Novatrans Corporation[1]is a Swiss company founded in 2003, with R&D facilities in Israel which develops and commercializes a technology that was invented at The Weizmann Institute of Science. 1 At the heart of the invention, and its related patents, is a switching device, a transistor called the Novatron. The Novatron offers disruptive properties made possible by combining, in a sealed nanometric cavity, a light source (LED or laser), a photocathode and an anode.
Photo - Nano Vacuum Tube
This free movement of electrons within the device enables the Novatron to operate at very high frequencies (i.e. 300 gigahertz – 3,000 gigahertz = 3 terahertz) that up to now were the realm of lasers and electro-optics. Reach high bandwidths; and be temperature-independent. To date, there is not a commercial competing technology in the market that offers the advantages provided by the Novatron. Moreover, an important aspect of this invention is its wide application perimeter. Offering radical approaches to many high value electronics functions such as logic processing and memory as well as immediate solution to achieving frequency operation well above conventional microwaves.
Novatrans brings the Terahertz (100-3,000 Gigahertz) application zone into the realm of conventional microelectronics. Terahertz is a relatively unexplored frontier of the electro-magnetic spectrum, located between the microwave and infrared wavelengths. Novatrans believes the potential of this new spectral window is substantial and has major implications for an eclectic array of next generation technologies, products and devices. Terahertz radiation combines the penetrating properties of millimeter-wave with the resolution of infra-red. It is human-safe and non-ionizing.
SUPERIOR TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCTS
To date, in the THz spectrum, there is not a commercial competing, cost-effective technology in the market that offers high performance advantages as provided by Novatrans. In the first phase of application products development, Novatrans’ focus is on a Terahertz source which is intended for use in molecular spectroscopy, radio biology, pharmaceutical assay, process control in aerospace plastics, general material control, security inspection of mail and medical imaging of skin and soft tissue, detecting concealed explosives in shoes and clothing and more.
Novatrans business model focuses on the exploitation of the invention through the creation of industrial partnerships that would commercialize the underlying core technology-IP and develop product enabling sub-systems. First revenues are expected to be generated from venture collaborations obtained from different sources aiming to turn successful projects into OEM agreements. In 2006 the company signed its first R&D collaboration agreement with one of the leading semiconductor manufactures in the world, to develop an RF device that will use the Novatron proprietary “free electron” physics.
The company's core intellectual property is protected by about 15 patent applications in various stages. Novatrans core team consists of 25 full time equivalent staff. Some of them are world renowned in their fields. To date, the company has raised approximately $18 million in two investment rounds and is now embarking on its third round of private placement.
Notes
<http://apl.aip.org/apl//> Novatrans reaches scientific and technological recognition having published recently an article in APL.
