Omnitron CEO Eric Aguilar. [Image: Omnitron Sensors]
The US-based startup Omnitron Sensors has reportedly raised more than US$13 million in series A funding. The company says the investment will help grow its engineering and operations team, with the broader goal of speeding up mass production of its first product—a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) step-scanning mirror, which the company has described as reliable and affordable.
Toward affordable manufacturing
MEMS devices are used in many electronic products, from cars to wearables to smartphones. But the production of MEMS sensors is typically expensive and labor intensive. Omnitron was founded in 2019 on the premise of overcoming these limitations and propelling the growth of MEMS technology forward by rebuilding the manufacturing process. The company claims that its streamlined fabrication methods create more reliable products with enhanced performance while also being more cost-effective.
“MEMS sensors are the intelligent microscale devices that allow us to touch the world through silicon. However, traditional manufacturing methods have inhibited the growth we see in semiconductor technologies,” said cofounder and CEO of Omnitron Eric Aguilar. “Our innovations are on the verge of changing that landscape.”
According to Omnitron, it has simplified the manufacturing process by rearranging existing modules while leveraging tools already involved with creating MEMS devices. The company uses silicon on insulator and surface machining for a hybrid design with 3D polysilicon, which makes the MEMS sensor and actuator like a “microelectromechanical origami.”
The startup says that its first product, the MEMS step-scanning mirror, will improve energy efficiency for AI data centers by enabling optical cross-connects.
First product and new markets
The startup says that its first product, the MEMS step-scanning mirror, will improve energy efficiency for AI data centers by enabling optical cross-connects, and enhance the quality of extended-reality displays. Omnitron also claims that its technology will offer more affordable and reliable lidar for autonomous vehicles, which, according to Yole Intelligence, targets a market predicted to reach US$6.3 billion by 2027.
“Omnitron’s MEMS mirror is built to outperform older optical subsystems, including voice coils, spinning polygons and galvos—all of which are slower, bulkier, 10 to 100 times more expensive, and prone to failure,” said the company.
The company’s Series A fundraising was led by Corriente Advisors, LLC, USA, and helped by longtime investor L’ATTITUDE Ventures, USA. The latter aided with a US$1.6 million seed funding round in 2021.
Sol Trujillo, cofounder and managing partner of L’ATTITUDE, said in a press release, “Omnitron has differentiated technology in multiple market segments, which will have a significant positive impact. Furthering our investment in this revolutionary technology has the potential to unlock new markets on a global scale.”