What Micro Photon Devices does

Micro Photon Devices S.r.l. (MPD) is a privately held Italian company founded in 2004 in Bolzano, designing and manufacturing high-performance single-photon detectors for scientific research and industrial sensing applications. The company leverages proprietary Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) technology built on two semiconductor platforms: custom epitaxial Silicon CMOS covering the visible and UV range (300–1000 nm), and InGaAs/InP compound semiconductors covering the near-infrared range (900–1700 nm). Its detector portfolio includes single-pixel modules (PDM, PDM-UV, PDM-IR) and SPAD array cameras (HERMES with integrated TDC per pixel for FLIM/iTOF, and ARGO with parallel LVDS outputs), supported by auxiliary electronics such as a Picosecond Delayer and NIM2TTL converter. Differentiated specifications include photon detection efficiency up to 50% at 550 nm and >25% at 1550 nm, timing resolution down to 35 ps FWHM, and dark count rates as low as 1 cps.

MPD operates a hybrid business model combining hardware sales of standard catalog products with custom design services and technical consulting for OEM integration. Products are offered as desktop laboratory instruments or compact OEM modules. Distribution is exclusively indirect via a global network of authorized resellers spanning Europe, North America, Central/South America, Asia, and Oceania, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The company's primary customer segments are research institutions and universities (quantum, TCSPC, FLIM, OCT, quantum cryptography) and OEM customers developing next-generation photonics products, with industrial applications such as LiDAR and spectroscopy representing a secondary segment. MPD participates in major industry conferences (SPIE Photonics West, World of Quantum) and contributes to several EU-funded quantum and defence research consortia. Since 2022 the company has also operated an R&D office near Milan.

The company is structured as a Società a responsabilità limitata with a registered capital of €60,000, employs 1–10 people, and has no publicly disclosed funding rounds, revenue, investors, or management team. Pricing is not published, and ownership, founder identities, and customer logos are not disclosed in available materials.

Name

Micro Photon Devices

Legal name

Micro Photon Devices S.r.l.

Website

https://micro-photon-devices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Micro Photon Devices (MPD) is a privately held Italian fab-less designer and manufacturer of high-performance single-photon detectors and SPAD array cameras based on Silicon CMOS and InGaAs/InP technologies, serving research institutions, universities, and OEM customers in quantum technologies, biomedical imaging, and industrial sensing worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Single-Photon Detection Equipment

NAICS

Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)

akta.pro primary industry

Optoelectronic Receivers & Transceivers (Photodetectors/Optical Modules) (HDAHALAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Photodiodes & Discrete Photodetectors (HDAHAHAL), Sensor Fusion, Interface ICs & Modules (AFE/Readout/Packaging/Calibration) (HDAHALAO)

Keywords

• Single photon detectors
• SPAD technology
• Photon counting modules
• Quantum photonics
• Picosecond timing

Headquarters

HQ city

Bolzano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Single-Photon Detector Sales: Sale of single-pixel and array SPAD detectors including PDM (Silicon visible range), PDM-UV (UV-blue range), PDM-IR (InGaAs near-IR), HERMES camera, and ARGO camera. Available as desktop instruments or compact OEM versions.
2. Auxiliary Electronics: Sale of supporting electronic products including Picosecond Delayer and NIM2TTL converter modules for integration into photon detection systems.
3. Custom Design Services: Development of custom designs for specific applications related to photon counting detection technology, covering the entire engineering and production flow including prototyping, components procurement, system integration, testing and shipping.
4. Technical Consulting: Technical support and consultation available for customers to exploit MPD technology for accurate scientific results from experimental setups.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels14 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Micro Photon Devices (MPD) designs and manufactures high-performance single-photon detectors using Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) technology on Silicon CMOS and InGaAs/InP compound semiconductor platforms. The portfolio includes single-pixel detector modules (PDM, PDM-UV, PDM-IR), SPAD array cameras (HERMES, ARGO), and auxiliary electronics (Picosecond Delayer, NIM2TTL) for research and industrial photon-counting applications. MPD also develops custom designs and OEM versions covering the full engineering-to-production flow.

Product overview

Micro Photon Devices (MPD) designs and manufactures high-performance single-photon detectors available as single-pixel or array solutions in both Silicon and InGaAs technologies, along with auxiliary electronics. The product portfolio comprises three main categories: single-pixel SPAD detectors (PDM for visible, PDM-UV for UV-blue, PDM-IR for near-infrared wavelengths), SPAD array cameras (HERMES for high-speed FLIM applications, ARGO for parallel multi-pixel detection), and supporting auxiliary electronics (Picosecond Delayer for precision signal timing, NIM2TTL converter for signal level translation). Silicon SPADs deliver high detector performance with miniaturization and low power consumption, while InGaAs SPADs extend photon counting to near-infrared up to optical fiber wavelengths.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PDM Photon Detection Module (PDM): a solid-state single-photon counting and timing instrument for visible light (375-1000 nm) based on a custom epitaxial silicon SPAD with 50% PDE at 550 nm and optional fast-timing circuit providing 35 ps FWHM resolution. Available as desktop instrument or compact OEM version.
• PDM-UV Photon-counting detector module optimized for the UV-blue range (300-1000 nm) with peak 43% PDE at 430 nm, featuring an integrated Active Quenching Circuit (iAQC) and optional miniaturized optical focusing system for enhanced collection efficiency.
• PDM-IR Photon counting module based on InGaAs/InP SPAD for near-infrared detection (900-1700 nm) with PDE exceeding 25% at 1550 nm; available in free-space and fiber-pigtailed versions (SMF-28 and MMF GI 50 um) in Desktop Instrument or Small Form Factor enclosures.
• HERMES Single-photon counting camera based on a 64x32 SPAD pixel array with integrated analog front-end and digital processing electronics; provides up to 96,000 fps readout, FLIM mode with ultra-short gating, and an integrated TDC per pixel for photon timing.
• ARGO Single-photon detector array camera based on 7x7 or 8x8 SPAD pixels with direct LVDS outputs routed to a high-density connector; enables fully parallel operation without frame-based camera limitations.
• Picosecond Delayer Precision delay generator module producing output pulses (NIM and TTL) with 10 ps resolution and up to 50 ns delay range; supports frequency division and operates as a frequency divider with integer values 1-999; controllable via keypad/display or USB virtual COM port.
• NIM2TTL NIM to TTL converter module that converts NIM input pulses to LV-TTL output pulses with the same width; built with solid-state components maintaining input timing performance with less than 5 ps timing jitter and 4 ns propagation delay.

Quantifiable outcome

• Photon detection efficiency up to 50% at 550 nm for standard Silicon SPAD detectors
• +5 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SEQUOIA Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Horizon Europe project aiming to develop optical coherence tomography (OCT) using quantum techniques. MPD participates as a partner in this European quantum research initiative.
• EQUO (European Quantum Ecosystems) ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Industrial project gathering stakeholders in quantum technologies within the EU Secure Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI). Funded by Digital Europe Programme.
• QSNP (Quantum Secure Networks Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023European Quantum Flagship project developing quantum cryptography technology to secure internet information transmission.
• ENLIGHTEN (European Non-Line-of-Sight Optical Imaging)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023European Defence Fund project developing disruptive technologies for next-generation electro-optical sensing devices enabling vision of hidden scenes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• STMicroelectronics: European semiconductor IDM offering CMOS SPAD-based direct Time-of-Flight sensors for smartphones and automotive. Large-scale competitor in Silicon SPAD arrays, with substantially greater R&D and foundry capacity than MPD.
• Excelitas Technologies: US-based photonics components supplier offering single-photon counting modules (SPCM) and Si SPAD-based detectors for research, LiDAR, and quantum applications. Competes with MPD in single-pixel detection modules and serves overlapping OEM customers.
• Hamamatsu Photonics: Global Japanese photonics giant offering Si and InGaAs SPAD modules, photomultiplier tubes, and photon-counting detectors. Closest large-scale competitor to MPD across the same single-photon detection product category and customer base (research labs, OEMs).
• onsemi: Major US semiconductor manufacturer with a Silicon SPAD array product line (e.g., for automotive LiDAR and mobile depth sensing). Represents an industrial-scale threat to MPD's array products (HERMES, ARGO) as SPAD volumes move into consumer and automotive markets.

Direct peers

• ID Quantique: Swiss specialist in single-photon detection and quantum cryptography, selling InGaAs/InP SPADs and SNSPDs for quantum key distribution and research. Directly competes with MPD in the quantum communication SPAD niche and shares the same European customer base.
• PicoQuant: German photonics company selling TCSPC electronics, pulsed lasers, and single-photon detectors (including SPAD modules) for time-resolved fluorescence and quantum research. Listed as an MPD distributor for Germany, indicating direct overlap in product and customer served.
• AUREA Technology: French single-photon detection company offering InGaAs and Si SPAD modules and photon-counting instruments for quantum and research applications. Direct niche competitor to MPD with comparable product offering in InGaAs near-IR detectors.

Emerging players

• Single Quantum: Dutch supplier of superconducting-nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) and multichannel systems for quantum communication and research. Competes with MPD's InGaAs/InP SPADs in the same quantum-photonics use cases via a complementary detector technology.

Others

• Thorlabs: US photonics components and instruments vendor whose SM1 and cage-system mechanical interfaces MPD's HERMES and ARGO cameras are explicitly designed to integrate with. Acts as both an integration partner and a broad supplier to overlapping photonics researchers.

Regional players

• Laser Components: German photonics distributor and manufacturer offering single-photon detectors (including SPAD modules) and pulsed lasers to European research and industrial customers. Overlaps with MPD's product portfolio and shares the German and broader European customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/micro-photon-devices

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 Micro Photon Devices