SiOnyx raises $12.5 million in series B financing
Beverly, MA--SiOnyx has completed its series B financing, closing at $12.5 million; Coherent (Santa Clara, CA) is one of the new investors.
In addition to Coherent, new investors Crosslink Capital (San Francisco, CA) and Vulcan Capital (Seattle, WA) joined existing investors Polaris Venture Partners (Waltham, MA) and Harris & Harris New York, NY) to complete the round. There are no resulting changes to SiOnyx's board of directors.
"Our early success in delivering record-breaking performance in applications from simple light detection to thin-film photovoltaics has fueled our momentum," said Stephen Saylor, CEO of SiOnyx.. "With this new funding, SiOnyx will launch our first commercial products and expand the suite of solutions offered to our strategic partners."
SiOnyx is commercializing a new semiconductor processing technique. Based on a novel laser implant method first discovered at Harvard and commonly referred to as "black silicon," SiOnyx's patented semiconductor process considerably increases silicon's light absorption, boosting the performance of silicon-based light-sensing devices and solar cells. The company recently demonstrated record-breaking photosensitivity in collaboration with the Army Research Office (ARO) and is currently working with a number of industry and government partners to advance the use of its technology.
Coherent has photovoltaic interest
"Coherent's investment in SiOnyx, one of our strategic partners, reflects our confidence in the company and its technology to help us capture new opportunities in the photovoltaic industry as it continues to expand towards grid parity," said John Ambroseo, president and CEO of Coherent.
Subscribe now to Laser Focus World magazine; it’s free!
John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)
John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.