Heliotis
Heliotis AG is a Swiss precision instrumentation company that develops patented lock-in pixel CMOS image sensors and 3D white-light interferometry systems for in-line industrial inspection and research, serving semiconductor, electronics, medical technology manufacturers, and research institutions globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersRoot, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Heliotis does
Heliotis AG is a Swiss precision instrumentation company that develops and manufactures 3D optical metrology systems based on proprietary lock-in pixel CMOS image sensor technology. The company's foundational innovation is a CMOS sensor architecture in which every pixel performs phase-sensitive I/Q demodulation, enabling white-light interferometry (WLI) at industrial measurement speeds (claimed 100× to 1,000× faster than classical interferometry) with sub-nanometer vertical resolution, traceable to national metrology standards (PTB, NIST, VLSI). The product portfolio spans three families: heliInspect H8/H9 industrial 3D measurement heads for in-line inspection; heliProfiler P4 and P4-Gantry XY portal systems for at-line and laboratory profiling; and heliCam C4/C4M research cameras with up to 1 million parallel lock-in pixels. Underpinning these is the heliSens S4/S4M lock-in CMOS sensor and heliBoard B4 FPGA-based camera electronics, available for OEM integration. A complete software stack (heliViewer, heliCommander, heliSDK, heliAlgo) supports integration with standard machine vision platforms including Halcon, Matrox, NeuroCheck, CVB, and Aurora Vision.\n\nHeliotis monetizes through a mix of direct hardware sales (industrial measurement heads and portal systems), quote-based enterprise sales of integrated systems, software licensing (subscription for heliCommander and heliSDK; freemium for heliViewer and most of heliAlgo), and OEM co-development services covering CMOS sensor design, FPGA/embedded development, partial manufacturing, and supply chain management for exclusive series production. The published heliCam C4/C4M price band is USD 15,000–USD 20,000; all industrial products are quote-based. Distribution combines direct sales from the Switzerland headquarters with a global network of sales/distribution partners (Vertriebspartner) and integration partners (Integrationspartner), with Heliotis explicitly recommending partner-led deployment for most customer projects.\n\nThe company serves six primary customer segments: vision integrators and machine builders, plant engineering and special machine builders, producers and manufacturers, OEM machine manufacturers, OEM sensor manufacturers, and research institutions and universities. Named reference customers include Bertram Automation and Xactools; the company cites leading manufacturers in semiconductor, electronics, and medical technology as users of its patented sensors. Founded in 2005 as a spin-off from a partially government-sponsored research institution, Heliotis AG is a privately held Swiss Aktiengesellschaft headquartered in Root, canton of Zug, with 11–50 employees, and remains actively operating with product and software releases documented through mid-2026.
Heliotis firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Heliotis
- Legal name
- Heliotis AG
- Website
- https://heliotis.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Heliotis AG is a Swiss precision instrumentation company that develops patented lock-in pixel CMOS image sensors and 3D white-light interferometry systems for in-line industrial inspection and research, serving semiconductor, electronics, medical technology manufacturers, and research institutions globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Heliotis industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial 3D Metrology
- NAICS
- Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)
- SIC
- Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Metrology & Dimensional Measurement (CMMs, laser trackers, gauges, surface/roughness) (IMAGAFAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Machine Vision & Industrial Imaging Systems (IMAHAHAE), Industrial Quality Inspection & Metrology (Machine Vision) (IMAIAMAF), Imaging Sensors (CMOS/CCD/ToF/Depth) (HDAHALAF)
Keywords
Where Heliotis is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Root
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Heliotis business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- 3D Measurement Hardware Sales: Sale of industrial 3D measurement systems including heliInspect H8/H9 measurement heads, heliProfiler P4/P4-Gantry portal systems, heliCam C4/C4M research cameras, heliSens S4 lock-in image sensors, heliBoard B4 camera boards, heliOptics WLI objective lenses, and accessories (LED modules, cables, calibration targets). Products are sold directly and through integration partners.
- Software Licenses and Updates: Revenue from software products including heliViewer (free tier available; professional use licensed), heliCommander, heliSDK, heliAlgo (free for most operators except ISO roughness functions). Software updates are provided free of charge for registered users. MountainsMap integration is bundled with heliCommander.
- OEM Sensor Components and Co-Development: OEM customers purchase lock-in image sensors (heliSens S4), camera boards (heliBoard B4), firmware, optics, and accessories for integration into their own sensor products. Includes co-development services, sensor IP licensing, FPGA/embedded development, partial manufacturing, and supply chain management for exclusive OEM series.
- Feasibility Analysis and Application Engineering Services: Free initial feasibility checks and sample measurement reports are offered to evaluate application fit. Paid application engineering, integration support, and custom development services are provided for qualified engagements, particularly for plant engineering and machine builder customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | heliCam C4/C4M Lock-in Camera — base configuration |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | heliViewer — free viewer/control software |
| Freemium | Annual | heliAlgo — algorithm library for machine vision platforms |
| Subscription | Annual | heliSDK, heliCommander — professional software licenses |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Heliotis product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Heliotis AG designs and manufactures industrial 3D metrology systems and components based on proprietary lock-in pixel CMOS image sensor technology. The portfolio spans white-light interferometry (WLI) measurement heads (heliInspect H8/H9), XY-portal profiling systems (heliProfiler P4/P4-Gantry), research lock-in cameras (heliCam C4/C4M), and OEM sensor/electronics modules (heliSens S4, heliBoard B4), complemented by a software suite (heliViewer, heliCommander, heliSDK, heliAlgo) for in-line and at-line surface metrology.
Product overview
Heliotis AG offers a unified technology platform centered on patented lock-in pixel technology for 3D optical metrology. The portfolio consists of three product families: heliInspect industrial white light interferometers (H8/H9) for inline 3D inspection; heliProfiler XY portal systems (P4/P4-Gantry) for laboratory and at-line 3D profiling; and heliCam lock-in cameras (C4/C4M) for research applications. Underlying these are the heliSens CMOS image sensors and heliBoard electronics platforms available for OEM integration. The software ecosystem includes heliViewer for visualization, heliCommander for automation, heliSDK for development, and heliAlgo for algorithm extensions. The company provides both standard products and OEM customization services for sensor development and integration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- heliInspect™: Industrial white light interferometer (WLI) 3D measurement heads for inline inspection, available in H8 and H9 models.
- heliProfiler™
- heliCam™
- heliSens™
- heliBoard™
- heliViewer™
- heliCommander™
- heliSDK™
- heliAlgo™
- heliOptics™
- heliDriver™
Products and services
- heliInspect H8/H8M Industrial white-light interferometer (WLI) measurement head delivering sub-micrometer vertical resolution for high-resolution 3D metrology. Designed for inline, at-line, or offline inspection in demanding production environments, with GenICam interface and optional EtherCAT/PROFINET fieldbus integration. Targeted at machine builders, vision integrators, and producers in semiconductor, electronics, and medical technology industries.
- heliInspect H9/H9M Industrial white-light interferometer optimized for large measurement fields and extended working distances up to 113 mm, with multiple magnification options (0.5x to 3x). Designed for serial inspection of large components in inline, at-line, or offline configurations. Suitable for tact-time-critical production inspection.
- heliProfiler P4 (P4C/P4D) Industrial XY portal system for precision 3D metrology combining production-machine robustness with laboratory flexibility. Compatible with H8/H8M and H9/H9M sensors, with configurable enclosures (light curtain, sliding door). Linear axis resolution of 100 nm (P4C) or 1 µm (P4D). Used for development and at-line quality inspection.
- heliProfiler P4-Gantry Large-format XY gantry system for 3D measurements over extended areas such as PCBs, panels, or multiple trays simultaneously. Designed for continuous operation and seamless integration into automated manufacturing processes.
- heliCam C4/C4M Lock-in camera for research featuring massively parallel dual-phase demodulation with every pixel functioning as an independent lock-in amplifier. Available in 542×512 (C4) or 1024×1102 (C4M) pixel resolutions. Used for applications including spectroscopy, quantum diamond microscopy, holography, optical tomography, photothermal microscopy, and pump-probe experiments at universities and research institutions.
- heliSens S4/S4M CMOS image sensor integrating millions of lock-in pixels on a single chip for demodulation of modulated optical signals. Features integrated ADC conversion, digital phase processing, and calibration logic for precise 3D and intensity data in real-time. Sold as an OEM component for sensor manufacturers developing their own optical products.
- heliBoard B4 Complete FPGA-based camera electronics platform for lock-in sensors. Combines signal processing of heliSens sensors with firmware stack handling data acquisition, synchronization, timing control, and real-time communication. Provided with documented APIs and SDKs for OEM integration from prototype through series production.
- heliViewer Free camera setup, data acquisition, and visualization software for Heliotis cameras. Provides profile and 3D displays, simple data preparation, and export to CSV, TIFF, and SUR (MountainsMap) formats. Available as a freemium offering for registered users.
- heliCommander Measurement automation software combining acquisition, control, and evaluation. Specifically designed for heliProfiler with integrated XY portal automation, live-view of 2D auxiliary camera, and integrated MountainsMap for interactive 3D surface analysis and ISO 25178-compliant roughness evaluation.
- heliSDK Software development kit providing direct access to all Heliotis camera and sensor functions, with support for C++, C#, Rust, Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, Halcon, Matrox, NeuroCheck, CVB, and Aurora Vision environments. Sold as a licensed software product for OEMs and integrators.
Quantifiable outcome
- Measurement repeatability as low as 0.3 nm sigma on VLSI/NIST traceable 9.9 nm step height targets (H8/H8M)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Heliotis
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Heliotis technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature10 records
Heliotis partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Sales Partners / Distribution Partners (Vertriebspartner)coreHeliotis maintains a network of sales/distribution partners in various countries and regions. These partners resell Heliotis products including heliInspect 3D cameras, heliProfiler systems, heliCam research cameras, heliSens sensors, and heliBoard electronics. In some countries, the heliCam is also available exclusively through distribution partners. The partner network extends Heliotis's geographic reach and local market access.
- Integration Partners (Integrationspartner)coreIntegration partners provide mechanical, optical, electrical, and software integration services for Heliotis sensors into end-customer production machines and inspection systems. Heliotis takes a partner-first approach to integration: most customer projects are executed through integration partners, with Heliotis providing direct support for particularly small or complex projects.
- Machine Vision Framework ProviderscoreHeliotis products are designed for compatibility with standard machine vision frameworks and libraries including MVTec Halcon, Matrox, NeuroCheck, Common Vision Blox (CVB), and Aurora Vision. The heliAlgo algorithm library extends these platforms with Heliotis-specific 3D operators including ISO 25178 roughness functions.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Heliotis competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Keyence Corporation: Keyence is the dominant global supplier of industrial sensors and 3D measurement instruments (e.g., LJ-X, VR series profilers), competing with Heliotis at the high end of factory-floor dimension and surface inspection.
- Polytec GmbH: Polytec supplies laser vibrometry and optical measurement solutions used in industrial and research surface inspection, overlapping with Heliotis in precision optical inspection applications.
- Evident (Olympus Industrial): Evident (formerly Olympus Industrial) supplies industrial microscopes and 3D measurement systems across inspection applications; competes broadly with Heliotis in optical quality inspection workflows.
- Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology: ZEISS Industrial Metrology offers coordinate measuring machines and optical 3D scanning for precision manufacturing; a broad incumbent whose optical and multisensor systems overlap with Heliotis at high-precision industrial customers.
Direct peers
- Sensofar: Sensofar manufactures S neox and S mart confocal and interferometric 3D profilometers for lab and production metrology, competing directly against Heliotis heliInspect and heliProfiler in industrial surface roughness and form measurement.
- Nanovea: Nanovea builds optical profilers (ST400, Profiler) for non-contact 3D surface measurement in R&D and production, serving the same semiconductor, MEMS and precision components applications as Heliotis.
- Zygo (AMETEK): Zygo, part of AMETEK, provides white-light interferometry profilers (NewView, Nexview) for high-precision surface measurement, the historical reference for industrial WLI that Heliotis competes against on precision and throughput.
- Bruker Nano Surfaces (Alicona): Bruker's Alicona division sells InfiniteFocus and TrueSurface optical 3D measurement systems for production metrology, the closest direct competitor to Heliotis's heliInspect WLI-based 3D heads on specifications, use cases, and target customers.
Others
- MVTec Software: MVTec develops Halcon, the leading machine vision software platform that Heliotis explicitly supports via haliSDK; relevant as a partner/enabler rather than direct competitor and indicative of Heliotis's go-to-market integration footprint.
Emerging players
- Hamamatsu Photonics: Hamamatsu's scientific CMOS and specialized image sensor portfolio overlaps with heliCam and heliSens for research customers in quantum imaging and spectroscopy, with overlap in pixel-level performance differentiation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Heliotis social profiles
Digital presenceHeliotis financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Heliotis leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Heliotis funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Heliotis M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Heliotis
What does Heliotis do?
Heliotis AG designs and manufactures industrial 3D metrology systems and components based on proprietary lock-in pixel CMOS image sensor technology. The portfolio spans white-light interferometry (WLI) measurement heads (heliInspect H8/H9), XY-portal profiling systems (heliProfiler P4/P4-Gantry), research lock-in cameras (heliCam C4/C4M), and OEM sensor/electronics modules (heliSens S4, heliBoard B4), complemented by a software suite (heliViewer, heliCommander, heliSDK, heliAlgo) for in-line and at-line surface metrology.
Is Heliotis a public or private company?
Heliotis is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Heliotis founded?
Heliotis was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Heliotis based?
Heliotis is headquartered in Root, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Heliotis make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. 3D Measurement Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are software Licenses and Updates, OEM Sensor Components and Co-Development and feasibility Analysis and Application Engineering Services.
Who are Heliotis's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Keyence Corporation, Polytec GmbH, Evident (Olympus Industrial) and Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology. Direct peers are Sensofar, Nanovea, Zygo (AMETEK) and Bruker Nano Surfaces (Alicona). MVTec Software is listed as an others. Hamamatsu Photonics is listed as an emerging player.
Does Heliotis have an API?
Yes. SDK for Python, MATLAB, C++, C#, Rust, LabVIEW and other development environments with programming examples. Provides direct access to all camera and sensor functions for integration into custom applications, controls, and machine vision environments. Developer documentation is at www.heliotis.com/dl_dokumentation.
What industry is Heliotis in?
Heliotis's product category is Industrial 3D Metrology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAFAD, Metrology & Dimensional Measurement (CMMs, laser trackers, gauges, surface/roughness), with a secondary code of IMAHAHAE, Machine Vision & Industrial Imaging Systems. Its NAICS code is 334519 and its SIC code is 3827.