LONDON — Nanotech Semiconductor Ltd , the Bristol, England based specialist in analog and mixed-signal ICs for fiber optic communications, has pulled in a further $2.5 million in funding in a "top-up" round that brings total investment in the start-up to $10 million.

Existing venture capital investors Pond Venture Partners and Atlantic Bridge, together with CEO and founder, Gary Steele, contributed pro-rata to the $6 million A round completed in 2005.

The total invested since the company was founded in 2003 includes $2 million that is targeted at an unspecified customer project.

The company says the total raised is sufficient to see the fabless group reach break-even by the end of this year.

Nanotech has developed a low power optical fibre networking technology targeted at mobile phones, camcorders and laptops. It has already signed joint development agreements with two big name manufacturers to use its CMOS transceiver technology for plastic optical fibre links carrying a data rate of 1.25Gbit/s.

Commenting on the top-up fund, Steele said: "The last 12 months has seen very significant customer funding for some very exciting consumer and telecom ICs and it was important we matched this commitment with growth in our own resources. We believe we now have the largest - and best - development team in the world dedicated to analog CMOS ICs for fiber based communications."

The company has about 30 design engineers