Axometrics
Axometrics is a privately held Huntsville, Alabama–based manufacturer of Mueller matrix polarization measurement instruments, serving R&D labs, quality control, and production lines in flat-panel display, VR/AR optics, optical components, and biomedical device industries worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersHuntsville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Axometrics does
Axometrics, Inc., founded in 2002 and headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, designs and manufactures polarization measurement instruments based on Mueller matrix polarimetry, the complete mathematical characterization of how a sample alters the polarization state of light. The company is the self-described worldwide leader in this niche, and its instruments measure all 16 elements of the Mueller matrix with no approximations. The core product line consists of three lab systems: the AxoScan high-speed point-measurement polarimeter (a full Mueller matrix in 30 ms), the AxoStep imaging microscope polarimeter (the industry's first Mueller matrix imaging microscope), and the EllipsoStep ellipsometer. Around these instruments, Axometrics has built a portfolio of large-format and inline measurement systems for production environments (polarizer/retarder film testers, large/inline LCD panel measurement, large-area ellipsometry, and the MALT-1 multi-axis lens tester), complementary light sources (TVS-2 tunable Xe source, LED-1 fiber-coupled LED), NIST-traceable calibration standards, and a tiered software suite spanning AxoView for basic analysis plus application-specific packages (LCDView for liquid crystal cell parameters, MLSP for multi-layer optical stacks, and EllipsoView for thin-film characterization).
The underlying technology is protected in part by a patented Mueller Matrix Method (MMM) that simultaneously measures cell gap, twist angle, alignment direction, and pre-tilt angles in liquid crystal cells, and by proprietary Lu-Chipman decomposition techniques for separating diattenuation, retardance, and depolarization. Axometrics sells directly to enterprise customers through its Huntsville office with a network of worldwide sales and support agents, using quote-based pricing with no public price list. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time hardware system sales, light sources and accessories, calibration standards, and licensed application-specific software (LCDView, MLSP, EllipsoView) sold with USB security dongles. Target customers are R&D laboratories, quality control functions, and production lines in flat-panel display manufacturing, VR/AR optics, optical components, and biomedical devices.
The firm is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or parent company. Headcount is reported at 1-10 employees, and Axometrics operates as an independent, bootstrapped specialist in a narrow metrology niche. Its growth and product evolution since 2002 have centered on extending the Mueller matrix platform from R&D benchtop instruments into production inline systems and into adjacent application areas such as VR/AR lens testing and biomedical optical components.
Axometrics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Axometrics
- Legal name
- Axometrics, Inc.
- Website
- https://axometrics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Axometrics is a privately held Huntsville, Alabama–based manufacturer of Mueller matrix polarization measurement instruments, serving R&D labs, quality control, and production lines in flat-panel display, VR/AR optics, optical components, and biomedical device industries worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Axometrics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Optical Metrology Instruments
- NAICS
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)
- SIC
- Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Metrology & Dimensional Measurement (CMMs, laser trackers, gauges, surface/roughness) (IMAGAFAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Optoelectronics & Photonics (LED/Laser/Optical ICs) (HDAHAAAH), Machine Vision & Optical Sensing (Cameras, 3D vision, LiDAR, illumination) (IMAGAFAB)
Keywords
Where Axometrics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Huntsville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Axometrics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Systems Sales: Sale of polarization measurement instruments including AxoScan, AxoStep, and EllipsoStep lab systems, as well as large and inline measurement systems for production environments.
- Light Sources and Accessories: Sale of TVS-2 tunable visible source and LED-1 precision LED source products.
- Calibration Standards: Sale of calibration and verification standards including polarization standards, wavelength verification, and thin-film test standards.
- Software Licenses: Licensed application-specific software packages including LCDView, MLSP, and EllipsoView, as well as standard viewer software. Software includes USB security dongle and may be installed on multiple PCs.
- Premium Software Licenses: Licensed software including LCDView, Multi-Layer Analysis Software Package (MLSP), and EllipsoView with USB security dongles. Includes premium features like batch processing and advanced analysis capabilities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | Direct sales with quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Axometrics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Axometrics manufactures Mueller matrix polarization measurement systems for determining the polarization properties of materials and optical components. The portfolio spans lab polarimeters/ellipsometers (AxoScan, AxoStep, EllipsoStep), large and inline measurement systems for production environments (LCD panel, polarizer/retarder film, large ellipsometry, MALT-1 lens tester), supporting light sources (TVS-2, LED-1), calibration standards, and application-specific software (LCDView, MLSP, EllipsoView, and standard viewers). Systems are sold to R&D laboratories, quality control departments, and production lines in flat-panel display, VR/AR, optical components, and biomedical markets.
Product overview
Axometrics is the worldwide leader in Mueller matrix measurement systems for determining the polarization properties of materials and optical components. The company's product portfolio centers around its core measurement instruments: the AxoScan (high-speed point-measurement polarimeter), AxoStep (imaging microscope polarimeter), and EllipsoStep (ellipsometry system). These are complemented by large-format inline measurement solutions including the MALT-1 multi-axis lens tester for production environments. Supporting the hardware are specialized light sources (TVS-2 tunable source and LED-1), calibration standards (wavelength, polarization, and thin-film standards), and a comprehensive software suite including AxoView for basic analysis, Spectral Viewer, Two Axis Viewer, and XYViewer for advanced measurements, plus application-specific packages like LCDView for liquid crystal cell testing, MLSP for multi-layer optical component analysis, and EllipsoView for thin-film characterization.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AxoScan: Fastest and most powerful polarization measurement tool, trusted around the world to test polarization-critical components. Industry's most-trusted polarization measurement system.
- AxoStep
- EllipsoStep
- MALT-1
- TVS-2
- LED-1
- LCDView
- MLSP
- EllipsoView
Products and services
- AxoScan Lab Systems
- AxoStep Lab Systems
- EllipsoStep Lab Systems
- Polarizer & Retarder Film Measurement Systems
- Large / Inline LCD Panel Measurement Systems
- Large / Inline Ellipsometry Systems
- MALT-1 Multi-Axis Lens Tester
- TVS-2 Tunable Visible Source
- LED-1 Light Source
- CAL-SIO2-50 Thin-Film Calibration Standard
- CAL-HOF Holmium Oxide Filter Wavelength Standard
- CAL-VIS Polarization Reference Standards
- AxoScan Application-Specific Software (LCDView, MLSP, EllipsoView)
Companies that use Axometrics
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Axometrics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Axometrics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Axometrics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- KLA Corporation: KLA is a dominant semiconductor and electronics process control and metrology incumbent, providing inspection and measurement systems to display and electronics manufacturers — the same enterprise buyer base Axometrics targets with inline polarization QC.
- Thorlabs: Thorlabs is a broad incumbent in photonics offering polarizers, waveplates, light sources, and increasingly integrated polarization measurement tools, providing an alternative source of optical instrumentation for many of the same R&D customers Axometrics serves.
- Bruker Optics: Bruker's optical and analytical instrumentation division offers ellipsometers and FTIR/Raman systems for thin-film and material characterization, competing for budget with Axometrics in optical component and biomedical metrology deployments.
- HORIBA Scientific: HORIBA's scientific segment supplies spectroscopic ellipsometers (e.g., UVISEL) and optical characterization tools widely used in flat-panel display R&D, positioning it as a broader incumbent alternative to Axometrics in display optics metrology.
Others
- Renishaw: Renishaw's spectroscopy and optical products serve adjacent metrology needs in materials analysis and optical component manufacturing, with overlapping R&D customer relationships though not direct product competition with Axometrics polarimeters.
Direct peers
- J.A. Woollam Co. J.A. Woollam is a leading ellipsometry manufacturer whose M-2000 and RC2 spectroscopic ellipsometers overlap directly with Axometrics' EllipsoStep thin-film and bulk material measurement products in R&D and production settings.
- Sentech Instruments: Sentech produces thin-film deposition and ellipsometry systems (e.g., SE 800, SENresearch) used in optical coatings and semiconductor metrology, directly competing with Axometrics' ellipsometry and thin-film measurement offerings.
- Zygo (AMETEK): Zygo, an AMETEK division, manufactures precision optical metrology instruments including interferometers and surface measurement systems; its precision optics customer base and QC/production focus overlap with Axometrics' polarization measurement deployments.
- Hinds Instruments: Hinds Instruments is a long-standing direct competitor in polarization measurement, offering photoelastic modulators and Stokes/Mueller polarimeters for laboratory and industrial optical metrology — closely overlapping Axometrics' AxoScan product line.
Emerging players
- Semilab: Semilab provides metrology equipment for semiconductor and display manufacturing including optical and electrical inspection tools, representing an emerging/diversifying competitor in production-line optical metrology adjacent to Axometrics' inline offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Axometrics social profiles
Digital presenceAxometrics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Axometrics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Axometrics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Axometrics 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 Axometrics
What does Axometrics do?
Axometrics manufactures Mueller matrix polarization measurement systems for determining the polarization properties of materials and optical components. The portfolio spans lab polarimeters/ellipsometers (AxoScan, AxoStep, EllipsoStep), large and inline measurement systems for production environments (LCD panel, polarizer/retarder film, large ellipsometry, MALT-1 lens tester), supporting light sources (TVS-2, LED-1), calibration standards, and application-specific software (LCDView, MLSP, EllipsoView, and standard viewers). Systems are sold to R&D laboratories, quality control departments, and production lines in flat-panel display, VR/AR, optical components, and biomedical markets.
Is Axometrics a public or private company?
Axometrics is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Axometrics founded?
Axometrics was founded in 2002. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Axometrics based?
Axometrics is headquartered in Huntsville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Axometrics make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Hardware Systems Sales are the primary driver. The others are light Sources and Accessories, calibration Standards, software Licenses and premium Software Licenses.
Who are Axometrics's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are KLA Corporation, Thorlabs, Bruker Optics and HORIBA Scientific. Renishaw is listed as an others. Direct peers are J.A. Woollam Co., Sentech Instruments, Zygo (AMETEK) and Hinds Instruments. Semilab is listed as an emerging player.
Does Axometrics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Axometrics.
What industry is Axometrics in?
Axometrics's product category is Optical Metrology Instruments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAFAD, Metrology & Dimensional Measurement (CMMs, laser trackers, gauges, surface/roughness), with a secondary code of HDAHAAAH, Optoelectronics & Photonics (LED/Laser/Optical ICs). Its NAICS code is 3345 and its SIC code is 3827.