Rainbow Photonics

What Rainbow Photonics does

Rainbow Photonics AG is a privately held Swiss photonics company founded in 1997 as a spin-off from the Nonlinear Optics Laboratory of ETH Zurich and headquartered in Zurich Altstetten. The company designs, grows, and sells the organic nonlinear optical crystals (DAST, DSTMS, OH1, and KNbO3) that underpin broadband terahertz (THz) generation and detection, and integrates those crystals into a portfolio of THz spectroscopy and imaging instruments. Its three core systems are the TeraSys-ULTRA spectrometer (0.3–20 THz, 2.7 GHz resolution, 4 spectra/second real-time), the TeraSys12 spectrometer (0.3–12 THz), and the TeraTune tunable narrowband THz source (1–20 THz, <100 GHz bandwidth), supported by standalone THz generators and detectors for system integration. The company claims the highest THz bandwidth on the market (up to 20 THz) versus conventional antenna-based approaches, enabled by the proprietary organic crystal platform invented in the ETH laboratory.

The company's revenue model is hardware-centric: it sells complete THz spectrometers, standalone THz generators and detectors, and individual organic crystals, priced via custom quotation, with multi-year contracts and a one-year guarantee that includes installation and on-site or remote training. Its go-to-market combines direct sales from Zurich headquarters with channel partners in Asia Pacific — NewOpto Corporation (China, Korea, Singapore), Pneum Corporation (Japan), and HIGH-TECH CORPORATION (Japan) — covering enterprise buyers in industrial manufacturing (non-destructive testing of polymers/composites, thickness measurements), pharmaceutical and chemical analysis (fingerprinting of chemicals, drugs, explosives up to 20 THz), and academic and industrial research institutions conducting THz spectroscopy and imaging.

Rainbow Photonics operates with a team of 1–10 employees, including physicists from ETH Zurich, engineers, and crystal growers, and is founder-controlled: Dr. Carolina Medrano serves as Founder and CEO (PhD in physics, joined the ETH nonlinear optics laboratory in 1990), and Prof. Dr. Peter Günter, the co-inventor of DSTMS, OH1, and the core THz generation technology, is Co-Founder and Chairman. The company has not raised disclosed institutional funding, has no public listing, and shows no M&A or restructuring activity since founding.

Name

Rainbow Photonics

Legal name

Rainbow Photonics AG

Website

https://rainbowphotonics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rainbow Photonics AG is a Zurich-based ETH Zurich spin-off that designs and produces proprietary organic nonlinear optical crystals and terahertz (THz) spectrometers and tunable sources for industrial non-destructive testing, pharmaceutical fingerprinting, and research applications, selling direct from Zurich and through channel partners in Asia Pacific.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Terahertz Spectroscopy and Imaging Instruments

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Quantum Spectroscopy & Chemical/Biological Sensing (HDAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Quantum Sensor Components & Subsystems (Lasers, Vacuum, Photonics, Diamond/NV, MEMS) (HDAGAHAM), Optoelectronic / Photonics Foundries (Silicon Photonics/LED/Laser) (HDAHACAG), Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL) (HDAHALAL)

Keywords

• Terahertz spectroscopy
• Terahertz imaging
• Nonlinear optical crystals
• Electro-optic crystals
• Non-destructive testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

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

Revenue model

1. THz Spectrometer Systems: Sale of complete terahertz spectroscopy and imaging instruments including TeraSys-ULTRA, TeraSys12, and TeraTune systems with associated software and computer control
2. Organic Crystals: Production and sale of high-quality organic nonlinear optical crystals (DAST, DSTMS, OH1) and KNbO3 crystals for THz generation, detection, and electro-optic applications
3. THz Generators and Detectors: Standalone THz generators and detectors for integration into customer systems, featuring efficient optical rectification and electro-optic detection capabilities
4. Services and Support: Installation, training (on-site or remote), and ongoing service support including one-year guarantee on spectrometers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Rainbow Photonics designs, manufactures, and sells terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and imaging instruments (TeraSys-ULTRA, TeraSys12, TeraTune) together with standalone THz generators and detectors. The company also produces and sells proprietary organic nonlinear optical crystals (DAST, DSTMS, OH1) and KNbO3 crystals that form the optical core of its THz systems, supplying both its own instruments and external researchers and integrators.

Product overview

Rainbow Photonics offers a portfolio of terahertz (THz) instruments and organic electro-optic crystals. The core product line consists of three THz spectrometers: the TeraSys®-ULTRA (highest bandwidth up to 20 THz), TeraSys12® (wide bandwidth up to 12 THz), and TeraTune® (tunable narrowband source from 1-20 THz). Supporting these instruments are THz Generators and Detectors. The company also produces four types of organic crystals—DAST, DSTMS, OH1, and KNbO3—manufactured in-house in Switzerland, which form the nonlinear optical basis for THz generation and detection. All products are offered with installation, training, and one-year guarantee, with services including non-destructive testing and material evaluation in the THz range.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TeraSys®-ULTRA Ultra-wide THz bandwidth spectrometer for real-time THz imaging and spectroscopy, offering the highest THz bandwidth on the market up to 20 THz with 2.7 GHz spectral resolution, 4 spectra per second real-time acquisition, a purge chamber with humidity sensor, and dedicated software and computer control.
• TeraSys12® Wide THz bandwidth spectrometer for real-time THz imaging and spectroscopy, covering 0.3-12 THz frequency range with 4 spectra per second real-time acquisition, a purge chamber with humidity sensor, and dedicated software and computer control.
• TeraTune® Tunable narrowband THz source with electronic tuning from 1-20 THz, output THz pulse bandwidth under 100 GHz, average THz power 1-10 μW, and THz pulse energy 10-100 nJ, using DSTMS organic crystals.
• THz Generators and Detectors Standalone THz generators and detectors based on organic crystals for efficient optical rectification and electro-optic detection, optimized for pump wavelengths of 1.2-1.6 μm and 0.7-0.8 μm; designed for integration into customer systems.
• DAST Crystals Electro-optic organic crystals (4-N,N-dimethylamino-4'-N'-methyl-stilbazolium tosylate) for THz generation and detection from 0.3 to >16 THz, featuring large nonlinear optical susceptibilities (d11 > 1000 pm/V) and electro-optic coefficients (r11 = 92 pm/V).
• DSTMS Crystals Electro-optic organic crystals (4-N,N-dimethylamino-4'-N'-methyl-stilbazolium 2,4,6-trimethylbenzenesulfonate) for THz generation and detection from 0.3 to >20 THz with phase matching for THz-wave generation between 720 nm and 1650 nm.
• OH1 Crystals Electro-optic organic crystals (2-(3-(4-Hydroxystyryl)-5,5-dimethylcyclohex-2-enylidene)malononitrile) for THz generation and detection from 0.1 to >10 THz with large nonlinear optical susceptibilities and electro-optic coefficients.
• KNbO3 Crystals High-quality potassium niobate (KNbO3) crystals for electro-optics and nonlinear optics, available nominally undoped or doped with Rh, Fe, Mn, and Ni for photorefractive applications in the visible and infrared.

Quantifiable outcome

• THz frequency range up to 20 THz (vs conventional antenna limitations)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NewOpto CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSales representative for China, Korea and Singapore markets. Provides local sales support, customer contact, and product distribution for Rainbow Photonics THz instruments and crystals in the Asia Pacific region.
• Pneum CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSales representative for Japan market. Provides local sales support, customer contact, and product distribution for Rainbow Photonics products in Japan.
• HIGH-TECH CORPORATIONcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSales representative for Japan market. Provides additional local sales coverage and customer support for Rainbow Photonics products in Japan.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Menlo Systems: Menlo Systems is a direct competitor offering THz spectroscopy and imaging systems based on femtosecond lasers and photoconductive antennas. Comparable as both companies sell turnkey THz instruments to research and industrial customers globally.
• Toptica Photonics: Toptica builds broadband and narrowband THz spectroscopy sources and detectors and is the most cited peer in the THz instrument market. Highly comparable as both companies supply THz time-domain spectroscopy platforms to scientific and industrial users.
• Batop Optoelectronics: Batop produces electro-optic organic crystals (including DAST-related materials) and THz components, making it a direct comparable in the merchant crystal and component layer that also underpins Rainbow Photonics' organic-crystal stack.
• EKSPLA: EKSPLA manufactures THz spectrometers and spectroscopy platforms based on nonlinear crystals and femtosecond sources. Comparable in selling turnkey terahertz spectroscopy systems to research and industry.
• Avesta Project: Avesta Project manufactures THz time-domain spectrometers and provides THz spectroscopy solutions to research and industrial customers in Russia/CIS and internationally. Directly comparable product/positioning to Rainbow Photonics.
• Hübner Photonics: Hübner produces THz sources and spectroscopy systems (notably via its Nelas/Spartan/Sopra lines) for industrial and research use. Comparable in delivering compact THz spectroscopy instruments to scientific and industrial customers.

Broad incumbents

• Hamamatsu Photonics: Hamamatsu is a broad incumbent photonics company offering THz sources, detectors, and cameras among a much wider optoelectronics portfolio. Comparable in serving THz spectroscopy and imaging applications at industrial scale.
• Advantest: Advantest's terahertz spectroscopy and imaging division (formerly from Bayspec) supplies broadband THz systems and components. Comparable as a larger, well-funded incumbent in THz spectroscopy markets that overlap with Rainbow Photonics.
• Coherent Corp: Coherent is a large incumbent photonics manufacturer whose products (lasers, crystals, optics) underpin many THz systems. Comparable as a broad supplier of the underlying nonlinear crystals and ultrafast laser components that compete with Rainbow Photonics' specialty crystal offering.

Emerging players

• Laser Quantum (part of Coherent): Laser Quantum supplies ultrafast femtosecond lasers commonly used as pump sources for THz generation systems. Compares as a complementary enabler for the THz spectroscopy value chain in which Rainbow Photonics competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Rainbow Photonics