# Crystal Sonic

> Crystal Sonic is a Phoenix, Arizona deep-tech startup that uses sound to cut semiconductor costs. Its patented Sonic Lift-off (SLO) technology acts as an 'acoustic scalpel,' peeling thin device layers off expensive wafers so the underlying substrate can be reused instead of ground into dust. Legacy manufacturing wastes 90% or more of substrate material, and substrates can account for up to half of a device's cost - Crystal Sonic wants to reclaim that. Spun out of an Arizona State University lab in 2018, the company has won backing from NASA, the Department of Energy, the NSF, and Lam Capital.

- **Founded:** 2018
- **Headquarters:** Phoenix, Arizona, United States
- **Founders:** Arno Merkle (Co-founder & CEO), Mariana Bertoni (Co-founder & CTO (ASU Professor)), Pablo Guimera Coll (Co-founder & R&D Director)
- **Team size:** ~11 employees
- **Products:** Sonic Lift-off (SLO), Substrate reuse tooling
- **Notable:** Won first place and $25,000 at the 2024 Natcast Startup Pitch Competition at the NSTC Symposium in Washington, D.C., Won Lam Capital's Enabling Future Semiconductors venture competition ($250K) - reportedly against ~70 international competitors., Awarded a NASA SBIR grant to scale Sonic Lift-off to larger-diameter wafers.

## Products & services

- **Sonic Lift-off (SLO)** — Patented acoustic technology that uses precisely tuned sound waves as an 'acoustic scalpel' to separate thin device layers from a semiconductor wafer, leaving a smooth, reusable substrate and producing effectively no kerf waste.
- **Substrate reuse tooling** — Prototype tools being scaled toward 6-inch and 8-inch wafers, developed with support from NASA SBIR funding to work with different solar cell and compound-semiconductor manufacturers.

## Achievements

- Won first place and $25,000 at the 2024 Natcast Startup Pitch Competition at the NSTC Symposium in Washington, D.C.
- Won Lam Capital's Enabling Future Semiconductors venture competition ($250K) - reportedly against ~70 international competitors.
- Awarded a NASA SBIR grant to scale Sonic Lift-off to larger-diameter wafers.
- Received backing from the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA and the National Science Foundation.
- Featured by the City of Phoenix at CES 2025 in Las Vegas alongside Mayor Kate Gallego.
- Spun out of Arizona State University research and moved into downtown Phoenix's innovation ecosystem.

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Featured by the City of Phoenix at CES 2025 in Las Vegas with Mayor Kate Gallego.
- **2024-11** — Won first place and $25,000 at the Natcast Startup Pitch Competition at the NSTC Symposium in Washington, D.C.
- **2024-06** — Latest reported funding round (Seed); won Lam Capital's $250K Enabling Future Semiconductors venture competition.
- **2023-09** — Received a NASA SBIR grant to build a next-generation prototype tool and refine Sonic Lift-off for solar cell manufacturers.

## Links

- Website: https://xtalsonic.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crystal-sonic

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/crystal-sonic
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-06