CEG to Highlight Semiconductor Projects and Startups at SEMICON West
The Center for Economic Growth (CEG) this week will be representing the Capital Region’s Advanced Electronics R&D and Manufacturing Cluster at SEMICON West in Pheonix. There are several major projects for CEG to highlight, including the multi-billion dollar EUV Lithography Center at the Albany NanoTech Complex, with accessible standard EUV available now and High NA EUV available in 2026. But semiconductor startups in the Capital Region are also making breakthroughs in the industry.
Below are select highlights of semiconductor startup activity in the Capital Region:
In August, the Schenectady startup Geminatio received a $1.25 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF funding will enable Geminatio to further develop a liquid-enabled advanced pitch (LEAP) manufacturing processes that would existing fabrication facilities to make smaller semiconductor features (10-50 nm) without having to invest in costly extreme ultraviolet (EUV) systems. Also in August, Geminatio got its first patent approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for “in-resist process for high-density contact formation.”
AMAG nanometro in Guilderland recently received from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) a $400,000 grant plus two contracts for nearly $142,000. For the NIST grant, the startup, formerly known as AMAG Consulting, will enhance its software that simulates electron microscope (SEM) interactions with solids. AMAG nanometro will image structures that exhibit charging (e.g., silicon diode lines on a silicon substrate) and compare them to its simulated results, allowing the startup to refine its software charging model.
Lux Semiconductors in Albany last summer received a $400,000 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) Pitch Day award to advance its smart metal system. Lux Semiconductors is a spinoff from the University at Albany’s College of Nanotechnology, Science and Engineering (CNSE), with a presence in Ithaca and Albany. In September 2024, the USPTO awarded Lux Semiconductor a patent for metal substrates.
NoMIS Power in Newtonville, another CNSE spinoff, specializes in designing and developing power semiconductor devices and packaging architectures. Last September, NoMIS debuted its first 3.3 kV SiC MOSFET that is designed to help the makers of battery energy storage systems (BESS), renewable energy converters, and other clean energy customers transition from legacy silicon solutions while benefiting from the higher voltages afforded by SiC technology. Earlier this year, NoMIS received a $150,000 Department of Defense contract for services relating to SiC device review, design, and engineering.
A spinoff from Cornell University with a presence at the Albany NanoTech Complex, Xallent last January announced a partnership with MPI in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Through this strategic partnership, they launched a semi-automatic test system for chiplets, advanced packages, and thin film materials tests. This Heterogeneous Integration Test System (HITSTM) provides early actionable insights into chiplet production.
Pallidus, an Albany startup that develops SiC wafers, has received three patents in 2025, including one for high-purity polysilocarb derived silicon carbide powder and another for high-purity silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) and SiC methods compositions and applications.
Menlo Micro is a GE Research spinoff with R&D operations at the Albany NanoTech Complex. It develops micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) switch development for RF and power systems. So far in 2025, Meno Micro has released several products, including a high-power radio frequency (RF) switch and high-speed differential loopback switches. In June, Menlo Micro announced a collaboration in which its Ideal Switch will power an RF switch from Brooklyn-based Mini-Circuits.
Free Form Fibers is a Saratoga Springs startup that developed a laser chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) process to produce high-purity ceramic fibers. In December 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) selected Free Form Fibers $926,000 in funding for research into LCVD-produced silicon carbide powder as a feedstock material for silicon carbide boule manufacturing. For this project, Free Form fibers will collaborate with Penn State University, Stony Brook University, Argonne National Laboratory, and XTrinSiC.
CEG Initiatives
CEG has a long history of supporting the Capital Region’s semiconductor industry, from marketing the region and hosting events at SEMICON West to sponsoring several apprenticeship programs for GlobalFoundries and NY CREATES to conducting a microelectronics workforce need assessment for the Northeast Regional Defense Technology Hub (NORDTECH).
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