Ondax

What Ondax does

Ondax is a precision photonics company that designs, manufactures, and markets high-performance holographic optical filters, wavelength-stabilized laser sources, and integrated spectroscopy systems. Its core technology is based on Volume Bragg Gratings (VBGs) — solid-state holographic filters formed within proprietary photosensitive glass using a patented manufacturing process that the company markets under the TruSet brand, and SureLock wavelength-stabilized lasers that use VBG locking for ultra-narrowband output. Ondax has extended this VBG and laser foundation into higher-level systems, notably THz-Raman spectroscopy platforms (including High Throughput Screening Systems and Modular Solutions / Process Control products) that probe low-frequency vibrational modes for polymorph identification, crystallinity analysis, formulation stability, and characterization of polymers, minerals, semiconductors, and energy materials.

The company serves analytical instrumentation OEMs and research institutions across pharmaceutical, materials science, semiconductor, and energy markets. Its customer base is primarily horizontal by industry but concentrated at the OEM-buyer level, with components and subassemblies designed into customers' finished instruments. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales, with quote-based pricing for specialized instruments and no published list pricing. Ondax is a privately held company headquartered in Monrovia, California, founded in 2000, and now operates as a subsidiary of Attalon, Inc., following an acquisition.

Ondax's revenue model rests on three streams: sale of integrated optical systems and stabilized lasers (hardware sales), sale of VBG gratings and optical filters as OEM components, and custom spectroscopy solutions built using the TruSet process. The company has raised approximately $16M+ across multiple equity rounds from 2001 through 2011, with investors including Arcturus Capital, Gabriel Venture Partners, Caltech, Mellon Ventures, Alcatel Ventures, Corning Technology Ventures, Pasadena Angels, Prospector Equity Capital, TCA Venture Group, and Hunter Capital Group. Scientific founders Christophe Moser (CTO) and Demetri Psaltis (Chairman), both affiliated with Caltech, anchor the company's technical depth in holography and photonics.

Name

Ondax

Legal name

Attalon, Inc.

Website

https://ondaxinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ondax designs and manufactures holographic Volume Bragg Grating filters, wavelength-stabilized lasers, and THz-Raman spectroscopy systems for analytical instrumentation OEMs and research institutions in pharmaceutical, materials science, semiconductor, and energy markets. Now operates as a subsidiary of Attalon, Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photonics / Precision Optical Components

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (3344)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Holographic optical filters
• Wavelength-stabilized lasers
• Volume Bragg gratings
• Raman spectroscopy systems
• Photonics components

Headquarters

HQ city

Monrovia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Optical Systems and Lasers: Sale of advanced optical systems including High Throughput Screening Systems, SureLock wavelength-stabilized lasers, and spectroscopy instruments. These are specialized precision instruments sold to analytical instrumentation manufacturers and research institutions.
2. VBG Gratings and Filters: Volume Bragg Gratings and optical filters sold as components for integration into customer systems. Features patented manufacturing, rigorous testing, consistency, reproducibility, and full traceability.
3. Custom Spectroscopy Solutions: Bespoke spectroscopy solutions from integrated subassemblies to complete systems, built using proprietary TruSet™ process. Targeted at difficult analytical challenges requiring specialized measurement capabilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Ondax designs, manufactures, and markets high-performance holographic optical filters and wavelength-stabilized laser sources built on proprietary Volume Bragg Grating (VBG) technology. The company supplies these optical components and laser subsystems to analytical instrumentation manufacturers, pharmaceutical and biomedical researchers, and industrial process-control integrators for use in Raman spectroscopy, high-throughput screening, and laser-based measurement applications.

Product overview

Ondax is a precision optics and laser technology company offering a portfolio of advanced optical systems, stabilized lasers, and VBG (Volume Bragg Grating) filters. The product lineup includes High Throughput Screening Systems featuring THz-Raman™ spectroscopy for materials analysis; Modular Solutions and Process Control systems built on the proprietary TruSet™ process; SureLock™ Wavelength Stabilized Lasers with VBG technology for analytical instrumentation; and Gratings and Filters including Volume Bragg Gratings for holographic filtering applications. These products serve materials characterization, semiconductor, energy, pharmaceutical, and analytical instrumentation markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SureLock: SureLock Wavelength-Stabilized Lasers - ultra-narrowband VBG wavelength locking lasers providing high spectral brightness, low mode noise, and exceptional stability
• TruSet
• THz-Raman

Products and services

• High Throughput Screening Systems Optical-filtering-based systems used for high-throughput screening applications in pharmaceutical and biomedical research, leveraging Ondax's VBG-based filtering technology to enable rapid spectroscopic analysis of samples.
• Modular Solutions and Process Control Modular optical subassemblies and process-control components built around VBG filters and stabilized lasers, intended for integration by industrial instrumentation manufacturers into process monitoring and control systems.
• SureLock Wavelength-Stabilized Lasers Wavelength-stabilized laser sources using Ondax's proprietary Volume Bragg Grating locking technology, designed to deliver narrow-linewidth, drift-free output for Raman spectroscopy, interferometry, and other precision optical applications.
• Gratings and Filters Holographic optical filters and Volume Bragg Gratings (VBGs) used as core spectral-selection components in spectroscopy, laser linewidth control, and analytical instrumentation, including the company's TruSet and THz-Raman product lines.

Quantifiable outcome

• THz-Raman enables analysis of low-frequency vibrational modes beyond conventional Raman spectroscopy, revealing crystal structures, polymorphs and intermolecular interactions

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Attalon, Inc.coreOthersOndax has been acquired and is now part of Attalon, Inc., integrating into a larger industrial technology company. The Ondax brand continues to operate from ondex.com with Attalon providing corporate ownership and likely expanded operational resources.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Coherent Corp. Coherent is a broad incumbent photonics company offering lasers, optics, and spectroscopy components; it overlaps with Ondax's wavelength-stabilized laser and optical filter portfolio at much greater scale.
• IPG Photonics: IPG Photonics is a broad incumbent in laser sources for industrial and scientific markets, providing wavelength-stabilized and specialty lasers that overlap with Ondax's SureLock™ line.
• HORIBA Scientific: HORIBA Scientific is a major Raman and analytical-spectroscopy system OEM that both purchases and competes with suppliers of wavelength-stabilized lasers and advanced optical modules.
• Thorlabs: Thorlabs offers a broad catalog of photonics, laser, and spectroscopy components, including wavelength-stabilized lasers and optical filters that overlap with Ondax's product lines.
• MKS Instruments: MKS provides photonics-based components and subsystems including lasers and optical filters used in analytical instrumentation, overlapping with Ondax's VBG and laser offerings through its Ophir and Photonics Solutions units.

Emerging players

• Edmund Optics: Edmund Optics supplies optical filters and components to spectroscopy and laser OEMs, partially overlapping with Ondax's VBG filter offerings for analytical instrumentation.
• TeraView Ltd. TeraView develops terahertz and low-frequency vibrational spectroscopy systems, intersecting with Ondax's THz-Raman low-frequency vibrational analysis capabilities in materials characterization.

Direct peers

• Toptica Photonics: Toptica produces high-performance diode and frequency-stabilized lasers for spectroscopy and quantum applications, competing with Ondax's SureLock™ wavelength-stabilized laser line in the analytical-instrumentation OEM market.
• Wasatch Photonics: Wasatch Photonics manufactures Volume Bragg Grating filters and Raman spectroscopy systems, directly competing with Ondax's VBG/THz-Raman product lines for OEM spectroscopy and research customers.
• Renishaw: Renishaw manufactures Raman spectroscopy systems and is a leading OEM customer/competitor in the same space where Ondax sells THz-Raman modules and SureLock™ lasers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ondax

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors10 records

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 Ondax