Light Conversion snaps up Class 5 Photonics

Light Conversion, the Lithuanian laser developer that specializes in ultrafast sources for cutting-edge scientific and industrial applications, has acquired Hamburg, Germany, located Class 5 Photonics.

Spun off from the Deutsches Elektronensynchrotron (DESY) and Helmholtz-Institute Jena in 2014, and based at the DESY startup campus in Bahrenfeld, Class 5 Photonics is known for its optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers (OPCPAs).

Used to create high energies from rapid bursts of extremely short laser pulses, the OPCPA technique is also a key focus for Light Conversion, and is now widely deployed in the world’s highest-power laser systems.

Light Conversion and Class 5 Photonics say that the deal brings together two companies shaped by similar scientific backgrounds and technology-driven approaches to business.

Both originated in research environments - Light Conversion emerged from Vilnius University’s Laser Research Centre in the mid-1990s - and have consistently focused on advancing femtosecond laser technology in close collaboration with the global scientific community.

“Therefore, combining the companies into a complementary technological powerhouse is a logical step,” they announced. 

Partners and competitors

Light Conversion’s CEO Martynas Barkauskas commented: “This decision was not accidental - over the years, we have collaborated with Class 5 Photonics on a number of projects and developed a strong understanding of each other’s expertise.

“At different stages, we have been both partners and competitors, and today we are bringing these experiences together within one team. This step allows us to retain and strengthen the expertise built within both companies while advancing the development of increasingly sophisticated laser systems.”

Robert Riedel, the CEO and co-founder of Class 5 Photonics, added: “The most demanding scientific breakthroughs require laser technologies that combine cutting-edge performance with reliability and scalability.

“With this partnership, we will have the extraordinary opportunity to combine the best solutions from both companies, paired with the most rigid femtosecond lasers on the market: CARBIDE and PHAROS. Finally, we can deliver complete end-to-end solutions, and our customers will benefit from a global sales and service network.”

Class 5 Photonics says that following the merger its team will maintain operations in Hamburg and continue ongoing customer projects and collaborations with industry and research partners worldwide.

Vilnius roots

The two companies note that their connection is rooted in the history of OPCPA development. “In 1992, a Vilnius University research group led by Light Conversion’s co-founder Professor Algis Petras Piskarskas demonstrated the first proof-of-concept of stretching, amplifying, and compressing chirped pulses in an optical parametric amplifier (OPA),” they said.

“Light Conversion was among the first companies to commercialize OPCPA-based technologies, introducing OPCPA concepts into its OPA platforms in the early 2000s before launching complete OPCPA systems in 2014.”

Since then, the Lithuanian firm has been at the cutting edge of high-power OPCPA developments, including the SYLOS systems for the giant ELI-ALPS systems near Prague that were built together with Ekspla, as well as tabletop OPCPA solutions.

Meanwhile Class 5 Photonics won a 2018 Prism Award for its flagship SuperNova OPCPA, and has also developed high-harmonic sources for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) applications in semiconductor production.

Chirped-pulse amplification also formed the scientific basis for the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded to Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland, and has transformed the field of ultrafast laser science, accelerating broader adoption of the technology in both research and industry over the past decade.