What Dexter Research Center does

Dexter Research Center, Inc. is a privately held U.S. manufacturer of infrared thermopile detectors, founded in 1977 by Robert Toth, Sr., Ph.D., and headquartered in Dexter, Michigan. The company designs and produces both Bismuth-Antimony thin-film and MEMS silicon-based thermopile detectors in 30+ core products spanning more than 1,000 individual part numbers, with key series including ST60/ST120/ST150 silicon detectors, 2M/DR34/DR46 thin-film detectors, the 1×64 and 2×16 SLA arrays, and the MD Series calibrated digital-output temperature sensor module. Underlying technology converts incident infrared radiation into electrical signals via thermopile junctions, with proprietary materials delivering flat spectral response from 100 nm UV to beyond 100 µm far-IR and MIL-STD-883H durability certification across product families.

The company sells globally to automotive, medical, aerospace, security, industrial, and research customers through direct enterprise sales and an e-commerce storefront, operating on a quote-based pricing model and offering custom engineering services from prototype to production. Notable end-use applications and customers include NASA Space Shuttle and ISS experiments, Lockheed Martin F-35 fire-suppression systems, hospital anesthesia gas analyzers, U.S. Department of Agriculture environmental sensing, Microsat satellite horizon sensors, and the University of Minnesota's agricultural/forest meteorology research. The portfolio holds ISO 9001:2015 quality certification and a sub-brand named Thermacon for low-cost PIR motion sensing.

Revenue is derived from one-time detector/module sales and professional services for custom detector development, with the engineering-services model explicitly positioned as a "product launch partner" extending customers' design teams from concept through production. Distribution is direct and globally targeted without disclosed channel partners, marketing is content-led through a technical library, product-finder tool, and Thermopiles 101 video series, and the firm remains under family ownership with Rob Toth as President; no external funding, M&A activity, or public offering has been disclosed in the source data.

Name

Dexter Research Center

Legal name

Dexter Research Center, Inc.

Website

https://dexterresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Dexter Research Center designs and manufactures infrared thermopile detectors—silicon-based and Bismuth-Antimony thin-film—serving automotive, medical, aerospace, security, industrial, and research customers globally from its Dexter, Michigan headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Infrared Thermopile Detectors

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)

akta.pro primary industry

Sensors, MEMS & Imaging ICs (HDAHAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial-Grade Sensors & Transducer Components (Discrete sensing elements, transducers, MEMS sensors) (IMAGAJAO)

Keywords

• Infrared thermopile detectors
• Non-contact temperature sensors
• Thermal sensing components
• Infrared sensor manufacturing
• Custom detector engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Dexter

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Infrared Thermopile Detector Sales: Direct sales of infrared thermopile detectors including thin-film and silicon-based variants. Products range from single-channel detectors to multi-channel arrays and specialized modules. Customers can purchase standard products or request custom configurations.
2. Custom Detector Development & Engineering Services: Product launch partnership services combining customer ideas with Dexter's detector development expertise to take sensing solutions from concept to production. Includes rapid prototype development and full product realization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dexter Research Center manufactures silicon-based and thin-film Bi-Sb thermopile detectors and detector assemblies used for infrared detection and non-contact temperature measurement. The company sells a catalog of more than 30 core detector products covering over 1,000 individual part numbers, and also accepts custom-engineered detector work for specialized applications in aerospace, defense, medical, industrial, and scientific markets.

Product overview

Dexter Research Center is a manufacturer of infrared thermopile detectors offering over 1,000 part numbers across 30+ core products. The portfolio spans two primary detector technologies: silicon-based thermopiles (ST60, ST120, ST150 series, SLA32, SLA64 arrays) and Bismuth-Antimony thin-film detectors (2M, DR34, DR46, 10 Channel, TM34/T34 series). These are complemented by the MD Series digital temperature sensor module, miniature amplifier PCBs, and optical customization options (filters, windows). Products serve research, medical, automotive, aerospace, security, and industrial markets with applications including non-contact temperature measurement, gas analysis, fire detection, motion sensing, laser power measurement, and infrared imaging. The company also offers custom detector development and engineering services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thermacon: Thermacon passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor product line featuring low-cost, highly reliable thermopile detectors.

Products and services

• Silicon-Based Thermopile Detectors Standard catalog of silicon-based thermopile detectors manufactured by Dexter Research Center for infrared detection and non-contact temperature measurement across aerospace, defense, medical, industrial, security, and research markets.
• Thin-Film Bi-Sb Thermopile Detectors Catalog of thin-film bismuth-antimony (Bi-Sb) thermopile detectors offered as part of Dexter Research Center's 30+ core product families, used in infrared and non-contact temperature sensing applications.
• Thermopile Detector Assemblies Integrated thermopile detector assemblies combining thermopile chips with packaging and support components to deliver ready-to-integrate infrared sensing modules for OEM customers.
• Custom Detector Engineering Services Bespoke engineering service in which Dexter Research Center designs and produces customized thermopile detectors tailored to specific performance, geometry, or packaging requirements for demanding applications.
• Thermacon Branded Thermopile Products Thermopile-based infrared sensing products sold under the Thermacon sub-brand by Dexter Research Center, extending the company's catalog to additional thermopile end-use applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Temperature sensing accuracy up to 0.1°C achievable with Dexter thin-film detectors
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Trialon CorporationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIndependent testing facility that performed intensive MIL-STD-883H testing on Dexter Research's silicon-based detector family. Testing confirmed that ST-60, ST-120, ST-150, and S60 detectors meet MIL-spec requirements of 1000G mechanical shock and 30G random vibration for military and aerospace applications.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heimann Sensor: German manufacturer specializing in thermopile infrared sensors and arrays for non-contact temperature measurement, gas analysis, and motion detection. Direct competitor to Dexter across both single-channel and array thermopile products.

Broad incumbents

• Excelitas Technologies: Large North American photonics and sensor company offering thermopile detectors, pyroelectric detectors, IR sensors, and thermal imaging modules. Overlaps with Dexter in IR sensing but serves a much broader portfolio of OEM and defense customers.
• Murata Manufacturing: Global electronic components leader that produces thermopile IR sensors, PIR motion sensors, and MEMS devices. Competes with Dexter in miniaturized thermopile and PIR/motion sensing markets while also serving broader passive component and IoT applications.
• ams Osram: Major sensor and optical solutions provider with IR thermopile sensors and integrated environmental/gas sensor modules. Competes with Dexter across temperature sensing and emerging integrated sensing platforms for consumer and industrial IoT.
• Honeywell International: Diversified industrial and aerospace conglomerate with a sensor portfolio that includes IR sensing, gas detection, and motion/occupancy sensors. Competes indirectly with Dexter through catalog and custom sensor offerings for industrial, aerospace, and security customers.
• TE Connectivity: Global sensor and connector manufacturer offering a range of temperature, position, and humidity sensors for industrial and automotive markets. Adjacent peer to Dexter in non-contact and contact temperature sensing for harsh-environment applications.
• Teledyne FLIR: Leading provider of thermal imaging cameras and IR sensors based on microbolometer and other IR detector technologies. Competes with Dexter's emerging IR imaging and array product lines in industrial, security, and defense markets.

Emerging players

• Sensirion: Swiss manufacturer of environmental and gas sensors, including NDIR-based gas sensing modules and flow/temperature sensors. Overlaps with Dexter in NDIR gas analysis and integrated sensor modules for medical, HVAC, and IAQ applications.
• Bosch Sensortec: Bosch's MEMS sensor subsidiary producing integrated motion, environmental, and gas sensors for consumer and IoT markets. Competes with Dexter in miniature IR/thermal-based presence detection and emerging integrated environmental sensor modules.
• Melexis: Belgian automotive-grade semiconductor company with IR sensor ICs and thermopile products for non-contact temperature measurement. Overlaps with Dexter in automotive thermal sensing, EV battery monitoring, and high-temperature applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 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 Dexter Research Center