Nearfield Instruments lands mammoth €135m to revolutionize semiconductor tech

Nearfield Instruments, a leader in Metrology & Inspection (M&I) solutions, has announced a colossal €135 million Series-C funding round. Spearheaded by industry giants Walden Catalyst and Temasek, this strategic investment marks a significant milestone in the semiconductor industry. Co-invested by M&G Investments, the round also saw contributions from existing partners like Innovation Industries, Invest-NL, and ING.

The surge in semiconductor manufacturing complexity, driven by demand for higher performance and energy-efficient chips, finds a solution in Nearfield’s advanced process control technologies. The company’s flagship product, the QUADRA 3D metrology system, offers non-destructive, high-throughput, and high-resolution metrology capabilities, now fully integrated and operational in major high-volume manufacturing fabs worldwide.

Dr. Hamed Sadeghian, Co-Founder and CEO of Nearfield Instruments, expressed his enthusiasm: “We are thrilled that Nearfield’s QUADRA 3D metrology system has been fully integrated into the first major high-volume semiconductor manufacturing fab. This milestone solidifies our pioneering role in advancing critical metrology for leading-edge nodes. With significant contributions from investment leaders, we are well positioned to meet the growing demand for Metrology & Inspection in the coming decade. This funding will enable us to ramp up production capacity, expand our product portfolio, and strengthen our position as a key player in the semiconductor equipment industry.”

Nearfield Instruments’ massive €135M funding round is set to transform the semiconductor industry

The funding round not only underscores Nearfield’s innovation but also positions it as a seminal player in the burgeoning global semiconductor market, expected to reach USD 1 trillion by 2029.

Young Sohn, Founding Managing Partner at Walden Catalyst, highlights the strategic importance of advanced semiconductors: “Advanced semiconductors are the key pillars for global innovation and growth. The high-volume manufacturing of these next-generation devices requires new process control tools to enable higher yield and throughput, and Nearfield’s metrology solutions are critical for solving these process control challenges.”

Eric Meurice, Chairman of the Nearfield Instruments Supervisory Board, commented on the investment’s impact: “This fantastic outcome enables us to accelerate Nearfield’s efforts to provide unique solutions to meet the industry’s metrology and inspection needs for the most advanced nodes. It is great to see the continued support of our shareholders combined with the onboarding of new industry-leading investors who will reinforce our global view and network and cement the company’s position as the leader in Metrology & Inspection.”