Wafer inspection with MONSTR Sense
Power electronics wafer excited with UV laser.

ANN ARBOR, Mich., January 26, 2023 (Newswire.com) - MONSTR Sense Technologies, LLC, a leader in ultrafast spectroscopy and imaging, is pleased to announce that they have been awarded a $1 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to validate specific use cases of MONSTR Sense's ultrafast technology for semiconductor inspection, specifically for the compound semiconductors used in rapid charging, 5G devices, and microLEDs. The funding will allow the company to conduct rigorous benchmark testing, and to develop a turn-key system to expand its addressable market. This project builds upon MONSTR Sense's ultrafast lifetime imaging expertise with its laser-scanning microscope NESSIE^® that is optimized for semiconductor research applications.

"With the help of America's Seed Fund powered by NSF, we are moving technology that has been exclusively used for fundamental science into an industrial application that impacts everyone," said MONSTR Sense president and co-founder Eric Martin, Ph.D. "High-tech chips, like those used in every electric vehicle and smartphone, rely on the most advanced technologies from scientific labs. However, crossing the chasm between doing science and building a reliable tool in a sustaining market is challenging. As we have commercialized a tool for science, the NSF has made it possible for us to continue innovating at MONSTR Sense and to find this important application of our technology. This Phase II funding enables us to next build a turn-key and user-friendly tool that is optimized for the high-power semiconductor inspection market."

By developing effective wafer inspection, MONSTR Sense is helping to improve the efficiency of manufacturing electric vehicles, 5G electronics, and microLEDs. Capable quality control helps ensure that devices don't fail when you need them, and it makes the next generation of electronic devices more affordable.

About the U.S. NSF's Small Business Programs

America's Seed Fund powered by NSF awards more than $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million to support research and development, helping de-risk technology for commercial success.

For more information, visit seedfund.nsf.gov.

About MONSTR Sense Technologies

Founded in 2018 by Eric Martin, Ph.D., and Professor Steven Cundiff, MONSTR Sense is a manufacturing company spun out of the University of Michigan's Innovation Partnerships. The company's first products, BIGFOOT^® and NESSIE, are equipment designed for scientists looking to augment their labs with ultrafast technology that also offers sub-micron spatial resolution. The goal of MONSTR Sense is to offer semiconductor characterization solutions for all stages of the semiconductor development process from fundamental science through in-line inspection in manufacturing facilities.

For more information, visit https://monstrsense.com/news/nsf-sbir-pii/.