Qcept Closes on $3.25M in New Funding from Siemens Venture Capital

ATLANTA — Qcept, a developer of chemical metrology solutions for use in semiconductor manufacturing closed recently of $3.25 million in new financing.

The funds came from Siemens Venture Capital, which has been a strategic partner and customer of Qcept. As part of the deal, Tom Hawkins, a partner with the Siemens fund, will join Qcept's board.

The Series B add-on round closed on Dec. 20. Qcept announced a $4 million B round in May of last year. Investors included Atlanta Technology Angels, Pittco Capital Partners, and Bergman $ Associates.

Qcept is the first "graduate" of the Georgia Tech venture lab. It was launched in 2000 as Intelligent Sensor Systems.

The company said the funds would be used to speed up product development and expand sales efforts.

"Siemens has been an important strategic partner and customer almost since the inception of our company," said Bret Bergman, president and CEO of Qcept, in a statement. "Siemens Venture Capital has a great track record of supporting firms with breakthrough technologies, and we look forward to working with them as a partner to provide enhanced semiconductor fab and flat panel display manufacturing automation solutions."

Qcept's technology delivers "rapid assessment of chemical variation and uniformity on semiconductor wafer surfaces with single atomic layer sensitivity", according to its web site.

Its first product was designed for semiconductor research and development facilities. It provides wafer inspection and analysis.

"Qcept's revolutionary Scanning Contact Potential Difference Imaging solutions have the potential not only to improve semiconductor manufacturing process control, but also to extend into additional areas that are of interest to Siemens as a leading global technology provider," Hawkins said in a statement.

Qcept raised $2 million in 2003.

Qcept: www.qceptech.com