Koheron
Koheron is a French designer and direct retailer of high-performance electronics for photonics prototyping, selling FPGA-based acquisition boards, precision laser diode controllers, photodetectors, and amplifiers to research laboratories and photonics companies worldwide via its e-commerce site.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLorient, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Koheron does
Koheron SAS is a French designer, manufacturer, and direct retailer of high-performance electronic building blocks used to prototype photonic systems. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Lorient, France, the company operates with 1–10 employees and distributes globally from a single location. Its catalog spans more than 50 products organized around three pillars: FPGA-based signal acquisition and generation boards (the ALPHA series built on Xilinx Zynq 7020 SoCs with 14-bit/250 Msps ADCs, 16-bit/250 Msps DACs, and 100-fs RMS jitter clocks), precision laser diode controllers and drivers (CTL and DRV families delivering as low as 450 pA/√Hz current noise density and ±0.0015°C/°C temperature stability), and optical front-ends including photodetectors, transimpedance amplifiers, and fiber-optic passive components. Pricing per unit ranges from roughly €120 to €2,495.
The company's go-to-market is a direct e-commerce model through koheron.com, augmented by an institutional sales motion offering Net 30 payment terms to universities and public research laboratories. Revenue is generated exclusively through one-time hardware sales; there is no recurring software subscription line, although Koheron bundles its open-source SDK (Python, TypeScript, C++ APIs targeting Zynq-based instruments) and publishes FPGA reference designs on GitHub. The primary customer segments are research laboratories and photonics companies worldwide, with use cases spanning laser sensor prototyping, atomic clock development, spectroscopy, lidar, and fiber-optic communication.
Koheron is privately held as a Société par Actions Simplifiée with €360,000 share capital and no disclosed institutional investors beyond a 2015 IncubAlliance Paris-Saclay incubation. No patents, no M&A activity, and no public revenue figures appear in available sources. The firm maintains a "1% for the Planet" membership and runs an active technical blog as its primary marketing channel. Customers are described in aggregate as "research laboratories and companies worldwide," with no publicly named account logos.
Koheron firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Koheron
- Legal name
- Koheron SAS
- Website
- https://koheron.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Koheron is a French designer and direct retailer of high-performance electronics for photonics prototyping, selling FPGA-based acquisition boards, precision laser diode controllers, photodetectors, and amplifiers to research laboratories and photonics companies worldwide via its e-commerce site.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Koheron industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Photonics Instrumentation
- NAICS
- Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515), Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413)
- SIC
- Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Semiconductors for Industrial Control & Power (MCUs, DSPs, FPGAs, ASICs, IGBTs, MOSFETs, diodes) (IMAGAJAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Power Amplifiers (PAs) & Envelope Tracking ICs (HDAHAMAB)
Keywords
Where Koheron is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lorient
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Koheron business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Product Sales: Koheron generates revenue through the sale of high-performance electronic instruments and photonic components including laser drivers, photodetectors, amplifiers, and FPGA-based acquisition boards. Products are sold directly through their e-commerce platform with prices ranging from approximately 120€ to 2,495€ per unit.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single product purchases with tiered pricing based on configuration options |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Koheron product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Koheron designs, manufactures, and distributes high-performance electronic instruments and building blocks used to prototype photonic systems. The portfolio includes FPGA-based signal acquisition and generation boards (ALPHA series) built around Xilinx Zynq SoCs, low-noise laser diode controllers and drivers, temperature/heater controllers, transimpedance amplifiers, photodetectors, low-noise amplifiers, power supplies, and passive fiber optic components. Products are sold directly through koheron.com to research laboratories and photonics companies worldwide.
Product overview
Koheron designs, manufactures and distributes high-performance electrical engineering products to prototype photonic systems. The product portfolio includes FPGA-based signal acquisition and generation boards (ALPHA series) featuring Xilinx Zynq SoCs with ADCs/DACs, precision laser diode controllers and drivers (CTL and DRV series) for butterfly and standard laser packages, temperature and heater controllers (TEC and HTC series), transimpedance amplifiers (TIA series) and photodetectors (PD series) for optical detection, high-voltage and low-noise amplifiers (HV and AMP series), precision power supplies (SPS and QPS series), and fiber optic components including couplers, circulators, isolators, and patch cables. The products are targeted at research laboratories and companies worldwide for applications including laser sensor prototyping, atomic clock development, and general photonics research. The Koheron SDK provides software development tools including Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, and C++ APIs for instrument control.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ALPHA250 Programmable signal acquisition and generation board built around a Zynq 7020 SoC with 100 MHz RF front end, 14-bit ADCs at 250 Msps, and 16-bit DACs at 250 Msps, featuring ultra-low jitter clock generator with dual PLL (100-fs RMS jitter). Designed for research laboratories and photonics engineers prototyping high-speed signal processing systems.
- ALPHA15 18-bit 15 Msps acquisition board designed for high-resolution signal acquisition applications. Targeted at researchers requiring precision analog-to-digital conversion.
- CTL300E Industrial laser diode controller with options for precision laser current control and modulation, intended for industrial photonic applications. Priced from 865 EUR.
- CTL300P High current laser diode controller for demanding photonic applications requiring higher drive currents. Priced from 865 EUR.
- CTL200 Digital butterfly laser diode controller combining current driver with modulation and temperature controller for narrow-linewidth laser diodes. Priced at 1,245 EUR.
- CTL200-0 Digital laser diode controller for butterfly package laser diodes with precision current control. Priced from 970 EUR.
- CTL101 Low noise butterfly laser diode controller designed to drive narrow-linewidth butterfly package laser diodes with combined current driver and temperature controller. Priced from 1,135 EUR.
- CTL20 Digital butterfly anode-grounded laser diode controller for butterfly package lasers with anode grounded configuration. Priced at 780 EUR.
- QCL100 Quantum cascade laser driver for mid-infrared QCL laser diode control. Priced from 975 EUR.
- DRV700 Precision programmable current source for laser and general instrumentation applications with programmable output current. Priced at 1,995 EUR.
- DRV800 8-channel digital laser driver for multi-channel photonic system control. Priced at 2,095 EUR.
- DRV300 Low noise cathode-grounded laser driver for precision current control in photonics applications. Priced at 345 EUR.
- DRV200S Low noise laser driver with external setpoint for flexible control of laser current.
- DRV200 Low noise laser diode driver with modulation capability for DFB and other laser diodes. Priced from 325 EUR.
- DRV110 Ultra low noise high-voltage laser driver for demanding noise-critical applications. Priced from 375 EUR.
- TEC200 Digital temperature controller for precision thermal management of laser diodes and photonic components. Priced from 695 EUR.
- TEC100L Linear temperature controller for stable thermal control of photonic components.
- HTC200 Digital heater controller for thermal management applications. Priced at 675 EUR.
- PI200 Laser servo controller for frequency stabilization of lasers using feedback control loops (PID). Priced from 545 EUR.
- HV100 High-voltage amplifier for driving high-voltage loads in photonic instrumentation. Priced at 895 EUR.
- AMP200 Low-noise voltage preamplifier for sensitive signal conditioning applications. Priced at 275 EUR.
- AMP100 Variable-gain amplifier for flexible signal amplification requirements. Priced at 135 EUR.
- PDX20S Precision free-space photodetector for high-performance optical detection applications.
- PDX10S-INGAAS InGaAs free-space photodetector for 1550 nm wavelength applications. Priced from 255 EUR.
- PDX10R Free-space logarithmic photodetector for wide dynamic range optical detection. Priced from 335 EUR.
- PDX10B-SI Silicon free-space balanced photodetector for coherent detection applications.
- PDX10S-SI Silicon free-space photodetector for visible and near-infrared applications. Priced at 235 EUR.
- PD10S High dynamic range photodetector for applications requiring wide optical power range detection.
- PD10B High-gain balanced photodetector for sensitive optical measurement applications. Priced at 315 EUR.
- PD01 High sensitivity photodetector for low-light-level optical detection. Priced at 215 EUR.
- PD10R Dual logarithmic photodetector for extended dynamic range optical detection.
- PD100B 100 MHz balanced photodetector for coherent detection and interferometry applications.
- PD100 Low noise photodetector for general-purpose optical detection. Priced from 125 EUR.
- PD200T 200 MHz TTL-analog photodetector with dual TTL-analog output for pulse detection and high-speed optical signal processing.
- PD4Q 4-quadrant photodetector for beam positioning and alignment applications. Priced at 695 EUR.
- TIA100 Transimpedance amplifier for converting photodiode current to voltage with configurable gain settings of 2 kV/A or 10 kV/A. Priced at 175 EUR.
- TIA400 Quad-channel transimpedance amplifier for multi-channel photodetection with configurable gains of 2 kV/A or 10 kV/A. Priced at 460 EUR.
- SPS200 Dual power supply for powering photonic instrumentation systems. Priced from 295 EUR.
- SPS101 Quad-channel adjustable power supply for flexible power delivery to multiple components.
- QPS100 Low noise linear power supply for noise-sensitive photonic applications. Priced from 120 EUR.
- VREF100 Quad-channel bipolar voltage source for precision voltage reference applications.
- BTF100 Butterfly laser diode mount for secure mounting of butterfly package laser diodes. Priced at 165 EUR.
- TB4300 Interface board for connecting 4 CTL300 laser diode controllers. Priced at 395 EUR.
- TB300 Breakout board for CTL300 providing convenient signal access. Priced at 50 EUR.
- FOSPL12 1550 nm single mode 1x2 fiber optic coupler available in coupling ratios of 50/50, 75/25, 90/10, and 99/1.
- FOSPL22 1550 nm single mode 2x2 fiber optic coupler with 50/50 coupling ratio.
- FOCIR 3-port polarization-insensitive single mode fiber optic circulator for 1550 nm wavelength applications.
- FOISO 40 dB polarization-insensitive single mode fiber optic isolator for 1550 nm wavelength.
- FOPC 1550 nm single mode fiber optic patch cable available in 1m, 2m, and 5m lengths with FC/APC connectors.
- FOADA Pack of 10 FC/APC to FC/APC fiber optic mating adapters for connecting fiber optic components.
Quantifiable outcome
- Current noise density as low as 450 pA/√Hz for laser diode drivers
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Koheron
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Koheron technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Koheron partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Culham Centre for Fusion EnergyminorCulham Centre for Fusion Energy contributed to the development of Koheron SDK support for MicroZed, MYIR MYD-C7Z015, and Trenz Electronic TE0745 Zynq-based boards.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Koheron competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Moglabs: Australian maker of laser diode controllers, frequency offset locks, and photonic control electronics for atomic/quantum physics. Closely comparable product lines and academic research customer overlap.
- Highland Technology: US manufacturer of precision signal acquisition, laser pulse generation, and analog instrumentation. Overlaps with Koheron's FPGA acquisition boards and amplifier product lines.
- Zurich Instruments: Swiss maker of FPGA-based lock-in amplifiers, phase noise analyzers, and quantum instrumentation. Most direct overlap with Koheron's ALPHA FPGA acquisition boards and laser control products targeting photonics/quantum research labs globally.
- Swabian Instruments: German maker of photonics and quantum instrumentation including time-tagging and FPGA-based control electronics. Directly comparable in size, customer base (research labs), and product philosophy (precision + open APIs).
- Vescent Photonics: US photonics instrumentation company focused on laser control electronics, frequency stabilization, and quantum sensing modules. Direct overlap with Koheron's CTL/DRV laser controllers and PI200 servo controller.
- Stanford Research Systems (SRS): US manufacturer of scientific research instrumentation including lock-in amplifiers, photonics components, and laser diode controllers. Competes head-to-head with Koheron in academic photonics procurement.
- Spectrum Instrumentation: German maker of high-speed digitizers and arbitrary waveform generators with FPGA processing. Direct overlap with Koheron's ALPHA250 250 Msps acquisition boards in test & measurement use cases.
- Red Pitaya: Slovenian open-source FPGA-based measurement platform with Zynq SoC. Targets similar research customers with lower-cost signal acquisition/generation; Koheron has historical Red Pitaya reference designs in its ecosystem.
Broad incumbents
- Toptica Photonics: German manufacturer of laser systems for research and quantum applications. Overlaps in laser control electronics but operates at much larger scale and serves a broader product portfolio.
- Thorlabs: Large US photonics components and instruments vendor. Overlaps with Koheron's photodetectors, fiber optic components, and laser diode controllers, but as part of a vastly broader catalog.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Koheron social profiles
Digital presenceKoheron financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Koheron leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Koheron funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Koheron M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Koheron
What does Koheron do?
Koheron designs, manufactures, and distributes high-performance electronic instruments and building blocks used to prototype photonic systems. The portfolio includes FPGA-based signal acquisition and generation boards (ALPHA series) built around Xilinx Zynq SoCs, low-noise laser diode controllers and drivers, temperature/heater controllers, transimpedance amplifiers, photodetectors, low-noise amplifiers, power supplies, and passive fiber optic components. Products are sold directly through koheron.com to research laboratories and photonics companies worldwide.
Is Koheron a public or private company?
Koheron is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Koheron founded?
Koheron was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Koheron based?
Koheron is headquartered in Lorient, France, in the Europe region.
How does Koheron make money?
One revenue line is on record: hardware Product Sales.
Who are Koheron's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Moglabs, Highland Technology, Zurich Instruments, Swabian Instruments, Vescent Photonics, Stanford Research Systems (SRS), Spectrum Instrumentation and Red Pitaya. Broad incumbents are Toptica Photonics and Thorlabs.
Does Koheron have an API?
Yes. Koheron provides a Software Development Kit (SDK) that enables development and control of Xilinx Zynq-based instruments. The SDK offers Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, and C++ APIs for instrument control. It also supports web-based interfaces using the WebSocket protocol for real-time instrument communication. The SDK is MIT licensed and available on GitHub. Developer documentation is at www.koheron.com/software-development-kit/documentation.
What industry is Koheron in?
Koheron's product category is Photonics Instrumentation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAJAE, Semiconductors for Industrial Control & Power (MCUs, DSPs, FPGAs, ASICs, IGBTs, MOSFETs, diodes), with a secondary code of HDAHAMAB, Power Amplifiers (PAs) & Envelope Tracking ICs. Its NAICS code is 334515 and its SIC code is 3825.