4D Labs

What 4D Labs does

4D Labs is the open-access core research facility of Simon Fraser University, located on SFU's Burnaby campus in British Columbia, Canada. Established in 2005, it operates 28,000+ square feet of research space, including a 4,500+ square foot class 100 clean room with 13 suites and more than 100 characterization and fabrication tools spanning electron beam lithography (down to 20 nm), thin film deposition (15+ systems), dry and wet etching, advanced electron microscopy (SEM/TEM at sub-nm resolution), X-ray diffraction and fluorescence, XPS, and laser ablation ICP-MS.

The facility serves a dual academic-industry user base, including SFU faculty and students, external academic researchers, and more than 100 industry clients across sectors such as quantum computing, clean technology, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, photonics, and fuel cells. It generates revenue through usage-based fees for self-directed lab access (with separate academic and non-academic fee schedules and high-volume discounts), staff-performed contract research, training services, and the JumpStart program in partnership with NRC-IRAP (up to $10K per project for eligible SMEs). Strategic direction is shaped by its sub-brands: the Quantum Fabrication Centre (established with $4.3M in PacifiCan funding) and the Centre for Environmental and Food Analysis (CEFA), alongside long-running industry collaborations with D-Wave, Photonic, Ballard, Xenon Pharma, STEMCELL Technologies, and Ionomr.

As a not-for-profit university entity rather than a commercial company, 4D Labs does not report commercial revenue. It is funded through a combination of federal and provincial grants (CFI, BCKDF, PacifiCan, NRC-IRAP, Western Economic Diversification Canada), facility user fees, and institutional support from SFU. Leadership is anchored by Executive Director Neil Branda (SFU Professor of Chemistry and Canada Research Chair in Materials Science) and Director of Operations and Administration Nathanael Sieb, supported by a team of specialized scientific staff covering fabrication, characterization, and administration.

Name

4D Labs

Legal name

4D LABS - Simon Fraser University

Website

https://4dlabs.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

4D Labs is Simon Fraser University's open-access core facility in Burnaby, BC, providing advanced micro- and nanofabrication and materials characterization services to academic researchers and industry clients, including SMEs, across quantum, clean tech, pharma, and biotech sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Micro/Nanofabrication and Materials Characterization Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI)

Keywords

• Micro and nanofabrication
• Materials characterization services
• Cleanroom facility access
• Thin film deposition
• Electron microscopy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Burnaby

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fee-for-Service Lab Access: Pay-as-you-go fee structure for facility and equipment access. Separate fee schedules for academic and non-academic users. Discounts available for high-volume users.
2. Contract Research Services: 4D LABS staff perform work on behalf of clients who prefer not to access the facility directly. Customized project-based pricing.
3. Training Services: Online safety training, in-person facility orientation, and hands-on tool training provided to users.
4. JumpStart Program: In partnership with NRC-IRAP, provides facility and equipment access to eligible SMEs for up to $10K per project to support product development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

4D Labs is an open-access core research facility providing micro- and nanofabrication, prototyping, and materials characterization services to academic and industry clients. Users can access a 4,500+ sq ft Class 100 cleanroom and 100+ tools via self-directed use after training, or they can have 4D Labs staff perform contract work on their behalf. Core work spans advanced lithography (down to 20 nm), thin film deposition, dry/wet etching, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and composition analysis.

Product overview

4D LABS is an open-access core research facility at Simon Fraser University's Burnaby campus, offering a unified platform of fabrication, prototyping, and characterization services. The facility provides over 28,000 square feet of research space including 4,500 square feet of class 100 clean room with 13 suites. Core offerings include Fabrication & Prototyping Services (advanced lithography, thin film deposition, dry/wet etching) and Materials & Device Testing Services (electron microscopy, composition analysis, structural analysis). Additional specialized capabilities include Quantum Fabrication Tools, the Centre for Environmental and Food Analysis (CEFA), and the JumpStart program for SMEs. The facility serves academic researchers, startups, and industry clients with over 100 characterization and fabrication tools under one roof, offering flexible access models including independent tool operation, contract work, and research collaborations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Quantum Fabrication Centre: A specialized centre within 4D LABS dedicated to quantum device fabrication, featuring new equipment for faster patterning, cleaner deposition, better etching, and improved packaging of nanofabricated devices.
• Centre for Environmental and Food Analysis (CEFA)

Products and services

• Fabrication & Prototyping Services Micro- and nanofabrication services for academic and industry clients including class 100 cleanroom operations, advanced lithography (down to 20 nm), 15+ thin film deposition systems, dry etching, and wet chemistries for materials processing.
• Materials & Device Testing Services Comprehensive materials characterization services including electron microscopy (SEM/STEM), sample preparation, composition analysis (XRF, XPS, ICP-MS), and structural analysis (XRD, SAXS, AFM) for academic and industry clients.
• Clean Room Facility Access Open-access use of a 13-suite class 100 cleanroom kept below 100 particles/ft3, temperature regulated to 19.5 ± 1.5 °C and 35-60% RH, designed for seamless mobility throughout the 4D Labs facility.
• Quantum Fabrication Tools Specialized quantum device fabrication service within 4D Labs featuring new equipment for faster patterning, cleaner deposition, better etching, and improved packaging of nanofabricated devices for quantum computing R&D.
• Centre for Environmental and Food Analysis (CEFA) Clean technologies testing centre established within 4D Labs featuring environmental SEM, screening XRD, WDXRF spectrometer, particle size analyzer, and water activity measurement tools, designed to support clean technology late-stage testing and help municipalities and Indigenous communities adopt green technologies.
• JumpStart Program SME support program run in partnership with NRC-IRAP that provides facility and equipment access up to $10K per project to help eligible small and medium-sized companies with product development.
• Training Services Online safety training, in-person facility orientation, and hands-on tool training required for users to access 4D Labs equipment and cleanroom independently.

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PhotoniccoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Quantum computing company using SFU's Quantum Fabrication Centre (within 4D LABS) to fabricate silicon chips with T centre qubits for their networked quantum computer. Enabled Photonic to speed up R&D cycles and grow their team over five years of collaboration.
• National Research Council of Canada - Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership providing the JumpStart program which supplies facility and equipment access to eligible SMEs for up to $10K per project. First five rounds assisted 51 different SMEs with product development challenges.
• Centre for Environmental and Food Analysis (CEFA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClean technologies testing centre established in 4D LABS with PacifiCan support. Includes environmental SEM, screening XRD, X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, particle size analyzer, and water activity measurement tools.
• Electron Imaging and Holography FacilityminorOthersSFU facility that can assist with R&D needs. 4D LABS can help make connections and streamline process for users requiring additional capabilities.
• NMR ServicesminorOthersSFU Chemistry department facility for NMR services. 4D LABS can assist in making connections and streamlining process for users requiring additional capabilities.
• Science Technical CentreminorOthersSFU Science faculty facility for additional technical services. 4D LABS can assist in making connections and streamlining process for users requiring additional capabilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Imec: World-leading independent semiconductor and nanofabrication R&D hub headquartered in Belgium. Provides open-access advanced fabrication, characterization, and prototyping to a global industry client base, encompassing and vastly exceeding 4D LABS' fabrication and characterization capabilities.
• Birck Nanotechnology Center at Purdue University: Large-scale academic micro/nanofabrication cleanroom and characterization facility at Purdue University. Shares the university core facility / open-access / multi-tool model but operates at much greater scale and scope.
• MIT.nano: MIT's 200mm-class nanofabrication and characterization facility offering class-100 clean room, advanced lithography, deposition, and electron microscopy to MIT researchers and industry partners. Comparable in scope and academic-industry model to 4D LABS at much larger scale.
• Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: US Department of Energy nanoscale science user facility offering open-access fabrication, characterization, and theory tools to academic and industry users. Equivalent academic/government core facility model to 4D LABS at national-lab scale.

Direct peers

• CMC Microsystems: Canadian national not-for-profit that provides micro/nano fabrication access, design tools, and prototyping services to academic and industry clients across Canada. Operates a comparable open-access, federally-supported model to 4D LABS but with national reach rather than regional.
• Western Nanofabrication Facility at Western University: Canadian academic nanofabrication core facility offering clean room and micro/nano fabrication services to academic researchers and industry users. Directly comparable model and equipment breadth to 4D LABS.
• Toronto Nanofabrication Centre (TNFC) at University of Toronto: University of Toronto's open-access nanofabrication facility providing clean room, lithography, deposition, and etching tools to academic and industry clients. Same open-access academic nanofab model as 4D LABS but located in Ontario.
• Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy (CCEM) at McMaster University: Academic materials characterization core facility at another major Canadian university offering advanced electron microscopy and microanalysis to academic and industry users. Directly comparable as a Canadian university-based, government-funded characterization core facility.

Others

• Bruker Nano Surfaces (formerly Bruker / Veeco / Icon Analytical Equipment resellers): Major analytical instrument manufacturer whose electron microscopes, X-ray tools, and AFM systems are deployed within facilities like 4D LABS. An ecosystem supplier rather than direct competitor, but relevant as adjacent infrastructure that enables 4D LABS' characterization services.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Electron Microscopy / Materials Science): Global manufacturer of electron microscopes, XPS, and materials-science instrumentation whose Quattro ESEM is housed at 4D LABS. Supplies the tools that the facility deploys and partners on training seminars; relevant as enabling equipment vendor rather than a peer service provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/4d_labs
• Facebookfacebook.com/4dlabs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sfu-4d-labs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about 4D Labs