Press Releases

Today, Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) announced a new research grant for Santa Barbara small business Photothermal Spectroscopy Corporation from the landmark federal manufacturing and science law he helped pass in 2022.

A $283,000 grant funded by the CHIPS and Science Act will support the company’s development of thermal management and thermal property characterization tools to help the U.S. semiconductor industry. The funding is awarded through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.

Amid suggestions by Republican leadership that they may pursue a repeal of the law credited with supporting over 115,000 manufacturing and construction jobs, the Congressman pledged to the Central Coast staff of the company that he would fight to preserve funding for their research and other critical projects being supported by this law.

“It never ceases to amaze me the cutting-edge work that is being done in our own backyard to continue America’s legacy of groundbreaking science and technology. The team at Photothermal Spectroscopy Corporation are developing tools used by our nation’s largest technology companies to strengthen our supply chains and break new barriers in the semiconductor industry. I noticed too how many Gauchos they have on their team – a reminder of the great work UCSB is doing to train and deliver the innovators of tomorrow!” said Rep. Carbajal. “I was proud to help pass the CHIPS and Science Act two years ago to foster these kinds of innovations, and will fight every day in Washington next Congress to prevent a rollback of the programs that are turning science fiction into reality on the Central Coast.”

“We’re grateful to the CHIPS for America Act and NIST for their support of this Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) project which addresses a critical need in the semiconductor industry to better manage heat in advanced electronics,” said Dr. Craig Prater, Chief Technology Officer of Photothermal Spectroscopy Corp.  “We’re excited to develop new instrumentation that could improve the performance and reliability of consumer devices, helping to keep American industries at the forefront of technology innovation.” 

The Santa Barbara company pioneering sub-micron infrared microscopy and spectroscopy was founded in 2018.

The $283,000 award is a Phase I grant provided to 17 small businesses across nine states through the SBIR. The Phase I awards are meant to establish the merit, feasibility, and commercial potential of the proposed research and development projects. Photothermal Spectroscopy Corporation and the other Phase I recipients are eligible to receive Phase II grants of up to $1,910,000 next spring.

The CHIPS for America program anticipates up to approximately $54 million in funding across multiple topics on research projects for critically needed measurement services, tools, and instrumentation; innovative manufacturing metrologies; novel assurance and provenance technologies and advanced metrology research and development (R&D) testbeds to help secure U.S. leadership in the global semiconductor industry.