Nanda raises $4M for wafer inspection technology

Funding

Capital-E, a Belgium-based venture capital company focusing on semiconductor investments, and KfW’s ERP Start-up Fund, one of the largest venture capital funds in Germany, are to invest $ 4 million in Nanda Technologies GmbH, alongside existing shareholders.

Nanda was founded in 2006 and to develop a new system for high-throughput wafer inspection in semiconductor manufacturing based on a proprietary optical design combined with image processing software. Nanda says the system can dramatically increase the speed of inspection while maintaining high sensitivity.

This results in a significant decrease in inspection cost per wafer compared to existing systems, and the inspection of every wafer in the process flow instead of sampling only a few.

“With the two new investors on board we have a strong shareholder base that could provide, if needed, additional financing through to break-even of the company. This helps us to focus on market entry and customer interactions,” said Johannes von Borries, chief financial officer. Nanda will use the proceeds to support pre-production evaluations at leading semiconductor manufacturers.

The company was initially backed by Germany’s public fund High-Tech Grunderfonds. Andreas Olmes, Senior Investment Management at High-Tech Gründerfonds, said, “As former lead investor from the outset, we are pleased to welcome on board Belgium-based Capital-E, an investor with an international footprint and sector focus.”

Collaboration with semiconductor manufacturers enhanced

“Despite a difficult year in 2009, Nanda achieved a first tool installation and highly promising engagements on the customer side. We were convinced by the market opportunity and the unique technology, which gives Nanda a sustainable competitive edge,” said Pascal Vanluchene, Partner at Capital-E. Vanluchene has close links with semiconductor research organisation IMEC, and has made other investments in micro-electronics ventures. Vanluchene will take an active role in helping Nanda to grow its business.

The Company says the compact design of its inspection system makes it attractive to integrate defect inspection directly into the production flow. Fast error feedback permits accelerated process adjustments and thus increases process ramp-up and overall productivity. After having successfully installed a first system at a leading industry-backed research institute, Nanda is working with global semiconductor manufacturers to evaluate the tools for production.