About Nabu Optical Systems

Nabu Optical Systems is a Dayton, Ohio-based semiconductor technology company developing advanced maskless lithography tools for the modern chip economy. Nabu's systems combine the best of both worlds — projection lithography for speed and direct laser writing for flexibility — using virtual masks that eliminate the need for costly physical ones. Designed to address a gap in the market, Nabu's technology targets small and medium enterprises, innovative startups, and research institutions that are often poorly served by an industry that tends to favor large players with very large-scale demands. Their tools serve semiconductor manufacturing, research, and emerging chip ventures — particularly in the 180 nm to 500 nm node segment — and are priced to be accessible for R&D, university, and government labs. Nabu's platform is significantly smaller and a fraction of the cost of traditional methods, reducing the manufacturing process by months and costs by millions. Founded by University of Dayton professor Imad Agha, Nabu Optical Systems is a recognized innovator in the field, having won the Startup Contest award at the 68th International Conference on Electron, Ion, and Photon Beam Technology and Nanofabrication (EIPBN 2025).