Femtum

Femtum is a Quebec City-based company specializing in advanced laser solutions for the semiconductor and high-tech manufacturing industries. Founded in November 2017 by CEO Louis-Rafaël Robichaud and CTO Simon Duval, the company originated as a spin-off from Laval University's Centre of Optics, Photonics, and Lasers (COPL), built upon more than two decades of research and licensed intellectual property from the university. Both co-founders hold advanced degrees, with Robichaud having an MSc and Duval a PhD, and they lead a team dedicated to advancing mid-infrared laser technologies.

The company's core business revolves around providing comprehensive laser systems to solve critical manufacturing challenges for its clients, which are primarily semiconductor manufacturers. Femtum operates with a "Femtum inside" business model, co-selling its solutions with machine integrators to ensure seamless integration into existing manufacturing processes. This strategy targets major bottlenecks in the production of advanced components for AI, photonics, and quantum technologies, such as Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) and High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM).

Femtum's flagship technology is its mid-infrared short-pulse fiber laser, noted as being the only one of its kind in the industry. Unlike standard lasers that are absorbed at the surface, Femtum's lasers can penetrate semiconductor materials like silicon or germanium without causing damage. This allows for highly precise material processing, such as trimming and cleaning at the wafer level. The product portfolio includes a range of ultrafast lasers, nanosecond lasers, tunable lasers, and amplifiers, as well as complete solutions like the Photonics Wafer Laser Trimming Solution and the Photonics Assembly Laser Cleaning Solution. These systems are designed to improve production yields, with their patented solutions reportedly increasing chip yield by over 50% and reducing power consumption.

To accelerate its growth and commercialization efforts, Femtum secured over C$5 million in a seed funding round in January 2024. The round was co-led by i4 Capital and ELAS Technology Investment, with participation from other strategic investors including Hamamatsu Ventures and VIGO Ventures. The company is now pursuing a Series A funding round to further expand its operations, with a particular focus on key markets like Taiwan, where it already has distributors.

To support its international expansion and accelerate commercialization in advanced semiconductor manufacturing, Femtum closed an oversubscribed US$16 million Series A financing round in March 2026. The round was led by BDC Capital, with participation from Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Cathay Venture Inc., i4 Capital, Boreal Ventures, Quantacet, Hamamatsu Ventures, and Eureka. The company plans to use the funding to expand production capacity, drive adoption of its advanced fiber laser technologies among global semiconductor leaders, and strengthen its presence in strategic markets such as Taiwan, one of the world’s most advanced semiconductor manufacturing ecosystems.

Keywords: mid-infrared lasers, fiber lasers, semiconductor manufacturing, laser solutions, photonic integrated circuits, laser trimming, laser cleaning, laser dicing, advanced manufacturing, wafer processing, photonics, deep tech, optical technology, laser systems, high-tech manufacturing, quantum technology, AI chips, silicon photonics, laser processing, advanced materials processing, optoelectronics