Inchfab

What Inchfab does

InchFab is a semiconductor equipment startup that designs and sells compact, modular microfabrication systems housed in shipping-container-sized units using a 4-inch (100mm) wafer format. Its product portfolio comprises three offerings: the InchFab Line, a configurable fab system priced at $5M-$15M; the InchFab Foundry Service, a contract manufacturing service with turnaround times as fast as one week; and InchFab Training, a $5M turnkey educational fab package for universities and workforce development programs. The company's technology integrates proprietary hardware modules (including maskless lithography, DRIE, HDPCVD, sputtering, and e-beam evaporation) with a qualified process library supporting MEMS, microfluidics, photonics, compound semiconductors, and biomedical devices, targeting customers for whom traditional 8-inch or 12-inch foundries are economically or operationally inaccessible.

The company monetizes through one-time hardware sales ($5M-$15M), quote-based foundry services, training package sales, and process licensing, with primary customer segments in medical and life sciences, defense and aerospace, research and education, and government-led semiconductor ecosystem development (GCC, Southeast Asia). Founded by MIT PhDs Mitchell Hsing and Parker, InchFab operates a foundry in Sunnyvale, California and is headquartered in Singapore, with disclosed customers including Roche and unspecified universities. The company's core economic proposition is a 45-150x reduction in fab capital cost and significantly faster deployment compared to traditional semiconductor fabrication facilities.

Name

Inchfab

Legal name

InchFab Inc.

Website

https://inchfab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

InchFab designs and sells compact, modular semiconductor fabrication systems in shipping-container-sized units using 4-inch wafers, targeting pharmaceutical, defense, research, and education customers priced out of traditional fabs at $5M-$15M per system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor Fabrication Equipment

NAICS

Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing (333242), Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674), Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540)

akta.pro primary industry

Foundry Platform & Design Enablement Services (PDK/DFM/Process Qualification) (HDAHACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

R&D / Prototyping & MPW Shuttle Foundries (HDAHACAI), Back-End/Advanced Packaging Equipment (Die Attach/Wire Bond/Flip-Chip/TCB) (HDAHAEAL)

Keywords

• Semiconductor fabrication equipment
• Modular fab systems
• Microchip manufacturing tools
• MEMS foundry services
• Compact wafer fabrication

Headquarters

HQ city

Sunnyvale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Mini Fab Sales: Sale of compact semiconductor manufacturing facilities priced at approximately $10 million each. These modular fabs target high-mix, low-volume production for specialty applications and can produce about 10,000 4-inch silicon wafers per month within six months. Systems range from $5 million to $15 million depending on configuration.
2. Foundry Services: Pure-play foundry services for customers who don't want to purchase their own equipment. Services support customers from early development (turnaround as fast as one week) to volume production with cost-per-chip performance rivaling traditional 200mm-300mm foundries. Supports standard processes (Vacuum Getters, Microfluidics, Microlenses, Pressure Sensors, etc.) and custom process development.
3. Training Fab Sales and Services: Sale of educational fabrication lines at $5M full package turnkey for universities and workforce development programs. Includes complete modular microfabrication line pre-configured for educational workflows plus integrated curriculum covering IC design, device physics, MEMS, packaging, facilities, and quality training.
4. Process Licensing: Licensing of proprietary processes and process recipes from InchFab's process library. Customers gain access to qualified processes that can be run on InchFab's platform, enabling rapid-customizable processes and inexpensive specialized device fabrication.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

InchFab develops and sells compact, modular semiconductor fabrication systems roughly the size of shipping containers, using a 4-inch (100mm) wafer format to enable high-mix, low-volume production for specialty applications at approximately $10M per system. The company sells the InchFab Line hardware product ($5M–$15M), provides a contract foundry service from its Sunnyvale facility, and offers a turnkey training/education fab package ($5M) to universities and workforce development programs. The platform supports lithography, deposition, etching, plating, and bonding processes used to fabricate MEMS, photonics, microfluidics, and compound semiconductor devices.

Product overview

InchFab offers a portfolio of modular semiconductor fabrication products: the InchFab Line (modular fab systems in shipping container form factor, $5M-$15M), the InchFab Foundry Service (contract manufacturing using the same platform), and InchFab Training (turnkey educational fab packages at $5M). The modular architecture allows configurable process modules that can be adapted as needs evolve, enabling customers to start small and scale production. All products use 100mm (4-inch) wafer format rather than traditional 200mm-300mm wafers, dramatically reducing capital requirements while performing standard semiconductor processes including lithography, deposition, and etching.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 10,000 4-inch silicon wafers per month production capacity
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rogue Valley Microdevices: US-based pure-play MEMS and specialty semiconductor foundry offering prototyping and low-volume production on smaller wafer formats. Most direct competitor to InchFab's foundry services for MEMS, microfluidics, and biomedical device customers.
• Innovative Micro Technology (IMT): Pure-play MEMS foundry providing contract manufacturing and process development for sensors, microfluidics, and biomedical devices. Directly comparable to InchFab's foundry service offering and target customer base.
• Silex Microsystems: Largest independent pure-play MEMS foundry globally, serving similar biomedical, automotive, and industrial customers with process development and volume production. Closest scaled analog to InchFab's foundry services.

Broad incumbents

• X-FAB Silicon Foundries: Specialty foundry focused on analog/mixed-signal, MEMS, and automotive-grade semiconductors across multiple global fabs. A larger, established alternative customers may choose instead of an InchFab mini fab for specialty production.
• Applied Materials: Largest semiconductor equipment manufacturer globally. Potential incumbent competitor that could launch compact or modular fab offerings if InchFab validates demand; also supplies the deposition/etch tools integrated inside InchFab Lines.
• Lam Research: Major semiconductor equipment vendor for deposition and etch. Competes indirectly via the institutional customer budgets InchFab targets, and could respond with specialty or smaller-footprint tools.
• Veeco Instruments: Equipment vendor specializing in precision deposition, etch, and process technologies for compound semiconductors, MEMS, and photonics — overlapping end markets with InchFab and serving as a potential competitor for specialty fab capex.
• Tower Semiconductor: Specialty analog/RF foundry offering foundry services across multiple geographies. A larger incumbent customers may select over an InchFab fab line for higher-volume specialty production.

Emerging players

• AlixLabs: Swedish startup developing atomic-layer lithography and compact nanofabrication tools. Comparable in spirit as an early-stage company attempting to disrupt semi manufacturing with novel, lower-cost tools.
• Zero ASIC: Startup working on democratized and chiplet-based semiconductor approaches. Comparable as a venture-backed company seeking to lower barriers to chip design and manufacturing, though focused on design rather than fab hardware.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inchfab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Inchfab