LONDON — Wafer inspection equipment specialist Qcept Technologies Inc., has closed a follow-on Series B financing round led by Siemens Venture Capital (SVC), a subsidiary of Siemens AG.

Qcept (Atlanta, GA) said it would use the additional funds to accelerate product development and expand sales and marketing.

"The amount invested is not a minor one, it is a substantial additional source of funds, but we have decided with the other partners not to disclose the exact value this time," Dr Uwe Albrecht, managing partner of the corporate fund at SVC told EE Times .

Pittco Capital Management as well as other existing investors also participated in the round.

Qcept closed the Series B round of finance, also led by Siemens Venture Capital, in January 2005, at $3.25 million.

"Siemens Venture Capital (SVC) has been an important strategic partner and customer almost since the inception of our company," said Bret Bergman, CEO of Qcept. "They have a great track record of supporting firms with breakthrough technologies, and we look forward to continuing our work with them to provide enhanced inspection solutions to semiconductor manufacturers and related markets."

The company says its Chemetriq wafer inspection technology has the potential not only to improve semiconductor manufacturing process control, but also to extend into other areas.