What Photon Spot does

Photon Spot, Inc. designs and manufactures Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) and sub-Kelvin cryogenic systems for quantum technology, photonics research, and space optical communications. The company offers three core cryostat product lines, branded Cryospot 4, Cryospot 4TS, and Cryospot 5, which reach temperatures below 1 Kelvin without liquid helium consumption and can host up to 32 or 64 SNSPDs depending on configuration. Its detectors are specified at up to 95.5% system detection efficiency at 1550nm, with 1–2 cps dark count rates and approximately 50 ps timing jitter, and are optimized for wavelengths including 637nm, 780nm, 825nm, 940nm, 980nm, 1310nm, and 1550nm. Photon Spot also sells a Python-based control environment called FreezeControl and delivers custom engineered solutions for science customers.

The business is bootstrapped and privately held by founder & CEO Dr. Vikas Anant, a doctorate from MIT who has worked in SNSPDs since the early 2000s and co-invented multi-element nanowire detector technology now licensed to the company. Photon Spot sells directly via email and phone ([email protected], [email protected]) to research institutions, government agencies, and quantum technology companies, with no disclosed public pricing. Its principal revenue streams are hardware sales of detectors and cryogenic systems, custom solution engineering, and royalties from licensing multi-element nanowire technology; selective grant funding has included a DARPA SBIR Phase II award (2016), an NSF SBIR award ($225,000, 2019), and a CHIPS SBIR award (September 2024).

Customer engagements span multiple NASA/JPL space optical communications missions (LLCD 2013, DSOC for Psyche, Artemis II/O2O in 2026), national metrology (NIST), and leading academic quantum groups at Harvard, Caltech, MIT, TU Delft, Fermilab, Heriot Watt, and Universität Stuttgart. Distribution is direct and global from the company's headquarters in Monrovia, California, with active conference and workshop sponsorship (SPW, APS, ASC). Technical credibility is reinforced by the 2015 Paul F. Forman Team Engineering Excellence Award (Optica), peer-reviewed publications in Nature and Science, and feature coverage in the New York Times.

Name

Photon Spot

Legal name

Photon Spot, Inc.

Website

https://photonspot.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Photon Spot designs and manufactures Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) and sub-Kelvin cryogenic systems (Cryospot 4, 4TS, 5), selling directly to research institutions, government agencies, and quantum technology companies, and supplying detector systems for NASA space optical communications missions including Artemis II.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Instrumentation — Quantum Photon Detection and Cryogenics

NAICS

Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Cryogenic Systems & Cryostats (HDAGABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cryocoolers & Refrigeration Units (HDAGABAB), Calibration, Characterization & Test Instrumentation (Cryo/RF) (HDAGABAM)

Keywords

• Single-photon detectors
• Cryogenic systems
• Superconducting nanowire detectors
• Sub-kelvin cooling
• Quantum instrumentation

Headquarters

HQ city

Monrovia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations

Revenue model

1. SNSPD Detector Sales: Sale of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors, including single-pixel and multi-pixel imaging arrays (cameras). Detectors are available at various wavelengths (637nm, 780nm, 825nm, 940nm, 1310nm, 1550nm) and configurations.
2. Cryogenic System Sales: Sale of turn-key cryogenic systems (Cryospot 4, Cryospot 4TS, Cryospot 5) that operate without liquid helium. Systems include temperature controllers, helium compressors, and can host multiple SNSPDs.
3. Custom Solution Development: Custom engineering solutions for challenging scientific instrumentation problems, including specialized cryostats and detector systems for specific research applications.
4. Licensing Royalties: Revenue from licensing multi-element nanowire detector technology for photon number resolution applications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Photon Spot designs and manufactures superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) and turn-key sub-Kelvin cryogenic systems (Cryospot 4, Cryospot 4TS, Cryospot 5) used to enable quantum computing, quantum communications, optical computing, and space optical communications research. The cryogenic systems deliver temperatures below 1 Kelvin without requiring liquid helium, while the SNSPDs provide ultralow dark counts, sub-100 ps jitter, and high system detection efficiency at wavelengths from 637 nm to 1550 nm.

Product overview

Photon Spot provides specialized cryogenic systems (Cryospot 4, Cryospot 4TS, Cryospot 5) and Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) for quantum technologies. Their modular, turn-key cryostats deliver temperatures below 1 Kelvin without liquid helium consumption, while their SNSPDs offer up to 95.5% system detection efficiency. The company also delivers custom solutions for NASA missions, quantum networking, and advanced detector arrays for research institutions worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cryospot: Line of cryogenic systems including Cryospot 4, Cryospot 4TS, and Cryospot 5 models for quantum and cryogenic applications.

Products and services

• Cryospot 4 A compact turn-key cryogenic system with GM cryocoolers delivering cooling capacities up to 0.5W @ 4K that can host up to 32 SNSPDs at sub-Kelvin temperatures without liquid helium, designed for quantum experiments where vibrations from the cryocooler do not impact measurements.
• Cryospot 4TS Turn-key cryogenic system offering extreme temperature stability with peak-to-peak oscillations below 3 mK, designed for quantum experiments involving Josephson junctions and other temperature-sensitive measurements.
• Cryospot 5 A larger turn-key cryogenic system with a 10" OD cryostat, 12 configurable feedthrough ports, cooling capacity up to 1.5W, and ability to host up to 64 SNSPDs at temperatures below 500 mK without liquid helium.
• SNSPD Detectors Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) exhibiting ultralow dark counts, sub-100 ps timing jitter, and >90% quantum efficiency near 1550 nm, optimized for multiple wavelengths including 637 nm, 780 nm, 825 nm, 940 nm, 1310 nm, and 1550 nm, sold to research institutions, metrology labs, and aerospace customers.
• 64-Pixel SNSPD Imaging Camera An 8x8 SNSPD imaging array in a compact server rack-based cryogenic system offering 65% system detection efficiency at 1550 nm, ~20 cps dark count per pixel, and ~100 ps FWHM jitter, for imaging applications including biomedical imaging and quantum communications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95.5% ± 0.6% system detection efficiency at 1550nm @ 100 kcps
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Heriot Watt UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Delivered first commercially available 8x8 imaging array housed in compact server rack-based cryogenic system. Array specifications: 65% SDE at 1550nm, 20 cps per pixel dark count, 100 ps FWHM jitter, 645 Mcps 3-dB max count rate.
• Universität StuttgartcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Delivered SNSPD system with 64 fiber-coupled SNSPDs operating at 1550nm, each with SDE of 85% or more. System included cryostat, electronics, temperature controllers, vacuum pump on server rack.
• NASA/JPLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Long-standing collaboration with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory on optical communications systems. Delivered detector systems for Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O), Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC), and Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration (LLCD). Systems performed flawlessly during Artemis II mission.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Single Quantum: A leading commercial manufacturer of SNSPDs and cryogenic detection systems based in Delft, Netherlands. Directly competes with Photon Spot in the same product category (SNSPDs) for the same research and quantum-networking customers, including several groups that appear on both companies' reference lists.
• ID Quantique: Swiss-based pioneer in single-photon detection and quantum key distribution systems, including SNSPDs and integrated cryogenic detectors. Competes head-to-head with Photon Spot in quantum communications and research SNSPDs while also addressing commercial QKD customers.

Broad incumbents

• Quantum Design: Established US distributor and integrator of cryogenic and scientific instrumentation, including closed-cycle cryostats used in quantum and condensed-matter research. Overlaps with Photon Spot's Cryospot line as a broader cryogenics incumbent serving many of the same research customers.
• Bluefors: Finnish manufacturer of ultra-low-temperature dilution refrigerators and cryogenic systems widely used in quantum computing and SNSPD experiments. Competes with Photon Spot on the cryostat side, often hosting competing third-party SNSPD modules from rivals like Single Quantum.
• Oxford Instruments NanoScience: UK-based supplier of high-field and low-temperature cryogenic systems (including dilution refrigerators) for quantum and physics research. Competes with Photon Spot for the same turn-key cryogenic system budgets at universities and national labs.
• Excelitas Technologies: Large US photonics and detector manufacturer producing single-photon counting modules (SPADs, APDs) and custom detector systems. A broad incumbent offering overlapping single-photon detection capabilities, though typically not at the SNSPD performance tier Photon Spot addresses.
• Hamamatsu Photonics: Global Japanese photonics company producing a wide range of single-photon detectors, photomultipliers, and scientific cameras. Competes at the edges of Photon Spot's market, particularly for biomedical and research imaging applications.

Emerging players

• attocube systems: German manufacturer of cryogenic, nanopositioning, and photonic systems serving quantum technology customers. Overlaps with Photon Spot in low-temperature platforms and integrated photonic experimentation, though its core strength is nanopositioning rather than SNSPDs.

Others

• Teledyne Princeton Instruments: Scientific imaging and detector specialist serving spectroscopy, imaging, and low-light research markets. While not a direct SNSPD competitor, it is an adjacent detector supplier often evaluated alongside Photon Spot for photon-counting and imaging applications.
• InfraTec: German manufacturer of infrared detectors, thermal cameras, and customized detector systems including single-pixel and array detectors. An adjacent cryogenic and photon-detection peer whose products are used in similar scientific research applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/photon-spot-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Photon Spot