Vexlum, a producer of superior semiconductor lasers for high-impact purposes, has introduced it has secured €10 million in funding to scale its proprietary semiconductor chip manufacturing and laser know-how operations in Finland.
The spherical consists of €6 million in fairness funding led by Kvanted, with participation from Finnish state-owned Tesi (Finnish Business Funding Ltd) and the EIC Fund, alongside a €2.4 million grant from the EIC Accelerator, and a €1.6 million mortgage from Nordea.
Vexlum’s semiconductor-based Vertical-Exterior-Cavity Floor-Emitting Laser (VECSEL) know-how addresses a vital bottleneck in high-tech industries: the dearth of compact, cost-effective, high-power laser sources at exact wavelengths.
Functions, reminiscent of atomic clocks and quantum computer systems, in addition to next-generation semiconductor metrology and free-space optical communication know-how, all rely closely on lasers.
Now, Vexlum is increasing its manufacturing capabilities in Finland to make sure high quality and pace as the corporate responds to robust market demand following the introduction of a number of product strains.
Jussi-Pekka Penttinen, CEO and co-founder of Vexlum, says: “Securing and scaling our semiconductor fabrication infrastructure is vital for the market’s evolution. It permits us to make sure that the laser high quality and reliability meet our prospects’ stringent necessities.
“We’re shifting past boutique manufacturing to industrial-scale functionality. This funding permits us to convey our semiconductor manufacturing into a brand new, expanded facility right here in Tampere and scale our capability to satisfy the demand from the quantum, semiconductor, and house sectors.”
The fabrication of Vexlum’s chips begins with molecular beam epitaxy, the place the semiconductor wafer is “grown” in a reactor, atomic layer by atomic layer – akin to 3D printing on an atomic scale.
Not like the silicon utilized in conventional electronics, Vexlum makes use of III-V semiconductor supplies (reminiscent of gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, and gallium antimonide) to supply laser wafers for particular wavelengths.
The wafers are fabricated into laser chips in a specialised cleanroom, after which the quality-controlled, prepared chips are built-in into laser programs to generate laser gentle.
This vertical integration in a facility owned by Vexlym permits the corporate to manage all the worth chain – from chip manufacturing to the ultimate laser system – and to handle buyer wants.
Mircea Guina, chairman and co-founder of Vexlum, says: “Tampere has emerged as a number one hub for optoelectronics and III-V semiconductor know-how, constructing on a robust basis of world-class educational analysis and a confirmed skill to translate it into industrial innovation.
“This funding spherical represents a decisive step in scaling our ambitions, securing a number one place for Tampere and Finland within the superior semiconductor business.”
The financing represents a major milestone for the Nordic deep tech ecosystem, standing as doubtlessly the biggest seed spherical ever raised by a photonics firm within the area. The funding will drive Vexlum’s progress technique, which is aiming for €100 million in income by 2030.
Kvanted, a Nordic enterprise capital agency centered on industrial know-how, sees Vexlum as a first-rate instance of the Tampere area’s deep-tech engineering prowess in laser know-how.
Axel Ahlström, founding accomplice at Kvanted, says: “We’re not simply investing in a laser firm. As an alternative, we’re investing in a semiconductor producer that has cracked the code on scaling high-power, exact wavelengths for the world’s most tough issues. Our fund is proud to again a staff that’s turning this know-how into a worldwide class chief.”
Presently a significant provider for trapped-ion quantum computer systems, Vexlum’s skill to fabricate lasers throughout numerous wavelengths permits the corporate to energy options far past quantum labs.
For instance, the know-how can also be being developed to make satellite tv for pc optical communications extra dependable, to allow next-generation optical atomic clocks that intention to redefine the precision of timekeeping, and for different makes use of the place particular laser colours are wanted.
Jussi-Pekka Penttinen, says: “The quantum ecosystem has taught us that excessive precision is simply useful if it may be delivered reliably and at scale. We are actually taking these hard-won classes and making use of them to the broader photonics panorama.
“Whether or not for satellite tv for pc communications or semiconductor metrology, we’re proving that the rigorous structure developed for quantum computer systems is identical engine wanted to drive the subsequent era of commercial innovation.”
