Top start-ups at the CTI Micro Nano Event 2012

At this year’s CTI Micro Nano Event in Lausanne, a number of exciting CTI projects were introduced, either in presentations before more than 100 visitors or at the poster sessions during the breaks. What was striking was the large number of start-ups as industrial partners. The event gave the opportunity to learn about new projects from GreenTeg, Zurich Instruments and Dectris, and Lemoptix, Optotune and Flisom gave detailed presentations of their current CTI projects.

But before the company presentations, CTI director Klara Sekanina had a word. Among other things, she announced some new features in start-up support intended to open up the funding to new potential applicants and sectors. In addition, the more support young companies have, the more they will grow – this will be given, for instance, by providing assistance in internationalisation and support even after a company has acquired the CTI label.

The first young entrepreneur to take the stage was Nicolas Abele, co-founder and CTO of Lemoptix. He introduced the technology of the new company, which makes ultra-small projectors for use, for example, in mobile phones or as a head-up display in cars. Both are potentially large markets, but before it can tap into them Lemoptix still has challenges to overcome. The electronics must be miniaturised and the three lasers that operate the mini projector made safer so that no eye damage is possible.

Optotune is also working on a device for mobile phones: an ultra-thin zoom lens. The company has already developed a triple-zoom that is flat enough; the challenge now is to make it ready for production. Optotune is also working on other products; for example, it is currently preparing a speckle reducer, used to correct the typical speckle noise errors of imaging lasers, for mass production in the next few months.

Flisom is also in the process of developing a fundamentally working technology. The company is working on thin-film solar modules developed together with EMPA, which holds the record in terms of efficiency rate in this type of solar cell. The goal now is to produce these cells roll-to-roll, where the carrier film is unwound from a roll and covered with solar cells as it moves. This would reduce production costs dramatically, but requires the manufacturing technique to function when the carrier film is moving at high speed. Flisom founder Ayodhya N. Tiwari expects market entry to be some time away. Yet the native Indian, who has spent many years researching the technology, is not deterred: “Whoever is not willing to accept a development period of 25 years should not deal with photovoltaics.”