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Omnitron lands $13M for step-scanning MEMS mirror

03 Feb 2025

Los Angeles startup's 'microelectromechanical origami' expected to find applications in data centers, lidar, and XR headsets.

Omnitron Sensors, a US startup developing tiny mirrors based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, says it has raised more than $13 million in a series A round of venture finance.

Headquartered near the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, the company says that the new investment will fuel the expansion of its engineering and operations teams, and accelerate mass production of the company’s first product - described as a “reliable, affordable MEMS step-scanning mirror".

That device is set to be aimed at applications including lidar subsystems for autonomous vehicles, while Omnitron’s related technology could find use in data centers, mixed reality headsets, and spectroscopy.

“Our MEMS-based photonic optical cross-connects are poised to transform Tensor architectures for AI workflow,” claims the firm on its web site.

“And our large, powerful MEMS mirror transforms the laser spectrometry used to detect greenhouse gases such as methane, reducing emissions to help counter the effects of global warming.”

New MEMS topology
Founded in 2019 by “a core group of MEMS industry innovators”, Omnitron’s research team has been working on MEMS-related intellectual property that it refers to as a “new topology” for the technology, improving size, cost, robustness, reliability, manufacturability, and time to market.

CEO Eric Aguilar, one of the co-founders, said following the series A fundraising: “MEMS sensors are the intelligent microscale devices that allow us to touch the world through silicon.

“Yet old and inefficient manufacturing methods have prevented the kind of growth in MEMS that is typical in semiconductors. That’s about to change. Our MEMS fabrication IP offers a new paradigm for mass-producing affordable, precise sensors at scale.”

Backed by Corriente Capital and with additional funding from L’ATTITUDE Ventures, which supported a $1.6 million seed round in 2021, the company says that it can now deliver on the promise of the MEMS technology.

For AI data centers Omnitron says that its optical cross-connect could improve energy efficiency - a key challenge for the sector. The MEMS technology also promises to boost transmission speed and reliability.

Field of view
For long-range automotive lidars the MEMS step-scanning mirror is tipped to produce a much larger field of view than rival approaches, with the new device also said to be designed for rugged high-vibration automotive and aerial environments.

“Omnitron’s MEMS mirror is built to outperform older optical subsystems, including voice coils, spinning polygons, and galvos - all of which are slower, bulkier, 10-100 times more expensive, and prone to failure,” the startup has claimed previously.

For XR optics, the technology is said to enhance display quality in resource-constrained headsets and eyewear. Omnitron cites a study by consultancy IDTechEx suggesting that the market for XR optics will exceed $5 billion ten years from now.

Mark Hart III, the CEO of supporter Corriente Advisors, commented: “Omnitron Sensors has achieved the quantum leap in MEMS fabrication technology for which the industry has been waiting.

“By inventing a process of fabricating mass-market MEMS sensors that are higher-performance, more affordable and more durable than existing sensors, Omnitron is uniquely able to satisfy unmet needs in long-stifled markets with enormous potential.”

Sol Trujillo, the co-founder and managing partner at L’ATTITUDE Ventures, added: “As a longtime investor in Omnitron Sensors, we believe in the vision to proliferate industry-changing MEMS sensors for applications on which modern society depends.

“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.”

Mad City Labs, Inc.Photon Lines LtdLASEROPTIK GmbHECOPTIKHamamatsu Photonics Europe GmbHCHROMA TECHNOLOGY CORP.Iridian Spectral Technologies
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