UltraFast Innovations

What UltraFast Innovations does

UltraFast Innovations GmbH (UFI), headquartered in Garching near Munich, Germany, is a private spin-off founded in 2009 from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ). The company manufactures custom-made optics, broadband coherent sources, diagnostic devices, and engineering solutions for ultrafast laser applications, with a scientific lineage anchored by co-founder Ferenc Krausz, recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics. Its products span the UV–VIS–IR to XUV/soft X-ray spectral range and include precision multilayer-coated mirrors, dispersive optics, pulse compressors (HCF and multipass-cell architectures), autocorrelators (TUNDRA), light-field synthesizers (CAPELLA), coherent XUV sources (NEPAL), XUV phase retarders (AURORA), pulse-delay units (K2), and cavity-ringdown reflectometers (GLACIER). Differentiated specifications include reflectivities up to 99.9995%, pulse compression to 2 fs, 3-attosecond temporal resolution, and 10^14 dynamic-range pulse-contrast measurement.

The business model is a quote-based, one-time-sale custom engineering and device operation. Standard revenue streams comprise custom-tailored optical components, complete optical devices and setups, customized attosecond/XUV beamline solutions, metrology and quality-control services, and optional installation and training. Primary customers are research institutions and academia in ultrafast and attosecond science, with secondary customers in laser-system manufacturers and industrial laser users. Distribution combines direct sales (for customized engineering work and research accounts) with two exclusive channel partners: Edmund Optics (global industrial market, signed March 2022) and WaveQuanta (China). Marketing is concentrated on scientific conferences (SPIE Photonics West, Laser World of Photonics, ATTO, UFO, Frontiers in Optics), technical content, and professional social channels. UFI is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding rounds and is run by CEO Dr. Alexander Guggenmos.

Name

UltraFast Innovations

Legal name

UltraFast Innovations GmbH

Website

https://ultrafast-innovations.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UltraFast Innovations GmbH is a German specialist manufacturer of custom optics, broadband coherent sources, and diagnostic devices for ultrafast and attosecond laser applications, serving research institutions, laser-system manufacturers, and industrial laser users worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ultrafast Optics and Photonics Manufacturing

NAICS

Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing (334517)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Quantum Photonics & Quantum Imaging (Single-Photon, Lidar, Ghost Imaging) (HDAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL) (HDAHALAL)

Keywords

• Ultrafast optics
• Dispersive mirrors
• Attosecond beamlines
• XUV multilayer optics
• Femtosecond pulse compression

Headquarters

HQ city

Garching

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom-Made Optics: Sale of custom-tailored optical components including mirrors, beamsplitters, filters, and anti-reflection coatings for ultrafast laser applications. Products cover UV-VIS-IR to XUV/soft X-ray spectral range.
2. Optical Devices and Systems: Sale of complete optical devices and setups including pulse compressors, autocorrelators, spectrographs, light synthesizers, and XUV sources for generation, characterization and manipulation of ultrafast light.
3. Customized Solutions: Attosecond/XUV beamlines and other customized optical engineering solutions tailored to specific customer experimental requirements.
4. Quality Control and Metrology Services: Optical characterization and quality control services for optical components using advanced metrology equipment including cavity ring-down spectroscopy systems.
5. Installation and Training: Optional installation and training services for devices, typically 2-3 operators trained within days.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UltraFast Innovations GmbH (UFI) manufactures custom-made optics, broadband coherent sources, diagnostic devices, and engineering solutions for ultrafast laser applications. Its offerings cover the full spectral range from UV-VIS-IR to XUV/soft X-ray and include multilayer-coated mirrors, beamsplitters, filters, dispersive optics, pulse compressors (hollow-core fiber and multipass cell), autocorrelators, interferometers, reflectometers, XUV light sources, and attosecond/XUV beamlines for research institutions and laser manufacturers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UFI: Shortened trademark name and brand identifier for UltraFast Innovations GmbH

Products and services

• Optical Components (custom-made mirrors, beamsplitters, filters, AR coatings) Custom-made multilayer-coated optics including mirrors, beamsplitters, filters, and anti-reflection coatings covering UV-VIS-IR to XUV/soft X-ray spectral range, tailored for ultrafast laser applications with high reflectivity (up to 99.9995%) and high laser-induced damage threshold.
• Optical Devices and Systems Complete optical devices and setups for generation, characterization, and manipulation of ultrafast light, including pulse compressors, autocorrelators, spectrographs, light synthesizers, and XUV sources.
• Customized Solutions (Attosecond / XUV Beamlines) Customized attosecond/XUV beamlines and tailored optical engineering solutions designed to specific customer experimental requirements.
• TUNDRA Third-order Autocorrelator Ultra-high contrast pulse autocorrelator measuring up to 14 orders of magnitude dynamic range for characterization of background and detection of pre- and post-pulse replicas from powerful lasers.
• K2 XUV/IR Pulse Delay Unit Pulse delay unit with 3 attosecond temporal resolution and 300 fs scan range for pump-probe experiments using XUV/soft X-ray multilayer mirrors.
• GOBI White Light Interferometer Spectrally resolved interferometer for accurate GDD measurement of multi-layered ultrafast optics covering 250-2400 nm spectral range.
• GLACIER Cavity-Ringdown Reflectometer CRD spectroscopy system measuring optical coating losses down to 5 ppm (99.9995% reflectivity) with unmatched sensitivity.
• GLACIER-C Supercontinuum Light Source Cavity-Ringdown Reflectometer Compact cavity-ringdown reflectometer integrated with a supercontinuum light source for coating loss measurement.
• CAPELLA Light Field Synthesizer Sub-femtosecond control of super-octave light transients, generating pulses as short as 2 fs - the shortest ever generated by a commercial device.
• NEPAL Coherent XUV Light Source High-Harmonic-Generation setup generating XUV/Soft X-ray pulses up to 150 eV (8.3 nm) with up to 360 µW @ 3 kHz power.
• AURORA XUV Phase Retarder Quarter waveplate from 40-85 eV converting linearly polarized XUV light into circularly polarized light without dispersion, with up to 40% transmission.
• KAUAI vis-nIR Phase Retarder vis-nIR phase retarder offering up to ~90% maximum reflectivity, no added group delay dispersion (under 3 fs²), and a compact design with preserved beam direction.
• SAVANNA Hollow-Core Fiber Pulse Compressor Hollow-core fiber pulse compressor for temporal compression of ultrashort laser pulses with high compression factors, based on self-phase modulation followed by chirped mirror compression.
• SAVANNA-HP Stretched-Flexible Hollow-Core Fiber Compressor High-performance SF-HCF pulse compressor leveraging stretched-flexible hollow-core fiber technology developed with IFNANO Göttingen, enabling nearly ideal wave-guiding with minimal losses and self-phase modulation over interaction lengths up to 8 meters.
• KILIMANJARO Multipass Cell Pulse Compressor Multipass cell pulse compressor for temporal compression of ultrashort laser pulses, part of the expanded pulse compression line introduced in October 2025.
• HD2510UV Dispersive Mirror High-reflectivity dispersive mirror for UV applications (250-270 nm) with 97% average reflectivity and flat group delay dispersion of -150 fs², delivering 20% higher reflectivity than predecessor.
• Pulse Compression Line Expansion (multipass cells and cascaded fiber systems) Expanded pulse compression product line adding multipass cells and cascaded fiber systems, with customizations to compress laser systems for ultrashort pulse generation.
• Dispersive Mirror Catalog Optics (1030 nm, 1550 nm, 2 µm, IR, Ti:Sapphire, UV, VIS, XUV, Customized) Catalog dispersive mirrors and chirped mirrors organized by wavelength range, including 1030 nm, 1550 nm, 2 µm, IR, Ti:Sapphire, UV, VIS, XUV dispersive optics, and customized optics variants.
• Installation and Training Services Optional installation and training services for purchased devices, with typically 2-3 operators trained within days.
• Quality Control and Metrology Services Optical characterization and quality control services for optical components using advanced metrology equipment including cavity ring-down spectroscopy systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% average reflectivity across 250-270 nm UV range
• +7 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

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Alio Labs Inc.coreTechnology or Integration · 8 December 2025Technology cooperation partnership with Alio Labs Inc., a leading thin film lab based in Santa Rosa, California. Partnership designed to accelerate development of next generation solutions for attosecond thin film optics, high laser damage threshold optics, and instrumentation enabled by thin film innovation. The partnership combines UFI's scientific depth with Alio Labs' production capability and thin film expertise. Coordinated programs will focus on thin-film-enabled performance, next-generation metrology, and optical instruments for high-intensity laser systems.
• Edmund Optics Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2022March 2022 partnership making Edmund Optics the exclusive global distributor of UltraFast Innovations optics to the industrial market. Edmund Optics brings established distribution infrastructure and industrial customer relationships to expand UFI's reach beyond research institutions.
• WaveQuantacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor partnership for UltraFast Innovations products in the Chinese market. WaveQuanta handles distribution and customer support for Chinese customers, providing local language support and logistics for the China market.
• Institute for Nanophotonics IFNANO (Göttingen)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with IFNANO (Institute for Nanophotonics) in Göttingen for stretched-flexible hollow-core fiber (SF-HCF) technology. IFNANO provides exceptionally robust fiber assemblies that enable nearly ideal wave-guiding with minimal losses, allowing self-phase modulation over interaction lengths up to 8 meters. The collaboration combines IFNANO's fiber expertise with UFI's chirped mirror compression technology for state-of-the-art SF-HCF compressors (SAVANNA-HP).
• Ferenc KrauszcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific Co-founder of UltraFast Innovations and recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics for attosecond physics. Provides ongoing scientific leadership and connection to cutting-edge ultrafast science research. Investment of scientific credibility and expertise in company technology development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EKSMA Optics: EKSMA Optics manufactures laser optics, nonlinear crystals, and ultrafast optical components including dispersive mirrors and pulse compression optics. Its catalogue directly overlaps with UFI's core product line of mirrors and beamsplitters for femtosecond lasers.
• Laseroptik GmbH: Laseroptik is a German manufacturer specializing in high-end optical coatings for laser applications, including high-reflectivity and dispersive coatings. It competes head-on with UFI in the multilayer coating market for ultrafast lasers.
• Layertec GmbH: Layertec is a German manufacturer of high-precision optical coatings, laser mirrors, and dispersive optics for ultrafast and laser applications. It is the closest direct competitor in central Europe for custom multilayer coatings used in ultrafast laser systems.

Emerging players

• Menlo Systems: Menlo Systems develops and sells ultrafast laser systems, optical frequency combs, and pulse characterization instruments. It is a partial competitor — both in the diagnostic instrument category (autocorrelators, FROG) and as an integrated ultrafast solutions provider — though with a different scope than UFI's optics manufacturing focus.
• Optida Co., Ltd. Optida is a Korean manufacturer specializing in chirped mirrors, low-GDD optics, and ultrafast laser components. It is an emerging direct competitor in dispersive optics for femtosecond pulse compression.

Broad incumbents

• Coherent Corp (formerly II-VI): Coherent is a global broad-line photonics and laser components manufacturer with overlapping capabilities in laser optics, multilayer coatings, and ultrafast instrumentation. Much larger than UFI, it represents the broad-incumbent competitive overhang.
• Thorlabs: Thorlabs is a large, broad-line optics and photonics manufacturer offering ultrafast optics, mirrors, beamsplitters, and pulse characterization instruments. It is much larger and broader than UFI but competes in the same ultrafast optical components category, particularly for research customers.
• Toptica Photonics: Toptica is a German manufacturer of laser systems, including ultrafast and tunable lasers commonly used with UFI's optics. It is a complementary customer relationship but also represents an adjacent photonics incumbent that could expand into components.
• Edmund Optics: Edmund Optics is a global optics manufacturer and distributor that also serves as UFI's exclusive industrial-market channel partner. It manufactures a broad catalogue of mirrors, beamsplitters, and laser-line optics that overlap with UFI's offering, making it both a partner and a competitor in adjacent segments.

Regional players

• Amplitude Laser Group: Amplitude manufactures ultrafast (femtosecond) lasers for industrial and scientific applications and is a major OEM buyer of high-LIDT ultrafast optics. It is primarily complementary (a customer) but operates in the broader ultrafast photonics value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UltraFast_UFI
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC41asGEIF88geeF5wDppCZQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/UltraFastInnovations
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ultrafast-innovations
• Instagraminstagram.com/ultrafastinnovations

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 UltraFast Innovations