Covalent Metrology
Trusted Material Analysis Partner for Emerging Product Development

The fields of biology and biochemistry are increasingly intersecting with the world of material science. Today, startups and industry leaders are driving unprecedented innovation across biological and medical technologies. Many of these emerging products require advanced materials manipulation or modification, whether in deposition, patterning, etching, or other engineered processes to ensure desired outcomes.

Characterizing results usually requires advanced analytical instruments and developing analytical strategies. Interpreting data from the tools requires specific analytical expertise. That infrastructure and expertise have evolved in the semiconductor industry over decades but are frequently unavailable in-house at biotech and medtech companies.

Covalent Metrology is a new and innovative analytical services company based in the heart of Silicon Valley. Covalent primarily works with product development engineers in various high-growth industries, including pharmaceuticals, biological and medical technologies, semiconductors, advanced batteries, and LIDAR sensors.

Covalent Metrology specializes in advanced material sciences, nanotech devices, and chemistry-related solutions, backed by a state-of-the-art laboratory with more than 50 new analytical instruments. The 24,000-square-foot lab offers advanced microscopy (including SEM, FIB/SEM and TEM), analytical chemistry, materials analysis and failure analysis services.

“Covalent works with startups and Fortune 500 companies, primarily focusing on R&D and complex problem-solving. Our idea was to equip a world-class team of analytical scientists with a broad range of incredible analytical instruments and then to deliver enterprise-level outsourcing solutions through a modern digital experience,” says Craig Hunter, CEO of Covalent Metrology.

Through its combination of a rapidly expanding in-house lab facility and key partnerships with dozens of external labs, Covalent aims to be the go-to partner for comprehensive turnkey analytical solutions.

Hunter notes that three key strategies drove the establishment of Covalent Metrology—digital transformation, deeper, enterprise-level partnerships with customers, and new business models enabled by building a comprehensive, modern, and cloud-connected lab. The opportunity to focus on digital transformation in material science characterization and customer service experience enables robust interactions through automated quoting, collaboration chats, and enhanced data analysis capabilities.

The software can transform the customer journey and experience while reducing time-to-results and increasing the value of the delivered data. For example, Covalent’s Image Explorer platform empowers customers to customize and analyze their data. They can zoom in on key areas, tilt and rotate the images, make notes or comments, measure features (line thickness, surface roughness) or even run pre-packaged image analysis algorithms, all through the cloud.

Another key differentiator is Covalent Metrology’s emphasis on shifting from transactional engagements to more enduring, deeper customer relationships. The effectiveness of outsourcing is often limited because the outsourced partner doesn’t understand the customer’s problem, and the customer doesn’t understand what is possible using various analytical strategies. Only through mutual trust and relationship development can the real potential of outsourcing be achieved. Through a high-end technical team and customer service model, Covalent Metrology aims to become a trusted product development. At the heart of this mission is its team of highly-skilled experts with PhDs in chemistry and physics who prioritize customer-centricity and problem-solving.

The third pillar of Covalent Metrology’s business is its development of new business models and products that are only possible with a modern, cloud-connected fleet of instruments. Secure, remote access to tools by operators worldwide can facilitate 24-7 operations, which in turn contributed to reduced turnaround times on projects. The Company is also exploring ways to allow customers to book time on instruments for remote tool operation at reduced costs.

Covalent works with startups and Fortune 500 companies, primarily focusing on R&D and complex problem-solving. We offer our range of services in three business categories: electron microscopy, chemical materials analysis, and thin film optical characterization

Through software and modern technology, Covalent Metrology continuously strives to drive lower costs, enhance efficiency and deliver new capabilities to its customers.

Over the past 50 years, the semiconductor landscape has accumulated and developed incredible techniques to manipulate and identify properties of materials and devices at a very small scale. This knowledge and practices are increasingly relevant to the ever-developing biotech and medical technology landscape. Recognizing this opportunity, Covalent Metrology leverages its cross-domain expertise to suggest best-suited strategies to mitigate a client’s specific challenge. Thanks to this competency, more than 20 percent of its business is biotech clients that benefit from accessing advanced materials characterization from the semiconductor space.

Developing products and technologies are promising an exciting and much healthier future. Properly leveraging materials innovation will be a growing theme for years in biotech and medical device R&D. Partnership with the experts at Covalent is a compelling approach to accelerating progress for engineers in these fields.