What Helia Photonics does

Helia Photonics Ltd is a privately held, Scotland-based photonics manufacturing services company founded in September 2002, operating from a purpose-built 8,000 ft² facility at Rosebank Technology Park in Livingston. Its core offering is split across three interconnected service lines: III-V photonics back-end-of-line (BEoL) processing for InP and GaAs devices (lapping, polishing, n-metal contacts, bar cleaving, facet coating, chip singulation); silicon photonics BEoL for waveguide devices on silicon substrates; and thin film optical coatings (anti-reflection, high-reflection, band pass, edge filters and specialty coatings) applied to semiconductor facets, free-space optics and optical fibre ends. The company runs 14 deposition systems spanning ion-assisted e-beam evaporation, magnetron sputtering, thermal evaporation and ion-beam sputtering, supported by a 125+ material library covering the 0.4-30µm spectral range and proprietary automated platforms (HELBOT bar handling, HELTEST electro-optic test, HELVIEW AI-powered visual inspection, T6000 pick-and-place).\n\nThe business sells exclusively to enterprise customers on a custom quote basis under EXW Incoterms, targeting defence primes and Tier-1/Tier-2 suppliers, quantum technology programmes (computing, sensing, optical clocks), precision optics and sensing OEMs, and semiconductor photonics manufacturers. Marketing and sales are conducted via direct enterprise engagement, industry consortium membership (EPIC, Technology Scotland), and research partnerships with EPOC at NMIS, the University of Glasgow Smart Materials Group, and ITFSI. Revenue streams are predominantly professional services and per-project coating work rather than recurring subscriptions, with pricing tied to coating complexity, materials and throughput. The company is ISO9001:2015 certified by BSI, has no disclosed external funding rounds, and is led by a three-member board comprising Professor Caspar Clark (CEO & CTO), Nick Somerville (CFO) and Professor Gerald Buller (Chairman).

Name

Helia Photonics

Legal name

Helia Photonics Ltd

Website

https://helia-photonics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Helia Photonics is a privately held photonics manufacturing services company in Livingston, Scotland, specialising in thin film optical coatings and III-V and silicon photonics back-end processing for defence, quantum technology, precision optics, and semiconductor photonics customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photonics Manufacturing Services

NAICS

Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (33441)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Optoelectronics & Photonics (LED/Laser/Optical ICs) (HDAHAAAH)

Keywords

• Thin film coatings
• Optical coating services
• Semiconductor BEoL
• Photonics wafer processing
• Facet coating services

Headquarters

HQ city

Livingston

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Optical Thin Film Coating Services: Custom thin film optical coating deposition services on semiconductor devices, free space optics, and optical fibre ends. Includes AR coatings, HR coatings, band pass filters, and specialty coatings. Revenue generated through per-project coating services with pricing based on complexity, materials, and throughput requirements.
2. III-V Photonics BEoL Processing: Back-end processing for InP and GaAs photonic integrated circuits including lapping, polishing, n-metal contacts, bar cleaving, facet coating, and chip singulation. High-volume semiconductor manufacturing services.
3. Silicon Photonics BEoL Processing: Silicon photonics backend services including wafer dicing, grinding, polishing, facet coating, singulation, and visual inspection for waveguide devices.
4. Electro-Optical Laser Bar Testing: Electro-optical device characterization using HELTEST system for LIV curves, spectral measurements, and wafer-level statistics. Testing volumes from evaluation batches to complete wafers.
5. Metrology and Characterization Services: Post-deposition analysis and characterization services including spectrophotometry, FTIR, visual inspection, and thickness measurements for quality control and process verification.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Helia Photonics provides custom thin film optical coating deposition and semiconductor back-end-of-line (BEoL) processing services for photonics devices. The company applies precision coatings on laser facets, free space optics, and optical fibre ends, and performs III-V (InP, GaAs) and silicon photonic backend operations including lapping, polishing, cleaving, n-metal contacts, automated bar handling, electro-optical testing, and AI-powered visual inspection. Services are delivered from its Livingston, Scotland facility using 14 deposition platforms and proprietary automated systems.

Product overview

Helia Photonics is a specialized photonics manufacturing services company offering three interconnected core service areas: III-V Photonics BEoL (for InP/GaAs devices), Silicon Photonics BEoL (for silicon waveguides), and Optical Coatings (thin film deposition). These core services are supported by proprietary technology platforms (HELTEST for electro-optic testing, HELBOT for automated bar handling, HELVIEW for AI-powered visual inspection) and supplementary services including metrology, cleaving/polishing/dicing, wafer sawing, n-metal contacts, and sort operations. The company serves defence, quantum technology, precision optics, and semiconductor markets with end-to-end processing from wafer to chip.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• III-V Photonics BEoL
• Silicon Photonics BEoL
• Optical Coatings
• Facet Coating
• HELTEST Electro-Optic Test System
• HELBOT Automated Bar Handling
• HELVIEW Automated Visual Inspection
• Metrology Services
• Cleaving, Polishing and Dicing
• Wafer and Die Sawing
• N-Metal Contacts
• Sort (Automated Die Handling)
• Quantum Technology Coatings and Processing
• Defence Optical Coatings
• Precision Optical Filters and Specialty Optics

Quantifiable outcome

• Flatness of ±2µm over 4-inch diameter wafer
• +7 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature14 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered key and minor.

• EPOC - Extreme Performance Optical Coatings GroupkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with the Extreme Performance Optical Coatings group based at NMIS (National Manufacturing Institute Scotland). Collaborative work on thin film research and new materials development.
• Smart Materials Group at University of GlasgowkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the Smart Materials Group at the University of Glasgow on thin film research and smart material applications in photonics coatings.
• Institute of Thin Films, Sensors and Imaging (ITFSI)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with ITFSI for research collaboration on thin films, sensors and imaging technologies for photonics applications.
• EPIC - European Photonics Industry ConsortiumminorOthersIndustry association membership providing networking, industry advocacy, and visibility within the European photonics community.
• Technology ScotlandminorOthersScottish technology industry association membership supporting the photonics sector and providing industry networking opportunities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Edmund Optics: Global manufacturer and supplier of optical components including coated optics, lenses, and filters. Overlaps with Helia in custom optical coating services for industrial and photonics customers, but operates at catalog scale with broader product breadth.
• Thorlabs: Vertically integrated photonics company offering a broad catalog of optical components, coatings, and custom photonics services. Comparable in serving custom optical coating and photonics OEM customers, but Thorlabs operates at much larger scale with global manufacturing footprint.
• Jenoptik: German photonics group with optical systems, laser materials processing, and semiconductor equipment divisions. Overlaps with Helia in precision optical coatings and semiconductor photonics components, but with broader industrial customer base and public-company scale.
• MKS Instruments (Newport / Ophir): Photonic and semiconductor equipment company whose Newport division supplies optical components and thin film coatings. Comparable in optical thin film expertise and laser/photonics customer base, but as part of a much larger publicly traded instrumentation group.
• II-VI Incorporated (now Coherent Corp.): Global photonics and electronics materials company offering thin film coatings, laser optics, and semiconductor photonics components. Highly comparable technology base and overlapping customer base in laser and photonics markets, but at vastly larger scale and broader product portfolio.

Direct peers

• CVI Laser Optics: Specialty manufacturer of high-performance laser optics, thin film coatings, and optical assemblies for laser and photonics OEMs. Direct peer in custom thin film coatings for laser facet, semiconductor, and high-damage-threshold applications.
• Optimax Systems: US-based precision optics manufacturer offering custom optical fabrication, thin film coatings, and metrology services. Direct peer in custom optical coatings and precision optics for aerospace, defence, and semiconductor customers, with similar specialization focus.
• Berliner Glas: European precision optics manufacturer offering optical coatings, bonded optics, and assembled optical systems for semiconductor, medical, and defence markets. Direct peer in custom optical coatings and precision optics manufacturing with comparable vertical integration.
• Laser Components: European supplier of laser optics, optical coatings, and photonics components with custom thin film coating services. Direct peer in custom optical coatings for laser, defence, and sensing applications, with comparable customer base in photonics OEMs.
• Optics Balzers: Specialized thin film optical coating provider serving laser, semiconductor, automotive, and aerospace markets. Direct peer in optical coating services with comparable technology platforms (e-beam, IBS, sputtering) and overlapping high-end coating expertise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/helia-photonics-ltd
• Xx.com/heliaphotonics

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Helia Photonics