What 3photon does

3photon is a Vilnius-based photonics manufacturer founded in 2017 that produces laser crystals, non-linear crystals, polarizing optics, and precision optical coatings. The company operates vertically integrated crystal growing, polishing, and coating facilities in Vilnius, Lithuania, supporting UV-VIS-IR wavelengths from 160 nm to 20 µm. Its served customers span four verticals: industrial laser manufacturers (material processing, cutting, engraving), medical laser OEMs (ophthalmology, dermatology, surgery), defense and military contractors (IR countermeasures, missile jamming, anti-ballistic systems), and academic/government research institutions. The company claims a global footprint through direct sales and four regional distributors covering Japan, Italy, India, and Israel.

The technical portfolio spans six crystal growth methods (Czochralski, Flux, High-pressure vertical Bridgman, High-pressure vertical zone melting, Edge-defined film-fed growth, Kyropoulos) and three coating deposition technologies — Electron Beam Evaporation (EBE), Ion Assisted Deposition (IAD), and Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS). The product catalog includes laser gain and Q-switch crystals (Nd:YAG, Nd:YVO4, Nd:YLF, Dy:YLF, Cr:YAG, Alexandrite, Cr:ZnSe, Fe:ZnSe), non-linear crystals for harmonic generation and OPO (LBO, BBO, KTP, PPKTP, ZGP, AGS, AGSe, GaSe, DKDP, CdSe), and a broad optics line including waveplates, thin-film polarizers, PBS cubes, dichroic mirrors, broadband mirrors, output couplers, metallic mirrors, and DKDP-based Pockels cells. Performance is third-party validated: AR-coated LBO achieves LIDT >20 J/cm² at 355 nm (5 ns) per Lidaris certification, IBS broadband mirrors deliver Ravg>99% at 400–750 nm, and KTP enables SHG conversion efficiency up to ~80% at 1064 nm. 3photon is one of few companies globally capable of growing Alexandrite crystals due to beryllium toxicity handling requirements.

Revenue is generated through three streams: catalog hardware sales (crystals and coated optics), custom crystal growing and finishing services, and optical coating services on customer- or in-house-supplied substrates. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market combines direct sales via the company website and inside sales ([email protected]) with a regional distributor network — AMISTAR in Japan, dB Electronic Instruments in Italy, Britton Innotech in India, and Bi-Pol Electro-Optics in Israel. Marketing is concentrated on flagship photonics trade shows (SPIE Photonics West, Laser World of Photonics in Munich and Mumbai) and EPIC consortium events.

Name

3photon

Legal name

3photon

Website

https://3photon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

3photon is a Lithuanian photonics manufacturer producing laser crystals, non-linear crystals, polarizing optics, and precision optical coatings. Its vertically integrated Vilnius facility serves industrial laser, medical, defense, and research customers globally via direct sales and distributors in Japan, Italy, India, and Israel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photonics / Laser Optics Components

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)

akta.pro primary industry

Optoelectronic / Photonics Foundries (Silicon Photonics/LED/Laser) (HDAHACAG)

Keywords

• Non-linear crystals
• Laser optics manufacturing
• Optical thin film coatings
• Photonics components
• Infrared laser crystals

Headquarters

HQ city

Vilnius

HQ country

Lithuania

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Optical Crystals and Components Sales: Sale of laser crystals, non-linear crystals, and optical components including laser optics, polarizing optics, and assemblies. Products include Nd:YAG, Nd:YLF, Nd:YVO4, LBO, BBO, KTP, PPKTP, DKDP, Cr:YAG, Cr:ZnSe, Fe:ZnSe, Alexandrite, and various infrared crystals. Crystals can be supplied with or without optical coatings.
2. Optical Coating Services: Application of optical coatings including mirrors, beamsplitters, polarizers, and variable reflection coatings on customer-supplied or company-supplied substrates. Uses EBE, IAD, and IBS technologies for different coating requirements.
3. Custom Crystal Processing: Custom crystal growing, polishing, and finishing services for specialized applications. Includes technical consultation and performance simulations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

3photon manufactures and sells laser crystals (Nd:YAG, Nd:YVO4, Nd:YLF, Dy:YLF, Cr:YAG, Alexandrite, Cr:ZnSe, Fe:ZnSe), non-linear crystals (LBO, BBO, KTP, PPKTP, DKDP, ZGP, AGS, AGSe, GaSe, CdSe), laser optics (mirrors, output couplers, dichroics, variable reflection mirrors), polarizing optics (waveplates, thin film polarizers, PBS cubes), and optical assemblies such as DKDP Pockels cells. The company also provides custom optical coating services (EBE, IAD, IBS) on customer-supplied or company-supplied substrates, and custom crystal growing, polishing, and finishing services.

Product overview

3photon is a photonics company specializing in laser and non-linear crystals, optical components, and precision optical coatings. The company operates advanced coating and polishing facilities in Vilnius, Lithuania, producing a comprehensive portfolio of products organized into four main categories: (1) Laser & Q-switch crystals including Nd:YAG, Nd:YVO4, Nd:YLF, Dy:YLF, Cr:YAG, Alexandrite, Cr:ZnSe, and Fe:ZnSe for gain media and passive Q-switching; (2) Non-linear crystals such as LBO, BBO, KTP, PPKTP, ZGP, AGS, AGSe, GaSe, CdSe, and DKDP for frequency conversion, harmonic generation, and OPO applications; (3) Laser optics including dichroic mirrors, variable reflection mirrors, laser line mirrors, broadband mirrors, output couplers, and metallic mirrors (aluminum, silver, gold); and (4) Polarizing optics comprising waveplates (low order, zero order, true zero order, achromatic), thin film polarizers, PBS cubes, and assemblies including Pockels cells. The company offers three coating technologies: EBE (Electron beam evaporation), IAD (Ion assisted deposition), and IBS (Ion beam sputtering). Their products serve industrial laser processing, medical laser systems, scientific research, defense, and military applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LBO – Lithium triborate Non-linear crystal with high damage threshold for second and third harmonic generation (SHG/THG), suitable for high-power laser applications; transparency range 160 nm to 2600 nm.
• Dichroic mirrors (wavelength separators) Optical components exhibiting high reflectivity at one wavelength and high transmission at another, used for splitting or combining laser harmonics.
• BBO – Barium borate Beta-barium-borate crystal with large nonlinear coefficient for UV applications, high damage threshold, broad phase matching range from 190 nm to 2200 nm, used for harmonic generation and OPO.
• PPKTP – Periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate Engineered KTP crystal with periodic poling enabling quasi-phase matching for efficient frequency conversion via SPDC, OPO, DFG, SFG and harmonics generation.
• True zero order waveplates Ultra-thin quartz waveplate achieving true zero-order retardance (<1λ), bonded to glass for durability, ideal for high-accuracy applications.
• ZGP – Zinc germanium phosphide Mid-infrared non-linear crystal with highest nonlinearity among IR crystals (d=75 pm/V), used for harmonic generation and OPO in defense and military applications.
• Nd:YVO4 – Neodymium doped yttrium vanadate Uniaxial laser crystal emitting linearly polarized light, with higher absorption coefficient than Nd:YAG for compact laser designs.
• TFP – Thin film polarizers High-contrast IBS coated polarizers for laser systems, separating s- and p-polarization beams through interference.
• Nd:YAG – Neodymium doped yttrium aluminum garnet Widely used isotropic crystal for solid-state lasers with high gain and low lasing threshold; used in industrial, medical, military, and scientific applications.
• DKDP – Deuterated potassium dihydrogen phosphate Crystal for laser frequency converters (2nd to 4th harmonic generation) and electro-optical applications with high deuteration level (>98%).
• Silver mirrors Cost-effective metallic mirrors with silver coating for 500–11000 nm range, durable and scratch-resistant with >2 J/cm² LIDT.
• Cr:ZnSe – Chromium doped zinc selenide Mono-crystalline IR laser material with absorption 1450–2100 nm and emission 1900–3300 nm, tunable across a wide lasing wavelength range.
• Fe:ZnSe – Ferrum doped zinc selenide Crystal for middle infrared lasers with absorption 2.8–4 μm and emission 3.4–5.2 μm, also used as saturable absorber for passive Q-switching.
• Achromatic waveplates Waveplates using two different birefringent materials to compensate for chromatic dispersion, operating across broad wavelength ranges.
• AGS – Silver thiogallate IR crystal with highest figure of merit for non-linear interactions in NIR-FIR range, used for SHG, THG, and OPO in CO and CO₂ laser systems.
• GaSe – Gallium selenide Hexagonal crystal for second harmonic generation in far-infrared (FIR) range, transparency 900–16000 nm, also used for THz generation.
• Low order waveplates Cost-effective waveplates using multiple of λ/2 retardance, suitable for applications where temperature and wavelength sensitivity is less critical.
• AGSe – Silver selenogallate IR crystal with widest transparency range (1.1–18 μm), large NLO coefficient, used for SHG, DFG, and OPO in middle and far IR applications.
• DKDP – Pockels cells Optical switches utilizing DKDP crystals for Q-switching applications in 390–1400 nm range, featuring high LIDT and tight isolation.
• Zero order waveplates Waveplates consisting of two crossed low-order plates providing desired retardance with reduced sensitivity to temperature and wavelength variations.
• Polarizing beamsplitter (PBS) cubes Cubes splitting randomly polarized beams into orthogonal linearly polarized components, available in standard (glued) and high-power (optically bonded) versions.
• Output couplers (partial reflectors) Partially reflective mirrors for stable optical resonators, designed to reflect and transmit specific portions of light with various R/T ratios.
• Broadband mirrors Mirrors reflecting two or more wavelengths, designed using IBS, EBE, or IAD coating technologies for 193 nm to 6000 nm range.
• Nd:YLF – Neodymium doped yttrium lithium fluoride Solid-state laser gain material with emission at 1047/1053 nm and 1313/1324/1370 nm, suitable substitute for Nd:YAG with higher pulse energy at low repetition rates.
• Dy:YLF – Dysprosium doped yttrium lithium fluoride Crystal acting as laser media in one of the longest wavelength solid-state lasers, absorption at 1730 nm, emission at 4340 nm.
• Gold mirrors High reflection mirrors for infrared applications, protected gold coatings with >1 J/cm² LIDT covering 700 nm to 20000 nm range.
• Cr:YAG – Chromium doped yttrium aluminum garnet Crystal material used as laser gain medium in tunable NIR lasers (1340–1600 nm) and as passive Q-switch for 1 μm lasers.
• KTP – Potassium titanyl phosphate Popular biaxial crystal for frequency doubling (SHG) in Nd-doped laser systems, also used for OPA, OPO, and electro-optical modulators; conversion efficiency up to ~80% achievable at 1064 nm.
• Variable reflection mirrors Gradient reflection mirrors with variable reflectivity profile for unstable resonators, improving beam profile and producing high-quality laser beams; producible only by a limited number of optical thin film coating companies worldwide.
• CdSe – Cadmium Selenide Crystal for middle infrared applications with transparency 0.8–24 μm, optimal performance 2.5–16 μm, used in IR polarizers, windows, and OPO.
• Laser line (narrow-band) mirrors Mirrors designed for specific laser types or wavelengths with high reflection up to 99.99% using IBS, EBE, or IAD coating technologies.
• Alexandrite – Chromium doped chrysoberyl Laser crystal with absorption 380–630 nm and emission at 755 nm, widely used in medical lasers for dermatology with wide tuning range 700–860 nm; one of few companies worldwide capable of growing it due to toxic beryllium handling.
• Aluminum mirrors Metallic mirrors with protected or enhanced aluminum coating for UV-VIS applications, HR at 190–650 nm with LIDT >1 J/cm².
• Custom optical coating services Application of optical coatings (mirrors, beamsplitters, polarizers, variable reflection coatings) on customer- or company-supplied substrates using EBE, IAD, and IBS technologies.
• Custom crystal growing, polishing, and finishing services Custom crystal growing, polishing, and finishing services for specialized applications, including technical consultation and performance simulations.

Quantifiable outcome

• AR-coated LBO crystals achieve LIDT >20 J/cm² at 355nm, 5ns pulse duration, certified by Lidaris
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered regional distributor, industry association and testing/ certification partner.

• Britton Innotechregional distributorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022Britton Innotech is an authorized distributor for 3photon products in India, established in 2022. Located in India, serves research laboratories and industrial laser customers. Provides exclusive representation for world-leading manufacturers in optics and lasers.
• AMISTAR Corporationregional distributorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAMISTAR., INC. is the authorized distributor for 3photon products in Japan. Located in Tokyo, Japan. Provides local sales and support for 3photon's optical crystals and coatings in the Japanese market.
• dB Electronic Instrumentsregional distributorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributordB Electronic Instruments S.R.L. is an authorized distributor for 3photon products in Italy. Based in Bresso, Milano. Company has over 40 years of experience representing worldwide photonics leaders. dB Electronic also lists 3photon among their suppliers on their website.
• Bi-Pol Electro-Opticsregional distributorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBi-Pol Electro-Optics is an authorized distributor for 3photon products in Israel. Located in Israel. Provides local sales and technical support for photonics products.
• EPIC - European Photonics Industry Consortiumindustry associationStrategic or Co-development Partner3photon is a member of EPIC, participating in their Annual General Meetings and industry events. Hosted EPIC AGM 2022 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Actively participates in EPIC networking events and member activities.
• Lidaristesting/ certification partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLidaris conducted certified Laser-Induced Damage Threshold (LIDT) measurements for 3photon's AR-coated LBO crystals. Results showed LIDT values exceeding 20 J/cm² at 355nm, 5ns pulse duration.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Thorlabs: Large US photonics components and instruments supplier offering crystals, polarizing optics, and laser optics across a much broader catalog. Overlaps with 3photon in waveplates, polarizers, and laser line optics but at significantly broader scale.
• Coherent Corp: Mega-cap photonics company (post II-VI/Finisar merger) with extensive laser crystals, optics, and coatings capabilities including the VLOC crystal division. Competes with 3photon in laser crystals and high-LIDT optics but at vastly greater scale and vertical integration.

Direct peers

• Optogama: Lithuanian specialist in laser crystals (Nd:YAG, Nd:YVO4, Ti:Sapphire) and optical components. Direct peer to 3photon serving similar laser manufacturers and research customers from a co-located Baltic base.
• Eksma Optics: Lithuanian laser optics and non-linear crystal manufacturer based in Vilnius. Highly comparable to 3photon in product scope (laser crystals, non-linear optics, coatings) and geography, making it the closest like-for-like peer.
• Edmund Optics: Global optics manufacturer supplying lenses, mirrors, polarizers, and laser optics. Direct competitor in stock and custom optics for laser system builders, with broader catalog but heavier reliance on catalog distribution.
• Raicol Crystals: Israeli manufacturer of non-linear crystals (LBO, BBO, KTP, HGTR) for frequency conversion and Q-switching. Direct competitor in non-linear crystals, with overlap in defense/IR applications similar to 3photon.
• Laseroptik GmbH: German specialist in IBS, IAD, EBE coatings for laser optics with focus on high-LIDT coatings and thin-film polarizers. Direct peer to 3photon's coating business, comparable in technology stack and target markets.
• CrysLaser: Manufacturer of non-linear and laser crystals (BBO, LBO, KTP, KD*P) for SHG/THG and OPO applications. Direct peer in non-linear crystal production with similar customer base in scientific and industrial lasers.
• CVI Laser Optics (Materion): Specialized laser optics and thin-film coatings manufacturer (now part of Materion). Direct competitor in laser mirrors, polarizers, and high-LIDT coated optics for industrial and scientific lasers.
• Altechna: Lithuanian manufacturer of laser optics, crystals, thin-film polarizers and optical coatings. Direct competitor in the same niche and same regional cluster as 3photon, with comparable offerings in UV-VIS-IR optics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3photon
• Xx.com/3photon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 3photon