What Superlum Diodes does

Superlum Diodes Ltd is a privately held Irish photonics company founded in 1992 and headquartered in Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork. The company designs and manufactures low-coherence light sources, principally Superluminescent Light Emitting Diodes (SLEDs/SLDs) covering the 660-1620 nm spectral band and fiber-coupled Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs) at 785-1060 nm with up to 25 dB fiber-to-fiber gain. Its product portfolio spans bare SLD/SOA chips in butterfly and DIL packages, specialized current drivers and temperature controllers, integrated SLD light source modules, benchtop and OEM broadband light sources combining up to four spectrally shifted SLDs (up to 300 nm FWHM and 35 mW ex-fiber), and a family of AOTF-based tunable swept lasers (Broadsweeper). Notable differentiated offerings include harsh-environment SLDs rated -50°C to +125°C, ultra-compact PCB-mountable OEM modules (BLL, 45x60x21.5 mm), and an integrated Variable Optical Attenuator option for distortion-free power control.

The company sells primarily to industrial and academic customers in six end-use verticals: medical and industrial Optical Coherence Tomography, fiber-optic gyroscope navigation and aerospace, atomic force microscopy and metrology, machine vision imaging systems, and optical component testing. Pricing is quote-based with multi-year contract cadence, and products are CE-marked, RoHS/REACH-compliant, and manufactured under ISO 9001:2015.

Superlum distributes via a global direct door-to-door sales motion supplemented by regional distributors, supported by participation in major photonics trade shows (Laser World of Photonics Munich and China, SPIE Photonics West, BiOS, CLEO/EQEC) and a long-tenured customer base of over 250 companies worldwide. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed funding rounds, no subsidiaries, and no parent company; no M&A activity or executive leadership changes are recorded in the available data.

Name

Superlum Diodes

Legal name

Superlum Diodes Ltd

Website

https://superlum.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Superlum Diodes is a privately held Irish photonics company founded in 1992 that designs and manufactures low-coherence light sources (SLEDs and SOAs), broadband light sources, and tunable swept lasers for medical and industrial OCT, navigation, metrology, and machine vision applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photonics Components

NAICS

Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (3344)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors) (IMAGAJAF), Amplifiers & Comparators (HDAHAIAC)

Keywords

• Superluminescent light emitting diodes
• Semiconductor optical amplifiers
• Broadband light sources
• Photonics components
• OCT light sources

Headquarters

HQ city

Carrigtwohill

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Photonics Hardware Products: SUPERLUM generates revenue through selling specialized photonics hardware including SLEDs/SLDs, SOAs, drivers, light source modules, broadband light sources, tunable swept lasers, and customized products. Both benchtop and OEM solutions are offered. Pricing is quote-based, suggesting B2B enterprise sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Superlum Diodes designs and manufactures low-coherence light sources based on Superluminescent Light Emitting Diodes (SLEDs/SLDs) and Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs) covering the spectral range from 660 to 1620 nm. The product portfolio includes discrete SLDs and SOAs, supporting drivers and temperature controllers, integrated SLD light source modules, benchtop and OEM broadband light sources, tunable swept lasers, optical boosters, and customized R&D solutions for medical, industrial, and research customers.

Product overview

SUPERLUM is a photonics company specializing in low coherent light sources for over 25 years. The product portfolio centers on Superluminescent Light Emitting Diodes (SLDs) and Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs) covering the spectral range from 660 to 1620nm, with ultra-high power (up to 100 mW) and ultra-broadband (up to 300 nm) options. These core components are complemented by supporting products including specialized drivers, SLD Light Source Modules, Benchtop and OEM Broadband Light Sources (Broadlighter-M, cBLMD, BLL), Tunable Swept Lasers (Broadsweeper series), and Optical Boosters. The company also offers customized solutions through its R&D team. Products serve applications in Medical OCT, Industrial OCT, fiber-optic sensors, navigation, metrology, and imaging systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Superluminescent Light Emitting Diodes (SLDs) Low coherent light sources (SLDs) covering 650-1620 nm in fiber-pigtailed (SM, PM, MM) packages (DBUT, DIL, miniBUT); available in standard and harsh-environment (-50C to +125C) variants for medical OCT, industrial OCT, FOG, AFM, and machine vision applications.
• Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs) Optical amplifiers based on semiconductor gain media offered at 785, 800, 840, 870, 930, and 1060 nm wavelengths with gain bandwidth up to 75 nm and fiber-to-fiber gain up to 25 dB.
• SLD Drivers and Temperature Controllers Specialized current drivers and temperature controllers required for safe and stable operation of SLDs, which are sensitive to surges and spikes of driving current.
• SLD Light Source Modules Integrated light source modules combining an SLD with a high-precision current driver and temperature controller in one enclosure, with optional modulation (ON/OFF) at up to 50 kHz and optional integrated optical isolator.
• Broadlighter-M Benchtop Broadband Light Sources Benchtop low-coherent broadband light sources combining 2, 3, or 4 spectrally shifted single-mode SLDs, providing 3 dB spectrum width up to 300 nm and output power up to 35 mW, with optional integrated optical isolator and USB or TTL remote control.
• cBLMD OEM Broadband Light Sources OEM version of the Broadlighter-M benchtop broadband light source, designed for integration into customer systems, with optional integrated optical isolator and USB or TTL remote control.
• BLL OEM Ultra-Compact SLD Light Source Ultra-compact (45x60x21.5 mm) OEM SLD light source designed for integration onto PCB boards, compatible with most SUPERLUM SLDs, with an optional Evaluation Board for quick setup and testing.
• Broadsweeper BS-840-1 OEM Swept Wavelength Tunable Laser Compact swept wavelength tunable semiconductor laser tunable between 810-880 nm with linear sweep speeds from CW to 10000 nm/s, 3 mW output (boostable to 20 mW), 0.05 nm FWHM linewidth, and USB remote control.
• OEM Tunable Swept Laser with Optical Booster OEM tunable swept laser (805-875 nm) based on a unique AOTF external cavity design with no moving parts, with output boostable to 20 mW via an external Power Booster.
• Customized Solutions and R&D Services R&D services for development of new photonics products and modification of existing products, delivered by the in-house R&D team for both commercial and academic projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Low coherence light sources with spectral band from 660 to 1620 nm
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CAPPA (Centre for Advanced Photonics and Process Analysis)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUPERLUM collaborates with CAPPA on photonics research and development. CAPPA is the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Process Analysis, an Irish research center focused on photonics applications.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NKT Photonics: Danish supplier of fiber lasers, supercontinuum sources, and related photonic components serving OCT, metrology, and aerospace. Competes in the same OCT and sensor end-markets as Superlum via complementary broadband source architectures.
• Thorlabs: US-based broad-line photonics and optics catalog supplier offering its own SLDs and SOAs alongside thousands of adjacent components. Larger, more diversified incumbent competing with Superlum in research and OEM accounts.
• Toptica Photonics: German specialist in tunable diode lasers and broader laser-based light sources for research, biophotonics, and metrology. Adjacent incumbent competing in high-end tunable and swept-source applications that overlap with Superlum's Broadsweeper line.
• Hamamatsu Photonics: Japanese diversified photonics manufacturer with broad SLD, laser diode, and detector offerings for medical, industrial, and scientific markets. Adjacent competitor with much greater scale and vertical integration.

Direct peers

• Innolume: German maker of quantum-dot SLDs and SOAs covering 800–1350 nm. Overlaps directly with Superlum on broadband light sources for OCT, fiber gyroscopes, and sensor instrumentation.
• DenseLight Semiconductors: Singapore-based supplier of SLDs, SOAs, and laser diodes for sensing, imaging, and test & measurement. Competes with Superlum in the same SLD/SOA product class with global OEM reach.
• QPhotonics: German developer and manufacturer of SLDs, SOAs, and quantum-dot light sources. Competes head-to-head with Superlum in low-coherent light sources for OCT, spectroscopy, and fiber-optic sensing.
• Exalos AG: Swiss specialist in broadband SLDs and SOAs for OCT, fiber-sensing, and metrology. Directly competes with Superlum across the same SLED/SOA product category and serves overlapping OCT and sensing customers.

Emerging players

• ID Photonics: Germany-based supplier of test and measurement instruments for optical components including SLD-based broadband sources. Smaller, emerging player with overlapping product and customer footprint.

Others

• Frankfurt Laser Company: German distributor and integrator of laser diodes, SLDs, and SOAs from multiple manufacturers. Functions as a channel partner/distributor in Europe overlapping with Superlum's go-to-market motion toward research and industrial customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/superlumdiodes
• Facebookfacebook.com/superlumdiodes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/superlum-ireland

Compliance5 records

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 Superlum Diodes