Attolight
Attolight SA designs and manufactures quantitative and time-resolved cathodoluminescence instruments integrated with electron microscopes for semiconductor defect inspection and nanoscale materials characterization, serving chipmakers and research institutions globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersLausanne, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Attolight does
Attolight SA is a Swiss scientific instrumentation company founded in 2008 and headquartered in Ecublens, near Lausanne. It designs and manufactures cathodoluminescence (CL) systems for nanoscale materials characterization and semiconductor defect inspection. Its core technology integrates proprietary light-collection optics with scanning and transmission electron microscopes (SEM/STEM), enabling quantitative CL (q-CL), time-resolved CL (TRCL) with sub-10 picosecond resolution, and complementary techniques including in-SEM photoluminescence, Raman spectroscopy, EBIC/EBAC, and cryogenic CL.
The product portfolio centers on three platforms: the Allalin hybridized SEM-spectroscopic system (flagship, now in a next-generation multimodal configuration launched in 2025), the Mönch add-on for STEM microscopes, and the Säntis 300 automated full-wafer (up to 300mm) CL-SEM for process control. Attolight monetizes primarily through capital-equipment sales to semiconductor manufacturers and research institutions, supplemented by maintenance contracts, measurement services, and bespoke development engineering. The company sells through a direct enterprise field-sales force augmented by a global network of regional distributors covering China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Germany, the Baltics, and Poland, and operates a wholly-owned North American subsidiary in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Attolight serves two primary segments: semiconductor industry customers requiring defect inspection for wide-bandgap materials (GaN, SiC) and process control, and academic/government research institutions conducting advanced materials science, quantum emitter research, and optoelectronics characterization. The company has installed more than 30 systems globally and maintains an active research and demonstration footprint through partnerships with entities including the University of Texas at Dallas, Loughborough University, Argonne National Laboratory, and Technion. Its ownership structure is private and founder-led by CEO Samuel Sonderegger, with historical backing from Verve Ventures, GoBeyond, FIT, StartAngels Network, and most recently Shenzhen Hymson Laser Intelligent Equipments.
Attolight firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Attolight
- Legal name
- Attolight SA
- Website
- https://attolight.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Attolight SA designs and manufactures quantitative and time-resolved cathodoluminescence instruments integrated with electron microscopes for semiconductor defect inspection and nanoscale materials characterization, serving chipmakers and research institutions globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Attolight industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Semiconductor Metrology & Inspection Instrumentation
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515)
- SIC
- Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Optical & Light Sensors (Photodiodes/ALS/Color/UV) (HDAHALAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Machine Vision & Inspection Lighting (Ring lights, bar lights, backlights, strobed illumination) (IMAGAIAG)
Keywords
Where Attolight is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lausanne
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Attolight business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- CL Instrumentation Sales: Sale of cathodoluminescence instruments including Allalin, Mönch, and Säntis 300 platforms for materials characterization and defect inspection
- Maintenance and Support Services: Ongoing support services to maintain equipment performance and operational efficiency
- Measurement Services: Measurement and analysis services for customers seeking immediate access to critical data for material research programs
- Specific Development and Engineering Services: Custom development and engineering solutions for bespoke customer requirements
- R&D Contract Work: Contract research and development services for industry partners and academic institutions through demo laboratories
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Attolight product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Attolight designs, manufactures and sells cathodoluminescence (CL) instruments that integrate electron and light optics within an SEM/STEM column for nanoscale materials characterization and semiconductor defect inspection. Its product line spans the Allalin multi-spectroscopic CL SEM platform, the Mönch CL add-on for STEM, and the Säntis 300 full-wafer (300 mm) automated CL SEM, complemented by maintenance, measurement and custom development engineering services.
Product overview
Attolight offers a range of high-performance cathodoluminescence solutions for advanced materials characterization and semiconductor defect inspection. The product portfolio includes three main instruments: the Allalin (multi-spectroscopic CL SEM platform) as the flagship hybridized SEM-spectroscopic system, the Mönch (CL add-on for STEM) for light collection/injection in transmission electron microscopes, and the Säntis 300 (full wafer CL SEM) for automated wafer-level inspection up to 300mm. These products are engineered for nanometer-scale resolution, quantitative analysis, and applications across power electronics, quantum technologies, sensors, and optoelectronics. Attolight also provides complementary services including maintenance/support, measurement services, and custom development engineering.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Allalin Nanometer-resolution hybridized SEM-spectroscopic instrument featuring a unique optical collection objective integrated within the SEM column, enabling quantitative cathodoluminescence (qCL) analysis together with spectroscopic, time-resolved, electrical (EBIC/EBAC) and room-to-low-temperature analyses. Targeted at research and semiconductor process-control laboratories.
- Mönch Advanced add-on for STEM microscopes enabling cathodoluminescence spectroscopy and light injection applications, with a high-NA mirror optimized for light collection efficiency, a precise motion control system, and compatibility with both light collection and injection modes for advanced studies. Targeted at TEM/STEM facilities and advanced materials research groups.
- Säntis 300 Automated process control system for wafers up to 300 mm, offering a large 300 µm field-of-view, fast scanning, simultaneous SEM imaging and CL spectra acquisition, fully automated quantitative CL metrology, and loadlock for rapid sample exchange. Designed for semiconductor fabs and process-control metrology.
- Maintenance and Support Services Ongoing equipment maintenance and support services to keep Attolight cathodoluminescence systems in top operating condition, supporting uptime and performance for semiconductor and research customers.
- Measurement Services Precision measurement and analysis services performed on Attolight cathodoluminescence equipment, providing customers with immediate access to critical materials characterization and defect-inspection data for their research and process-development programs.
- Specific Development and Engineering Services Bespoke development and engineering solutions tailored to specific customer requirements, covering custom instrument adaptations and application-specific R&D engineering work for research and industrial clients.
Quantifiable outcome
- Detecting individual point defects in InGaN/GaN quantum wells with ~80nm spatial resolution
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Attolight
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Attolight technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature9 records
Attolight partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- University of Texas at DallascoreAttolight partnered with UTD to open a demonstration laboratory at the Dallas campus featuring the Allalin CL-SEM platform optimized for wide bandgap materials (GaN, SiC). The lab provides advanced material characterization services, R&D contract work for industry partners and academic institutions, and supports Texas semiconductor ecosystem development.
- Argonne National LaboratoryminorArgonne National Lab's Electron and X-ray Microscopy Group collaborated with Attolight to pioneer liquid cell STEM-CL experiments using the Mönch system, demonstrating novel in-situ characterization capabilities.
- Korea ITScoreKorea ITS serves as Attolight's representative in South Korea, bringing advanced electron and optical spectroscopy solutions (CL/TRCL, PL/TRPL, Raman, EBIC) to Korean R&D and process control teams in the semiconductor market.
- Technion - Israel Institute of TechnologyminorTechnion installed Attolight's Time-Resolved Cathodoluminescence (TRCL) Allalin platform for advanced semiconductor research capabilities.
- ALL2GaN ProjectminorAttolight joined the European ALL2GaN project supporting the European Green Deal challenge for GaN-based technologies.
- Loughborough UniversityminorAttolight installed its Mönch CL system at Loughborough University's UK National Facility for High-Resolution CL, integrated with a Talos F200i TEM for UV to near-infrared nanoscale optical analysis, available to external researchers.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Attolight competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Delmic: Delmic is the closest direct competitor, also developing integrated cathodoluminescence systems (e.g., SPARC, SECOM) for electron microscopes. Both target semiconductor defect inspection and materials science customers with integrated CL-on-SEM solutions.
- Gatan: Gatan (now part of AMETEK) supplies CL detectors and accessories for electron microscopes, including the popular MonoCL systems. They compete with Attolight in CL detection for SEM/TEM, particularly in materials research markets.
Broad incumbents
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Through its FEI electron microscopy division, Thermo Fisher is the dominant SEM/TEM supplier globally. They sell compatible CL accessories and could integrate quantitative CL into their own platforms, making them both a partner and a competitive threat.
- JEOL: JEOL is a major electron microscope manufacturer with global installed base. Their SEM/TEM platforms host third-party CL systems like Attolight's, and they could develop or acquire competing CL capabilities.
- Carl Zeiss (ZEISS): ZEISS produces SEMs and crossbeam systems used in materials science and semiconductor inspection. Their electron microscopy division overlaps with Attolight's customer base in advanced materials research.
- Hitachi High-Tech: Hitachi manufactures SEMs and analytical instruments for semiconductor metrology. They serve similar defect inspection and materials characterization customers as Attolight.
- Bruker: Bruker's nano-analytical division makes X-ray, AFM, and related analytical instruments for materials science and semiconductor applications, competing in adjacent characterization tool categories.
- Oxford Instruments: Oxford Instruments makes analytical ETDs, EBSD, and related detectors for electron microscopes, including semiconductor defect analysis and materials characterization tools serving similar customers.
- HORIBA Scientific: HORIBA Scientific supplies Raman, photoluminescence, and other spectroscopy systems used in materials science and semiconductor characterization, with overlapping customer segments in optoelectronics and quantum materials research.
Emerging players
- Photon etc. Photon etc. develops hyperspectral imaging and spectroscopy instrumentation with overlaps to Attolight's spectral imaging capabilities, particularly for materials characterization and quantum emitter research.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Attolight social profiles
Digital presenceAttolight financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Attolight leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Attolight subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Attolight funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds11 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Attolight M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Attolight
What does Attolight do?
Attolight designs, manufactures and sells cathodoluminescence (CL) instruments that integrate electron and light optics within an SEM/STEM column for nanoscale materials characterization and semiconductor defect inspection. Its product line spans the Allalin multi-spectroscopic CL SEM platform, the Mönch CL add-on for STEM, and the Säntis 300 full-wafer (300 mm) automated CL SEM, complemented by maintenance, measurement and custom development engineering services.
Is Attolight a public or private company?
Attolight is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Attolight founded?
Attolight was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Attolight based?
Attolight is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Attolight make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. CL Instrumentation Sales are the primary driver. The others are maintenance and Support Services, measurement Services, specific Development and Engineering Services and R&D Contract Work.
Who are Attolight's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Delmic and Gatan. Broad incumbents are Thermo Fisher Scientific, JEOL, Carl Zeiss (ZEISS), Hitachi High-Tech, Bruker, Oxford Instruments and HORIBA Scientific. Photon etc. is listed as an emerging player.
Does Attolight have an API?
No public API is recorded for Attolight.
What industry is Attolight in?
Attolight's product category is Semiconductor Metrology & Inspection Instrumentation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAHALAE, Optical & Light Sensors (Photodiodes/ALS/Color/UV), with a secondary code of IMAGAIAG, Machine Vision & Inspection Lighting (Ring lights, bar lights, backlights, strobed illumination). Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3827.