A start-up company in the spotlight
The close cooperation between the NCCR Quantum Photonics and the start-up company, Alpes Laser, is paying off. The new technologies developed by the researchers can be adopted immediately by Alpes Laser. Its most prominent customer thus far is NASA.
"Without the Quantum Photonics, Alpes Lasers would probably not have survived!" Jérôme Faist, physics professor at the ETH Zurich, believes the close collaboration in the NCCR Quantum Photonics is responsible for turning his small start-up company into a flourishing business. His company now impresses the biggest names in spheres of technology and business– from forensic services to Philip Morris International.
The start-up company, Alpes Lasers was founded in 1998 by Jérôme Faist, who was then at the University of Neuchâtel, along with his colleagues Markus Beck and Antoine Müller the current Director. The three physicists are currently developing the quantum cascade laser designed by Jerôme Faist in 1994. "This is an innovative laser in the infra-red sector. The wavelength of its beam is determined by the thickness of the laser material, i.e. the semi-conductor layers and no longer by its chemical composition," explains Antoine Müller. Today, this instrument is being used in a growing range of applications – from analysing the atmosphere (emissions, ozone layer etc.) to detecting alcohol or drugs on a person's breath. In the cigarette industry, the quantum cascade laser is used to determine the composition of cigarette smoke. "We’re talking here about a whole range of specialised products," explains Antoine Müller, "while developing them, we were able to benefit from the work conducted in the NCCR Quantum Photonics." The NCCR was set up in 2001 and unites the best academic teams in Switzerland – including Jérôme Faist's group. The aim is to explore phenomena that result from the interaction of light and material.
"The NCCR Quantum Photonics infrastructure helped us carry on with fundamental research in the quantum cascade laser sector," stresses Jérôme Faist. "We were able to explore new paths without too many restraints being placed on the research. This has often paid off – insofar as the technology developed could be immediately transferred to Alpes Lasers. The fact that the start-up company and the NCCR emerged at almost the same time was extremely helpful." Today the young start-up has flourished well, with a workforce of fifteen at two locations in Switzerland and Germany and generating sales of two to three million Swiss francs. Nevertheless, its founder can still not imagine going it alone. "For a company like ours the financial risk would be too high compared to the potential returns", explains Antoine Müller. "Our partnership with the NCCR Quantum Photonics has allowed us to continuously improve the products we offer our customers."
Benoît Deveaud-Plédran, the Director of the NCCR Quantum Photonics, emphasizes how important it is for a research group like Jérôme Faist’s to benefit from long term funding within the framework of the NCCR. "Where cutting edge technology is concerned, there is a funding gap between the moment research results demonstrate a potential for a future application and the moment when a company can make direct use of the finished product. This is still the case, even taking into account any funding from the Innovation Promotion Agency (CTI) to support knowledge and technology transfer. We can now close this gap thanks to the underlying NCCR Quantum Photonics structures."
Another advantage of the NCCR Quantum Photonics in terms of technology transfer is networking. "Our contacts in the NCCR steering committee helped us to coordinate attractive partnerships," explains Benoît Deveaud-Plédran. For example, Alpes Lasers entered into a partnership with researchers from Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Testing and Research, and the American company, Aerodyne. The goal of the partnership was to develop a device that allows the quantum cascade laser to determine how much carbon dioxide in the air originates from natural processes and how much is released by human activity. This device was tested in 2008 at the Jungfraujoch research station. "Thanks to these partnerships, we were able to approve further funding budgets," says a delighted Benoît Deveaud-Plédran. "Above all, we were able to create a new market for this type of device in the atmospheric chemistry research sector," adds Jérôme Faist. Alpes Lasers has since sold five devices. "And all provided excellent publicity and marketing opportunities for Alpes Lasers as well as for the NCCR Quantum Photonics," concludes Antoine Müller.