KMLabs Secures $5.5M Investment from Intel, Equity Fund

Kapteyn-Murnane Laboratories Inc. (KMLabs), a laser manufacturer developing ultrafast short-wavelength technologies, has received an investment totaling $5.5 million. The investment is led by Intel Capital with participation from the Colorado Impact Fund and management.

The company plans to accelerate product development efforts for ultrashort-pulse and extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) laser sources. The funding will go toward strengthening engineering capabilities to enhance the core business, while simultaneously building a more commercially focused portfolio and manufacturing infrastructure.

"The laser technology that KMLabs has developed has very attractive commercial applications that could meaningfully benefit the semiconductor fabrication, nanotechnology, ophthalmology and the bioimaging industries," said Colorado Impact Fund Partner Ryan Kirkpatrick.

KMLabs was founded in 1994 by Henry Kapteyn and Margaret Murnane, two University of Colorado physics professors who have also held research positions with JILA — a joint research institute between the university and the National Institute of Standards and Technology — since 1999. KMLabs supplies coherent EUV and x-ray sources and femtosecond laser systems to research, government and industrial markets.

The company currently has 30 employees and expects to add 10 to 15 more in the coming year.

"Through commercialization of scientific discoveries from Dr. Kapteyn and Dr. Murnane's world-class research group at the University of Colorado, Intel's investment in KMLabs will enable semiconductor equipment suppliers to have access to technology needed to create yield management and process tools for future generations of semiconductor technology," said Robert Bruck, Intel's corporate vice president and general manager of global supply management.