The startup manufactures customized semiconductor structures for laser applications across a wide wavelength range, specifically from orange to infrared. Their products enable laser manufacturers to efficiently generate laser radiation in the visible spectrum, enhancing product performance and facilitating entry into new markets.
Funding
$710K raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Laser manufacturers face challenges in efficiently generating laser radiation in the visible spectrum, particularly in achieving high power and excellent beam quality in compact form factors. Traditional methods can be complex, requiring multiple components and intricate setups, hindering product performance and market entry.
Solution
Twenty-One Semiconductors provides MEXL (Membrane External Cavity Laser) gain crystals that enable the simple creation of compact, efficient lasers emitting in the visible spectrum, specifically from 450nm to 600nm. These optically pumped laser systems combine the advantages of solid-state and diode lasers, utilizing a thin semiconductor membrane for gain and an external resonator for tailoring laser properties. This approach allows for highly efficient second harmonic generation, achieving watt-level continuous-wave laser emission with inherent diffraction-limited beam profiles suitable for single-mode optical fiber coupling. The short upper-state lifetime of the semiconductor gain ensures low-noise operation and enables direct modulation up to the MHz range via the input current of the optical pump diode.
Target Audience
The primary customers are laser manufacturers seeking efficient gain crystals for building compact, high-performance visible lasers, particularly in the yellow spectral range.
Features
- MEXL gain crystals based on a µm-thin semiconductor membrane sandwiched between optically transparent heat spreaders
- Wavelength adjustment during fabrication by altering the material composition of the membrane
- Multifunctional dielectric coatings with high reflectivity for the laser wavelength on one side, serving as a cavity end mirror
- Coatings transparent for wavelengths between 800nm and 830nm for optical pumping of the semiconductor gain membrane
- Gold-plated surfaces outside the coated apertures for optimized thermal connection via soldering
- Fabrication via Metal-Organic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE) for ultra-thin single-crystalline layers of III-V semiconductor compounds
- In-house epitaxial growth using state-of-the-art machines for excellent material homogeneity and reproducibility