The round was supported by Asterion Ventures, Kreaxi, the Avenir Industrie Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regional fund, Better Angle, Hello Tomorrow and Grenoble Alpes Métropole.
Based in Grenoble, Diamfab is a spin-off from the Institut Néel, a CNRS laboratory. Initially incubated within SATT Linksium Grenoble Alpes, the Diamfab project led to the creation of the company in March 2019, founded by Gauthier Chicot and Khaled Driche.
The company has developed technology in the fields of epitaxy and doping of synthetic diamond in order to address the markets for semiconductors and power components for the automotive, renewable energies and quantum industries, among others.
The company has four patents and the company’s expertise lies in the growth and doping of thin diamond layers, as well as in the design of diamond electronic components.
While the power electronics industry has traditionally used silicon, the advent of electric vehicles has accelerated the adoption of new semiconductor materials offering far superior performance.
Diamfab’s technology is seen as helping to pave the way for the use of diamond, which is recognised as the ultimate semiconductor.
The components being developed are lighter, more resistant to high temperatures and more energy-efficient, making them suitable for a wide range of applications, including power electronics in electric cars, industry and electricity distribution networks.
This first round of funding will enable Diamfab to set up a pilot line to pre-industrialise its technology and help to further accelerate its development.
