UAVenture Capital Fund II LLC (UAVC), the University of Arizona's (UA's) in-house venture capital fund, announced it has invested in three new laser companies out of the university: DeUVe Photonics Inc., CThru Lasers Inc., and Wavelength Unlimited Technologies Inc. The three companies plan to cover almost the entire commercial range of the optical spectrum, with focuses in deep-ultraviolet sources, tunable lasers operating in the visible and near-infrared range, and spectral fingerprinting, respectively.

UAVC's venture capital fund was designed specifically to help finance university-connected enterprises, including the commercialization of faculty- or student-led innovations originating at the University.

Fund managers believe the research at DeUVe Photonics will address an unmet need in the 230- to 400-nm wavelength range, with unmatched performance in power, reduced size, and increased efficiency. This technology could be used in the defense industry to detect biological and chemical substances in a battlefield; in the mining industry to detect the presence of dangerous gases and to survey underground mines; and in the semiconductor industry to expand the scale of chip inspection.

CThru Lasers is considered a viable investment due to its technology’s commercialization opportunities at substantially lower costs in applications such as large light displays in sports venues, underwater and space communications, and medical 3D imaging.

Wavelength Unlimited Technologies' goal is to use spectral fingerprints to see inside various substances. This technology has commercial application in the medical industry in detecting the purity of drugs, and in the security industry in the use of infrared vision to screen for hazardous materials.

Mahmoud Fallahi, professor of optical sciences at UA, and Chris Hessenius, assistant research professor of optical sciences, are the inventors of these technologies and are nationally known experts in laser technology applications.