prestigious Los Angeles Technology Fast 50 program, a ranking of the 50 fastest-growing technology companies in the Los Angeles area. In 2004, STI was also ranked number 328 in Deloitte & Touche's Technology Fast 500 in North America.

SuperLink is a trademark of Superconductor Technologies Inc. in the United States and in other countries. For information about STI, please visit www.suptech.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

The press release contains forward-looking statements made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, STI's views on future fundraising plans, profitability, revenues, market growth, capital requirements and new product introductions and any other statements identified by phrases such as "thinks," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "goals" or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are inherently subject to uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. These factors and uncertainties include: STI's ability to expand its operations to meet anticipated product demands; the ability of STI's products to achieve anticipated benefits for its customers; the anticipated growth of STI's target markets; unanticipated delays in shipments to customers; and STI's ability to operate its business profitability. Forward-looking statements can be affected by many other factors, including, those described in the Risk Factors section of STI's Prospectus Supplement dated November 22, 2004 and the MD&A section of its most recent Form 10-Q. These documents are available online at STI's website, www.suptech.com, or through the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements are based on information presently available to senior management, and STI has not assumed any duty to update any forward- looking statements.

For further information please contact: Michael Williams, Director of Marketing, Superconductor Technologies Inc., +1-805-690-4647, mwilliams@suptech.com; or Investor Relations, Kirsten Chapman, invest@suptech.com, or Moriah Shilton, both of Lippert / Heilshorn & Associates, +1-415-433-3777, for Superconductor Technologies Inc.