Tescan Group, an international electron microscopy firm based in the Czech Republic, has acquired UConn startup FemtoInnovations and plans to establish a laser research center at UConn’s Tech Park in Storrs, UConn said.
The acquisition creates a collaboration to accelerate ultrafast laser technologies used in semiconductor manufacturing, electron microscopy and medical devices. It also marks the first time a private manufacturer will locate operations in the Tech Park’s 114,000-square-foot Innovation Partnership Building.
UConn President Radenka Maric said the agreement strengthens the university’s role in research and regional economic growth.
Tescan plans to create a Laser Technology Business Unit and a FLAME Center — FemtoInnovations Laser Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering — as a research hub.
FemtoInnovations was founded by UConn associate professor Sina Shahbazmohamadi and two Ph.D. graduates, and licenses its laser-system technology from UConn.
Tescan will support two UConn Ph.D. students and provide high-tech research equipment, including a focused-ion-beam scanning electron microscope, and plans to construct a clean room at the facility. Under Shahbazmohamadi’s leadership, the technologies will be used in semiconductor processes for consumer electronics, hardware security, AI applications, scientific instrumentation and medical devices such as electrodes and heart valves.
Tescan operates in nearly a dozen countries. Its new laser unit will integrate with existing electron-microscopy and micro-CT business lines beginning in 2026.
Since opening in 2018, the Tech Park has attracted more than $450 million in investment, including over $100 million from industry partners. The facility was built with $175 million in state funding.
