Scontel
Scontel manufactures superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPD/SNSPD), hot-electron bolometers, and custom cryogenic systems, selling turnkey detector-plus-cryostat solutions to research universities, quantum-photonics labs, and selected enterprise and government customers across 38 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersMoscow, Russia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Scontel does
Scontel is a privately held Russian scientific instrumentation company that designs, manufactures, and supplies superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs/SNSPDs) and hot-electron bolometers (HEBs), together with custom cryogenic systems, to research institutions, universities, and a small set of industrial and government customers worldwide. The company was founded in 2004 as a spin-off from the Radiophysics Lab at Moscow State Pedagogical University by Professor Gregory Goltsman and his students, and traces its technological lineage to the first demonstration of single-photon response in narrow NbN strips in 2001. Scontel operates from a single headquarters in Moscow, has a named staff of around 12, and reports a cumulative customer base of more than 300 spread across 38 countries.
Scontel's core technology is built around thin superconducting films (NbN, MoSi) operating at cryogenic temperatures, with product lines spanning multiple SSPD variants (high-efficiency, ultra-high-efficiency, broadband, low-noise, low-jitter, multimode large-area, photon-number-resolving, and matrix array), HEB detectors for 0.1-100 THz frequencies, and a family of cryostats including Gifford-McMahon closed-cycle refrigerators, LHe dipsticks, and liquid-helium cryostats. Top specifications cited include up to 90% system detection efficiency, 1 dark count per second noise floor, and 35 ps temporal resolution for flagship SSPDs, and 100 ps response time with NEP of 10^-14 W/Hz^1/2 for HEBs. The company has published more than 50 research articles and holds an unspecified patent portfolio underpinning its detector designs.
Commercially, Scontel operates a sales-led, quote-based business model selling turnkey detector-plus-cryostat systems directly to customers, supplemented by regional channel partners in China (A Union Tech), Japan (Tokyo Instruments), and the USA (Bose Corporation). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is configured per order under multi-year contracts. The company acquires customers primarily through participation in international quantum and superconductivity conferences (ICQT, ASC, Picoquant Quantum Symposium, LASER PHOTONICS), academic publications, and its product catalogue website. Named end users include IBM, Toshiba Research Europe, NTT, JAXA, ETH Zurich, CNRS, Princeton University, and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, indicating a customer mix weighted toward academic and government quantum-research labs with selective enterprise adoption.
Scontel firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Scontel
- Legal name
- SCONTEL
- Website
- https://scontel.ru
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Scontel manufactures superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPD/SNSPD), hot-electron bolometers, and custom cryogenic systems, selling turnkey detector-plus-cryostat solutions to research universities, quantum-photonics labs, and selected enterprise and government customers across 38 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Scontel industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Scientific Instrumentation - Superconducting Single-Photon Detectors
- NAICS
- Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (33441)
- SIC
- Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cryogenic Systems & Cryostats (HDAGABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cryocoolers & Refrigeration Units (HDAGABAB)
Keywords
Where Scontel is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Moscow
- HQ country
- Russia
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Scontel business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Scientific Instrumentation Sales: Sale of SSPD detectors, HEB systems, and custom cryogenic equipment to research institutions and laboratories worldwide. Products are specialized scientific instruments with custom configurations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | High-efficiency detectors (HED) |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Ultra-high-efficiency detectors (U-HED) |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Broadband detectors |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Low-noise detectors |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Low-jitter detectors |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Scontel product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Scontel manufactures superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPD/SNSPD) and hot-electron bolometers (HEB) for the visible-to-mid-IR and terahertz spectral ranges, built on thin superconducting films (NbN, MoSi) operating at cryogenic temperatures. The company also delivers custom cryogenic systems including closed-cycle refrigerators, liquid helium cryostats, and dipsticks that integrate with its detectors to provide turnkey measurement solutions for quantum, photonics, and astronomy research.
Product overview
Scontel is a scientific instrumentation company offering a comprehensive portfolio of superconducting photon detection and cryogenic systems. The core product lines include SSPD (Superconducting Single Photon Detectors) for single-photon detection from visible to mid-IR wavelengths, HEB (Hot Electron Bolometers) for THz frequency detection, and Custom Cryogenics including various cryostat types. Products are offered in multiple configurations (High-Efficiency, Ultra-High-Efficiency, Broadband, Low-Noise, Low-Jitter, Multimode variants) and system formats (Detector Modules, LHe Dipsticks, Closed-Cycle Refrigerators). The company was founded in 2004 as a spin-off from Moscow State Pedagogical University, with roots in hot-electron phenomena research.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SSPD (Superconducting Single Photon Detectors) Fiber-coupled superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (also called SNSPDs) offering high efficiency, speed, and operating range from visible to mid-IR wavelengths (700–2300 nm). Used by research institutions, universities, and technology companies for quantum computing, QKD, single-photon sources, optical quantum networks, LIDAR, time-resolved spectroscopy, and astronomical observations.
- HEB (Hot Electron Bolometers) Ultra-fast and ultra-sensitive THz detectors with response times down to 100 ps and NEP of 10^-14 W/Hz^1/2, covering frequency range from 0.1 to 100 THz. Available for direct or heterodyne operation modes. Used in radio astronomy and THz-frequency research applications.
- Custom Cryogenics / Cryostats Customizable cryogenic equipment including closed-cycle refrigerators (CCR), CCR 0.8K systems, LHe dipsticks, and LHe cryostats. Supports optical, DC and RF experiments with various configurations. Provides turnkey low-temperature infrastructure integrated with detectors.
- Multimode Large-Area SSPDs Multimode-fiber-coupled SSPDs with closed-cycle refrigeration, offering 60% system detection efficiency, 10 kHz dark count rate, <60 ps jitter, and 50 μm fiber core diameter. Designed for practical coupling to multimode fiber systems used in quantum communication and photon-counting applications.
- Matrix Single-Photon Detector Matrix single-photon detector combining the benefits of single-element detectors (high temporal resolution, count rate, quantum efficiency) with the advantages of matrix detectors (significantly increased sensitive area). Suited to applications requiring extended detection area without sacrificing timing performance.
- Ultra-Low Noise SSPDs SSPD variant engineered for ultra-low noise characteristics for specialized quantum and photon-counting applications that demand the lowest possible dark-count contribution.
- Photon-Number-Resolving SSPDs SSPDs capable of resolving photon numbers in single-photon detection systems, enabling discrimination between one, two, or more simultaneous photons in quantum optics experiments.
- Cryogen-Free and LHe Cryostats Standalone product line of cryogen-free and LHe cryostats for low-temperature experiments, supporting optical, DC and RF experimental configurations.
- SSPD-Based Cameras SSPD-based cameras commercialized as the world's most sensitive photon video detector, leveraging SSPD arrays in an imaging format for ultra-sensitive photon-level video capture.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% system detection efficiency
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Scontel
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Scontel technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Scontel partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- A Union Tech (China Representative)coreSCONTEL's representative office in China, responsible for sales and customer support in the Chinese market.
- Tokyo Instruments (Japan Representative)coreSCONTEL's representative office in Japan, handling sales and distribution in the Japanese market.
- Bose Corporation (USA Representative)coreSCONTEL's representative office in the USA, responsible for sales and customer support in the North American market.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Scontel competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Thorlabs: Large US photonics equipment supplier offering detectors, cryogenics, and optics. Overlaps with SCONTEL's customer base of quantum and photonics research labs, including distribution of cryogenic components.
- Excelitas Technologies: Global photonic detector and sensor company offering APDs, SPADs, and custom detection modules. Competes with SCONTEL in single-photon and low-light detection across research and commercial applications.
- Hamamatsu Photonics: Large Japanese photonics and detector manufacturer offering APDs, PMTs, and increasingly SNSPD subsystems. Comparable as a broader incumbent in single-photon detection serving overlapping research and industrial customers.
- Bluefors: Finnish manufacturer of dilution refrigerators and cryogenic systems for quantum computing and research labs. Comparable as a broader cryogenics player whose dilution refrigerator platforms host SCONTEL's detectors.
Direct peers
- QuantumCTek: Chinese quantum technology company producing QKD systems and SNSPDs. Competes with SCONTEL in Asia and offers integrated quantum communication solutions using similar detector technology.
- Photon Spot: US-based SNSPD manufacturer offering cryogenically-cooled single-photon detection systems. Overlaps with SCONTEL in product offering and serves similar North American quantum and physics research customers.
- Single Quantum: Delft-based SNSPD systems vendor focused on multi-pixel single-photon detectors. Competes head-to-head with SCONTEL's SSPD portfolio in quantum optics, QKD, and research labs globally.
- ID Quantique: Geneva-based SNSPD manufacturer and quantum-safe network solutions provider. Directly competes with SCONTEL in superconducting single-photon detectors and serves overlapping quantum communications and research customers.
Regional players
- LOT-QuantumDesign: European distributor and integrator of cryogenic and quantum measurement systems including SNSPDs. Comparable as a regional channel competitor for European quantum research customers.
Emerging players
- HRL Laboratories: R&D lab developing SNSPD technology and photonic devices for defense and research. Partial overlap with SCONTEL in SNSPD innovation, particularly around novel materials and array architectures.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Scontel social profiles
Digital presenceScontel financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Scontel leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Scontel funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Scontel 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 Scontel
What does Scontel do?
Scontel manufactures superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPD/SNSPD) and hot-electron bolometers (HEB) for the visible-to-mid-IR and terahertz spectral ranges, built on thin superconducting films (NbN, MoSi) operating at cryogenic temperatures. The company also delivers custom cryogenic systems including closed-cycle refrigerators, liquid helium cryostats, and dipsticks that integrate with its detectors to provide turnkey measurement solutions for quantum, photonics, and astronomy research.
Is Scontel a public or private company?
Scontel is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Scontel founded?
Scontel was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Scontel based?
Scontel is headquartered in Moscow, Russia, in the Europe region.
How does Scontel make money?
One revenue line is on record: scientific Instrumentation Sales.
Who are Scontel's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Thorlabs, Excelitas Technologies, Hamamatsu Photonics and Bluefors. Direct peers are QuantumCTek, Photon Spot, Single Quantum and ID Quantique. LOT-QuantumDesign is listed as a regional player. HRL Laboratories is listed as an emerging player.
Does Scontel have an API?
No public API is recorded for Scontel.
What industry is Scontel in?
Scontel's product category is Scientific Instrumentation - Superconducting Single-Photon Detectors. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAGABAA, Cryogenic Systems & Cryostats, with a secondary code of HDAGABAB, Cryocoolers & Refrigeration Units. Its NAICS code is 33441 and its SIC code is 3674.