This startup from IIT Kanpur boys wants to make infrared chips 100 times cheaper to help drones see through smoke, haze
Semiconductor startup Noval Spectral AI, which is based out of Bengaluru, has raised ₹21.15 crore or $2.25 million in a funding round which was led by Shastra VC and also saw participation from Equirus InncateX Fund as well as other angel investors.
The startup, which was founded by Anish Priyadarshi and Sanjeev Kumar, both alumbi of IIT Kanpur, is planning to develop an infrared image sensor chip which will be used in surveillance systems and defence drones.
These short-wave infrared (SWIR) sensor can help cameras take pictures in low-light conditions. The company is looking to make these sensors around 100 times cheaper compared to the technology that exists today. If this is possible, it will open up potential applications in various sectors like cars, smartphones, robotics, cameras, defence applications, and others.
Priyadarshi said, "India’s armed forces should not have to rely on an imported sensor to see at night or through smoke. We design and build our chip in India, with a roadmap to make the quantum dot materials and readout chip here too. We have an in-principle go-ahead to incubate at IISc Bengaluru, and this funding will build our team there to deliver a field-ready prototype within 18 months,"
With the latest round of funding, the company is planning to come with with a prototype that will be field-ready within a period of 18 months. It also plans to build a technical team as well as establish a manufacturing process in India. The company has a go-ahead in principle at the IISc Bengaluru.
As per India's Defence Research and Development Organisation, SWIR chips that are built on gallium arsenide (InGaAs) are being developed by laboratories in the country.
High-cost InGaAs are used by conventional SWIR sensors to detect light. This has to be manufactured separately from the silicon chip before the two are bonded together.
"The process requires precise alignment of their pixels, making manufacturing more complex and expensive," Priyadarshi said, while adding that SWIR sensors are worth thousands of dollars and are mostly imported into India, which means that a part of India's defence programme has to depend on supplies from foreign countries.
Nova Spectral AI is planning to use indium arsenide-based colloidal quantum dots, which are small semiconductor particles which can be transformed into liquid form and then deposited on a silicon chip. While conventional InGaAs-based SWIR sensors are priced at around $5,000-10,000 for a single piece, Nova is targetting to bring down the cost to around $20-30.
While the majority of semiconductor startups in India outsource manufacturing, this company is looking to develop the sensor's manufacturing domestically.
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