A background discussion of silicone release coatings is presented together with efforts to develop controlled release additives for photolytically cured systems A theory of release that correlates release, surface tension, and resin func tionality is presented Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiling has been used to determine the location of CRAs in cured coatings The CRAs were found to be uniformly distributed throughout the coating without preferential segregation at the air or adhesive interfaces Tight release is not obtained without CRAs suggesting that a minimum concentration at the surface which is necessary, is not greater than that found in the bulk.