Aeluma Awarded Navy Funding To Develop Photonics Reliability Methodologies For Defense And Aerospace Applications

Collaboration with The Aerospace Corporation

Aeluma, Inc., a semiconductor company specializing in scalable, cost-effective technologies for LiDAR (light detection and ranging), communication, and sensing, announced today that it has been awarded funding from the U.S. Navy to develop photonics reliability methodologies for defense and aerospace applications. Aeluma will lead the development activities and intends to collaborate with The Aerospace Corporation, a leading national nonprofit that operates a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) across the space domain.

"This funding represents recognition of Aeluma's technology and leadership in the photonics industry," said Aeluma's Director of Technology, Matthew Dummer, Ph.D. "We anticipate this initiative will yield valuable insights regarding reliability of photonics technologies for defense and aerospace, as well as commercial applications. The outcomes will inform potential customers and end users, providing predictions of expected performance and lifetime in the field."

Aeluma's CEO and Founder, Jonathan Klamkin, Ph.D. added, "We see significant investment in semiconductor technologies for sensing and communication applications, and we believe Aeluma's technology is well positioned to support these activities. Aeluma is continuing to pursue this type of funding, which provides resources for development as well as exposure to other potential customers."

Photonic technologies, including Aeluma's large-diameter wafer photodetectors, are important for defense and aerospace systems. Aeluma has also identified automotive and mobile markets as primary commercial targets, each having specific performance and reliability metrics. While there is overlap with these requirements, defense and aerospace applications pose additional challenges related to environmental and mechanical constraints. The lack of data and information on reliability of photonics for defense and aerospace platforms has prevented wide adoption of these technologies, and this work seeks to address this shortcoming by developing critical reliability methodologies.

Aeluma is working to commercialize its transformative semiconductor chip technology for a variety of markets including automotive LiDAR, mobile, defense and aerospace, AR/VR, AI, and communication. Aeluma has established a unique semiconductor manufacturing capability in Santa Barbara, California. With its proprietary technology that combines compound semiconductor nanomaterials with mass market semiconductor manufacturing, Aeluma is developing products that could offer high-performance and low-cost solutions for emerging markets. Key to Aeluma's disruptive technology is the ability to manufacture its semiconductor chips on up to 12-inch Silicon substrates, which can scale and be mass produced, thereby potentially reducing the cost of chips dramatically.

About Aeluma, Inc.
Aeluma develops novel optoelectronic devices for sensing and communications applications. Aeluma has pioneered a technique to manufacture devices using high performance compound semiconductor materials on large-diameter Silicon substrates that are commonly used for mass market microelectronics. The technology has the potential to enhance performance and provide a path to cost-effective, large-scale manufacturing, both of which are critical for future LiDAR and other sensor applications. Aeluma is developing a streamlined business model from its headquarters in Santa Barbara, California that has a state-of-the-art manufacturing cleanroom. For more information, visit www.aeluma.com.