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[SUPERCONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES LOGO]                                  EXHIBIT 10.1
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COMPANY CONTACT:                                      INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT:
Martin McDermut                                       Lippert / Heilshorn & Associates
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer        Lillian Armstrong, Moriah Shilton
Email: mmcdermut@suptech.com                          Email:   lillian@lhai-sf.com
(805) 690-4500                                        (415) 433-3777
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             SUPERCONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES INC. ANNOUNCES PRELIMINARY
                             FIRST QUARTER REVENUES

        -ADDS ANOTHER MAJOR U.S. BASED WIRELESS CARRIER TO CUSTOMER LIST-

      SANTA BARBARA, CALIF., APRIL 10, 2003 -- Superconductor Technologies Inc.
(Nasdaq: SCON) ("STI" or the "Company"), the global leader in high-temperature
superconducting (HTS) products for wireless voice and data applications, today
announced it expects net revenues of approximately $7.4 to $7.6 million for the
first quarter ended March 31, 2003, compared to $4.6 million in the first
quarter of 2002. The company ended the quarter with approximately $4.5 million
in commercial product backlog.

      In addition, STI recently added another major U.S. based wireless carrier
to its growing list of customers with general purchase agreements (GPAs), and
has received initial purchase orders under the new agreement. Second quarter
results will include shipments to this new customer.

      "STI now has GPAs with three of the top five cellular wireless carriers in
the U.S., which paves the way for continued market adoption of our
network-optimizing technology," stated M. Peter Thomas, president and chief
executive officer of Superconductor Technologies Inc. "As we expand in various
regions around the country, we are building a pipeline of demand that will drive
us toward our goal of $50 million in net revenues in 2003."

      Thomas continued, "Our first quarter 2003 success was achieved at a time
when a portion of STI's energies was diverted to the patent litigation brought
by ISCO International. As a result, in the first quarter STI saw a marked
increase in its litigation expenses that will impact first quarter earnings.
STI's recent win in the lawsuit refocuses 100% of our energies to our


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business going forward. We anticipate our operating expenses will more
appropriately reflect our operating model by the third quarter, and that the
company is tracking to reach its goal of profitability by the fourth quarter
2003."

INVESTOR CONFERENCE CALL

STI will host an investor conference call today at 2:00 p.m. pacific time, April
10, 2003. The call will be accessible live by dialing (877)-817-7170. A 48-hour
replay will be available by dialing (888) 266-2081, passcode 6477391. The call
will also be simultaneously webcast and available on STI's web site at
http://www.suptech.com.

ABOUT SUPERCONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES INC.


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. SuperFilter(R), the
company's flagship product in the SuperLink Rx product line, 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 2,000 SuperFilter Systems have been shipped worldwide, logging
in excess of 25 million hours of cumulative operation. In 2002, STI was named
one of Deloitte & Touche's prestigious "Technology Fast 50" companies for the
Los Angeles area, a ranking of the 50 fastest-growing technology companies in
the area.

      SuperFilter and SuperLink are trademarks or registered trademarks 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 profitability, commercial revenues, market growth, capital requirements
and new product introductions, and are generally identified by phrases such as
"thinks," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans,"
and 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


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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
achieve profitability. STI refers interested persons to its most recent Annual
Report on Form 10-K and its other SEC filings for a description of additional
uncertainties and factors that may affect forward-looking statements.
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.

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