What VERTILAS does

VERTILAS GmbH is a privately held German semiconductor components company that designs and manufactures long-wavelength Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) diodes based on a proprietary Indium Phosphide (InP) Buried Tunnel Junction (BTJ) device architecture. The company operates across three use-case verticals from a single technology platform spanning 1.3 µm to 2.3 µm wavelengths: (1) NIR VCSELs for gas analysis via tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS), targeting detection of HF, H2O, NH3, H2S, CH4, HCl, CO2 and CO at ppm and ppb sensitivity; (2) VCSELs for optical communications, with single-mode lasers supporting 10 Gbps to 106 Gbps (PAM4) modulation at 1.3 µm, 1.49 µm and 1.55 µm for data center and telecom interconnects; and (3) customer-specific 1D and 2D VCSEL arrays for SWIR imaging and 3D sensing, including joint reference designs with TriEye.

The company monetizes through direct enterprise hardware sales of laser diode components in multiple package formats (TO, LC-TOSA, pigtails), supplemented by custom development engagements for specialized wavelengths, arrays, and packaging. GTM is event-driven — exhibiting at OFC, CIOE, CS International, FLAIR, and Laser World of Photonics — combined with direct sales outreach and PR-led awareness. VERTILAS maintains an ongoing R&D relationship with the Walter Schottky Institute of the Technical University of Munich, from which it was spun out in December 2001 by the late Prof. Dr. Markus-Christian Amann and associates. The company is backed by Sobera Capital and KfW, holds ISO 9001:2015 certification, and relocated to a new headquarters in Unterschleissheim near Munich in 2024. As of the data available, the company has 1-10 employees and no disclosed revenue.

Name

VERTILAS

Legal name

VERTILAS GmbH

Website

https://vertilas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VERTILAS GmbH designs and manufactures long-wavelength (1.3–2.3 µm) InP BTJ VCSEL laser diodes for gas sensing (TDLAS), optical communications (up to 106 Gbps PAM4), and SWIR/3D sensing, selling components and custom arrays to enterprise OEMs globally from its base near Munich.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor Laser Components

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674)

akta.pro primary industry

Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL) (HDAHALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

LiDAR & 3D Sensing Modules (HDAHALAG)

Keywords

• Long-wavelength VCSELs
• Indium Phosphide lasers
• TDLAS gas sensing
• Optical communications lasers
• SWIR imaging arrays

Headquarters

HQ city

Garching Bei München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Laser Diode Hardware Sales: VERTILAS generates revenue primarily through the sale of VCSEL laser diode products including standard catalog products for gas sensing, optical communications, and custom-specific applications. Products are sold as finished laser devices with various packaging options including TO packages, LC-TOSAs, and pigtails.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

VERTILAS develops and manufactures long-wavelength InP-based Buried Tunnel Junction (BTJ) VCSEL laser diodes for the 1.3 µm to 2.3 µm near-infrared range. Its portfolio includes NIR VCSELs for tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) gas detection, single-mode VCSELs for high-speed optical data communications (10 Gbps to 106 Gbps PAM4), and custom 1D and 2D VCSEL arrays for SWIR imaging and 3D sensing applications. Components are delivered in TO packages, LC-TOSAs, and pigtailed form factors for integration by system and module manufacturers.

Product overview

VERTILAS offers a unified product platform based on InP (Indium Phosphide) Buried Tunnel Junction (BTJ) VCSEL technology spanning the NIR wavelength range from 1.3 µm to 2.3 µm. The portfolio comprises three core product lines: (1) NIR VCSELs for Gas Analysis using TDLAS technology with 12 standard wavelengths for detecting gases including CH₄, CO, CO₂, NH₃, H₂O, and HCl; (2) VCSELs for Communications supporting 10.3 Gbps to 106 Gbps transmission speeds for data center and telecom applications at 1.3 µm, 1.49 µm, and 1.55 µm wavelengths; and (3) Customer Specific VCSEL Arrays including 1D and 2D configurations for specialized applications like SWIR imaging with TriEye. The technology platform enables 50%+ power reduction compared to alternative laser technologies while delivering up to 17 GHz bandwidth and SMSR >40 dB single mode performance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NIR VCSELs for Gas Analysis (TDLAS) Single-mode InP VCSEL lasers spanning 1.3 µm to 2.3 µm specifically designed for tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) gas detection. Detects gases including HF, H2O, NH3, H2S, CH4, HCl, CO2, and CO at ppm and ppb sensitivity levels with 3 nm to 5 nm tuning range, >35 dB SMSR, and low power consumption. Sold as finished laser devices in TO packages, LC-TOSA, or pigtails for integration by gas-sensing instrument makers in industrial process control, environmental monitoring, petrochemical, and safety applications.
• VCSELs for Communications High-speed InP VCSELs optimized for single-mode fiber optical data communications at 1.3 µm, 1.49 µm, and 1.55 µm wavelengths with bandwidth up to 17 GHz and modulation performance from 25 Gbps to 106 Gbps PAM4. Supports 100 Gbps and 200 Gbps optical interconnects in data center and telecom infrastructure, with very low power consumption and circular, polarization-stabilized beam output. Aimed at module manufacturers and OEM system integrators building next-generation optical transceivers and switches, including the 100G PAM4 reference design co-developed with Adtran.
• Customer Specific VCSEL Arrays Custom-engineered 1D and 2D VCSEL arrays, multi-mode VCSELs, and special-wavelength InP VCSELs developed to dedicated customer specifications for wavelengths, array geometry, output power, or packaging. Includes 1.3 µm 2D InP VCSEL arrays integrated with CMOS cameras (e.g., TriEye Raven) for SWIR imaging and 3D sensing in industrial, automotive, consumer, and biomedical applications. Delivered as bespoke products that extend VERTILAS's core BTJ platform into new system-level use cases.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% or more reduction in power consumption compared to other laser technologies
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TriEyecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2024TriEye and VERTILAS partnered to demonstrate 1.3μm VCSEL-Driven SWIR Sensing Solutions. VERTILAS provides 1.3 µm 2D InP VCSEL arrays as illumination sources integrated with TriEye's Raven CMOS camera for short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging applications in industrial, automotive, and consumer markets. Joint live demonstrations were showcased at CS International 2024 in Brussels.
• AdtrancoreTechnology or Integration · 25 March 2024Adtran and VERTILAS collaborated to develop industry-first 100G PAM4 1.3 µm single mode VCSEL technology to address AI infrastructure demands in data centers. Adtran integrated VERTILAS's ultra high-speed single mode 1310 nm InP VCSELs achieving 106 Gbps PAM4 transmission performance for optical networking applications.
• Walter Schottky Institute of the Technical University of MunichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVERTILAS maintains a strong R&D relationship with the Department of Semiconductor Technology at the Walter Schottky Institute of the Technical University of Munich in Garching. The partnership focuses on further development of surface-emitting laser diodes (VCSEL) having wavelengths between 1.3 and 2.3 µm. VERTILAS was founded in December 2001 by associates of this semiconductor technology group.
• EPIC (European Photonics Industry Consortium)minorOthersVERTILAS is a member of EPIC (European Photonics Industry Consortium), a photonics industry association.
• OPTICAminorOthersVERTILAS is a member of OPTICA (formerly OSA - Optical Society), a professional society for optics and photonics.
• AMA Fachverband für Sensorik e.V.minorOthersVERTILAS is a member of AMA Association for Sensorics, a German industry association for sensor technology.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lumentum: Direct competitor in long-wavelength laser diodes and VCSELs for optical communications, with vertically integrated components and modules serving data center and telecom customers worldwide.
• Coherent (formerly II-VI/Finisar): Largest merchant VCSEL supplier and laser component manufacturer; competes across the same data center, sensing, and 3D-sensing VCSEL markets as VERTILAS.
• Trumpf Photonic Components: Manufacturer of long-wavelength VCSELs for consumer, sensing, and industrial applications; overlaps directly with VERTILAS's product platform.
• ams Osram: Ships VCSEL arrays for 3D sensing and industrial applications; competes with VERTILAS in custom 1D/2D VCSEL array design wins.

Broad incumbents

• Broadcom: Supplies large volumes of short-wavelength GaAs-based VCSELs for consumer 3D sensing and is an established optical component supplier; represents the broader competitive incumbent in VCSEL technology.
• Hamamatsu Photonics: Established laser-diode and optoelectronic component vendor serving analytical instrument and communications markets, overlapping with VERTILAS's gas-sensing VCSEL offerings.
• MKS Instruments (Newport / Spectra-Physics): Provides lasers and photonics components used in industrial sensing and instrumentation; competes in the broader photonics subsystem value chain adjacent to VERTILAS's gas-sensing VCSELs.

Regional players

• Innolight: Chinese merchant supplier of high-speed optical transceivers that integrate long-wavelength laser sources; competes indirectly as a buyer of similar VCSEL-class components to those VERTILAS supplies.
• Source Photonics: Optical transceiver supplier with significant manufacturing footprint in Asia, sourcing long-wavelength laser diodes from third parties; an adjacent downstream consumer of VERTILAS-class components.

Others

• IQE: Epiwafer supplier to the VCSEL ecosystem, providing InP and GaAs substrates/devices that underpin long-wavelength VCSEL manufacturing; ecosystem enabler rather than direct downstream competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

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 VERTILAS