Blue Tile Lab, a company specializing in semiconductor backend process visual inspection and laser light sources, has received additional financing

Recently, South Korean listed company APS has invested in Blue Tile Lab, a company engaged in semiconductor backend process visual inspection and laser light sources. Meanwhile, D&T, a subsidiary of APS specializing in the production of laser cutting equipment for secondary batteries, has also made its first investment in Blue Tile Lab.

According to relevant information, APS made its first investment in Blue Tile Lab in January 2022, holding 4.77% of the shares. After this investment, its shareholding will increase to 10.6%. In addition, the listed company D&T also holds approximately 6% of the shares in Blue Tile Lab.

Through this acquisition, APS and its affiliated companies have acquired approximately 16% of the shares in Blue Tile Lab. The remaining portion consists of shares from the founder and CEO, as well as financial investors attracted through Series A financing last year.

Blue Tile Lab was founded by Kim in 2016 and is a company that provides visual inspection systems, including hardware and software, for semiconductor back-end processes and secondary battery equipment companies. In the field of laser light sources, it is also constantly developing new businesses. Recently, Blue Tile Lab has been selected as the leading unit for a national project worth 2.5 billion Korean won to develop deep ultraviolet (DUV) laser light source technology. Once the new laser business is on track in the future, Blue Tile Lab will further expand its scale. At present, the company's listing work is being intensively prepared, with the goal of completing it in the first half of next year.

According to industry insiders, APS's additional investment is likely due to its belief that the laser light source developed by Blue Tile Lab is suitable for its affiliated companies' equipment business and may potentially collaborate with the group company in many fields.
As for D&T, the company has already partnered with Blue Tile Lab. It provides visual inspection equipment for D&T's laser cutting equipment. Blue Tile Lab generated sales of 2.7 billion Korean won from it. In the long run, D&T's goal is to replace the laser sources installed in laser cutting equipment with domestically produced picosecond laser sources developed by Blue Tile Lab.

In addition to Blue Tile Lab, APS has also invested in semiconductor equipment company Nextin and wafer cutting company SR to expand its footprint in the semiconductor and secondary battery ecosystems.

Source: OFweek