Tydex

What Tydex does

TYDEX is a private, founder-owned manufacturer of custom optical components and scientific instruments, established in 1994 by research physicists in St. Petersburg, Russia. Operating from a 1,500 square meter facility, the company produces a broad portfolio spanning terahertz (THz) photonics devices (Golay detectors, scanning Fabry-Perot interferometers, electro-optical detectors, lock-in amplifiers, optomechanical choppers), THz passive optics (windows, lenses, Fresnel and aspherical F-theta lenses, prisms, mirrors, beam/spectral splitters, Fabry-Perot etalons, AR coatings, and materials), THz polarizers and filters (wire grid, film, low/high/band pass), infrared and spectroscopy optics (FTIR beamsplitter substrates, ATR elements, IR polarizers, off-axis parabolic mirrors, holographic notch filters), pyrometry and thermography optics (Ge, ZnSe, Si elements, UAV protective windows), large astronomical optics (400-1,400 mm Cassegrain, Ritchey-Chrétien, and Newtonian mirrors and correctors), passive optics for CO2, Nd:YAG and UV-VIS-NIR lasers, and optical coatings spanning 190 nm to 3,000 µm. Differentiated processes include in-house chemical-mechanical finishing of crystalline materials (Ge, Si, ZnSe, ZnS, CaF2, BaF2, KBr, NaCl, KCl) and proprietary vacuum coating capabilities. Surface accuracy is specified up to L/10 at 633 nm.

The business model is a sales-led, custom-manufacturing operation: customers submit specifications via a website request form or by email/fax, receive quotes valid for 60 days denominated in rubles (minimum order 5,000 rubles, 50% prepayment for new customers), and accept instruments with a 1-year warranty and components with a 60-day warranty. A small portion of revenue comes from ready-to-ship stock items, while the bulk is build-to-order. The company reaches customers globally through direct sales, a regional distributor network, and active participation in industry exhibitions including Photonics Moscow, SPIE Photonics West, LASER World of PHOTONICS Munich, and IRMMW-THz conferences. End markets are research institutions, defense and security integrators, THz photonics OEMs, laser system manufacturers, astronomy and space programs, and meteorology — with marquee validation through the 2016 NASA GRIPS stratospheric balloon mission and the 2026 installation of TYDEX Golay detectors and filters on the International Space Station as part of the Sun-Terahertz Space Experiment (2026-2029). The company holds ISO 9001:2015 certification (recertified 2018, 2021, 2024, 2026) and registered trademarks in Russia, the US, EU, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, India, and Taiwan, and operates as a corporate member of SPIE and the European Optical Society.

Name

Tydex

Legal name

OOO "Tydex" (Tydex LLC)

Website

https://tydexoptics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

TYDEX is a Russian custom manufacturer of precision optical components and instruments, founded in 1994 in St. Petersburg, serving research, defense, space, astronomy, and THz photonics customers worldwide with proprietary THz detectors, optics, and coatings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Optical Components and Instruments Manufacturing

NAICS

Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing (3272), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors) (IMAGAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Optical & Light Sensors (Photodiodes/ALS/Color/UV) (HDAHALAE), Optoelectronic Receivers & Transceivers (Photodetectors/Optical Modules) (HDAHALAM), Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL) (HDAHALAL)

Keywords

• Optical components manufacturing
• THz photonics instruments
• Infrared spectroscopy optics
• Astronomical mirror fabrication
• Optical coating services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sankt-peterburg

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Optical Components Manufacturing: TYDEX manufactures custom optical components and instruments based on customer specifications. Orders are accepted via email, fax, or courier with technical drawings approved by customers. Minimum order value is 5000 rubles. Quotes are valid for 60 days and prices are quoted in rubles.
2. Standard Products from Stock: The company maintains an optics stock with ready-to-ship products. Customers can order standard items like THz wire grid polarizers (25 mm aperture), sapphire windows, and other standard components directly from inventory.
3. THz Devices and Instruments: Sale of manufactured THz devices including Golay detectors, scanning Fabry-Perot interferometers, electro-optical detectors, lock-in amplifiers, and optomechanical choppers. These instruments come with a 1-year warranty.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tydex (OOO "Tydex") manufactures custom optical components and optoelectronic instruments for scientific research and industry. Its portfolio spans THz devices (Golay detectors, Fabry-Perot interferometers, photoconductive antennas), spectroscopy optics (FTIR beamsplitters, ATR elements, polarizers), pyrometry and thermography optics (Ge/ZnSe/Si elements), astronomical mirrors (400–1400 mm), passive laser optics for CO2 and Nd:YAG systems, and optical coatings covering UV to THz wavelengths. The company serves more than 5,000 clients worldwide from a 1,500 m² facility in St. Petersburg.

Product overview

Tydex is a custom manufacturer of optical components and instruments for research and industry, founded in 1994 in St. Petersburg. The product portfolio is organized into distinct product lines: (1) THz Devices including Golay Detectors, THz Scanning Fabry-Perot Interferometers, THz Impulse Radiation Electro-Optical Detectors, and supporting equipment like Lock-in Amplifiers and calibration sets; (2) THz Assemblies including Photoconductive Antennas, Attenuators, Objective Lenses, Beam Expanders, Diffraction Gratings, and Cuvettes; (3) THz Optics including Windows, Lenses, Fresnel Lenses, F-theta Lenses, Prisms, Mirrors, Beam Splitters, Spectral Splitters, and Fabry-Perot Etalons; (4) THz Polarizers including Film Polarizers, Wire Grid Polarizers, Microwave Polarizers, Tunable Polarization Converters, Phase Transformers, and Waveplates; (5) THz Filters including Low Pass, High Pass, and Band Pass Filters; (6) Spectroscopy Optics including FTIR Beamsplitter substrates, ATR Elements, IR Polarizers, and Off-Axis Parabolic Mirrors; (7) Pyrometry and Thermography Optics including Germanium, ZnSe, and Silicon elements; (8) Astronomical Optics including large precision mirrors for telescopes; (9) Passive Laser Optics for CO2 and Nd:YAG lasers; (10) Optical Coatings including metal, dielectric, IR, DLC, and THz coatings; and (11) Optical Materials including ZnSe, ZnS, Ge, Si, GaAs, CaF2, BaF2, KBr, NaCl, KCl, and Sapphire. The company does not operate a software platform but manufactures physical optical products primarily made to order.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Golay Cell Detectors Optoacoustic THz detectors (room-temperature) used in spectroscopy, imaging and nondestructive testing applications by research labs and instrument manufacturers.
• THz Scanning Fabry-Perot Interferometers Tunable THz Fabry-Perot interferometers for spectral analysis, beam spectral purification and THz source characterization in research and metrology settings.
• Electro-Optical Detectors Fast electro-optical detectors for pulsed and modulated radiation from UV to THz, sold as OEM and standalone instruments.
• Optomechanical Choppers Mechanical light choppers used in optical measurement setups for lock-in detection and signal modulation.
• Lock-in Amplifiers Lock-in amplifiers for extracting low-level signals in optical and THz experiments.
• THz Photoconductive Antennas Photoconductive antenna modules for THz generation and detection in pulsed TDS systems.
• THz Attenuators Attenuators for THz beam power control in spectroscopic and imaging setups.
• THz Beam Expanders

Quantifiable outcome

• TYDEX detectors and filters selected for the Sun-Terahertz Space Experiment on the International Space Station, demonstrating product qualification for space applications
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Russian Academy of Sciences / Lebedev Physical InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026The Sun-Terahertz Space Experiment developed by the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences was installed on the Russian segment of the International Space Station on May 27, 2026. TYDEX Golay detectors and filters are integral to the experiment, which is planned to operate from 2026 to 2029 studying the Sun in the terahertz radiation range.
• NASA (with universities from USA, Brazil, Argentina)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2016TYDEX participated in an international project organized by NASA, working jointly with engineers and scientists from US, Brazilian, and Argentine universities. The project studied solar flares using the GRIPS spectropolarimeter with SOLAR-T measuring system. TYDEX detectors were the core of the measuring system. A stratospheric balloon launched from McMurdo Research Center in Antarctica on January 18, 2016 completed a 2100 km flight at 40 km altitude on January 30, 2016.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Thorlabs: Thorlabs is a large US-based manufacturer of photonics components including lenses, mirrors, filters, polarizers, and optomechanics. It is highly comparable to Tydex as a broad-line supplier of custom and catalog optical components to research and OEM customers, though at much greater scale and with a much wider catalog.

Broad incumbents

• Edmund Optics: Edmund Optics is a global incumbent manufacturer and distributor of optical components including lenses, mirrors, filters, windows, prisms, and IR/laser optics. It overlaps directly with Tydex's catalog across spectroscopy, laser, and IR optics, and serves a similar research-and-industry customer base.
• Hamamatsu Photonics: Hamamatsu Photonics manufactures optoelectronic detectors, THz sources and sensors, photoconductive antennas, and photonic components. It competes with Tydex in THz detectors (Golay-equivalent products), photoconductive antennas at similar wavelengths, and IR/optical components for spectroscopy.
• Newport (MKS Instruments):

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance17 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Tydex