What LASEROPTIK GmbH does

LASEROPTIK GmbH is a privately held, family-owned German specialty manufacturer of high-LIDT (laser-induced damage threshold) optical thin-film coatings, founded in 1984 by Dr. Johannes Ebert as a spin-off from the University of Hanover's Institute of Quantum Optics. The company designs and produces coated laser optics for industrial laser systems, medical devices, and scientific research installations, operating from a single 7,900 m2 site in Garbsen near Hanover. Its offering spans wavelengths from VUV (120 nm) to MIR (>2500 nm) and includes high-reflection mirrors, anti-reflection coatings, partial reflectors, polarizers, complex filters, dispersive/chirped mirrors, OPO coatings, and substrates.

The technology portfolio is the broadest in the industry, with over 40 coating machines across seven deposition methods: Thermal Evaporation, Electron Beam Evaporation, Ion-Assisted Deposition, Magnetron Sputtering, Ion Beam Sputtering, and Atomic Layer Deposition. LASEROPTIK was the first professional coating company outside the USA to offer IBS (2007) and operates 18 IBS machines including four large-optics systems capable of coating substrates up to 2m in length or 550mm in diameter. It also pioneered conformal ALD coatings on fibers and 3D substrates (since 2018). Annual production averages approximately 180,000 coated optics, supported by a proprietary design library of 28,000 coating designs and 13,000 in-house substrates. Demonstrated specifications include CW LIDT above 86 MW/cm² at 1070 nm and 0.9 J/cm² at 42 fs / 805 nm for petawatt-class ultrafast mirrors supplied to ELI Beamlines' HAPLS project.

Revenue is generated primarily through three channels: custom thin-film coatings made to specification via direct expert consultation; stock/standard coatings ordered through the LOOP online portal (1,200+ ready items); and the premium LASEROPTIK EXPRESS 24-hour rapid prototyping service. Customers include industrial laser system builders (Coherent, TRUMPF, Jenoptik), scientific users (DESY, ELI Beamlines, Marvel Fusion), and medical technology firms (TECHNOLAS/Wavelight/Alcon). Pricing is quote-based in EUR with 30-day payment terms; the company is ISO 9001:2015 certified and family-controlled under CEO Dr. Wolfgang Ebert, with no institutional investors, external funding, or M&A activity disclosed.

Name

LASEROPTIK GmbH

Legal name

LASEROPTIK GmbH

Website

https://laseroptik.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Family-owned German specialty manufacturer of high-LIDT optical thin-film coatings for laser optics, serving industrial laser systems, medical devices, and scientific research customers with the industry's broadest deposition-method portfolio across 40+ coating machines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laser Optics and Thin-Film Optical Coatings

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors) (IMAGAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Laser optics
• Thin film coatings
• High LIDT coatings
• Ion beam sputtering
• Optical components

Headquarters

HQ city

Garbsen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Optical Coatings: Bespoke thin film coatings manufactured to customer specifications using various deposition techniques. Production capacity of approximately 180,000 coated optics per year on average. Includes standard coatings (AR, HR, PR, filters, polarizers) and special coatings (dispersive, chirped mirrors, OPO).
2. Stock/Standard Coatings: Pre-designed, ready-coated optics available from stock through LOOP online portal. Online access to more than 1,200 coatings and standard substrates from database stock with 28,000 different coating designs and 13,000 own substrates.
3. LASEROPTIK EXPRESS (24h Service): Rapid prototyping and overnight coating service for urgent customer requirements. Special premium service for expedited turnaround.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

LASEROPTIK GmbH manufactures high laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) laser optics and thin-film coatings for industrial, medical, and scientific customers. The company operates seven coating technologies in-house, including ALD, Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS), Magnetron Sputtering, Electron Beam Evaporation, Ion-Assisted Deposition, and Thermal Evaporation, and complements this with an online ordering portal (LOOP) and an expedited service (LASEROPTIK EXPRESS).

Product overview

LASEROPTIK GmbH is a manufacturer of high LIDT laser optics and coatings operating from VUV to IR wavelengths. The core product portfolio centers on thin film coatings (including HR mirrors, AR coatings, polarizers, filters, and dispersive coatings) applied to various optical substrates. Key product lines include LOOP (the online configurator portal with 28,000+ coating designs), LASEROPTIK EXPRESS (24-hour coating service), smartLIDT (AI-powered automated LIDT measurement system), and IBS coatings for large optics up to 2m. The company operates over 40 coating machines using 6-7 different methods (IBS, EBE, IAD, MS, ALD, TE) and produces approximately 180,000 coated optics annually, primarily serving industry, medical technology, and scientific research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LOOP: LASEROPTIK ONLINE PORTAL - a web-based system providing online access to more than 1,200 coatings and 390 standard substrates out of their database stock with 28,000 different coating designs and 13,000 own substrates.
• LASEROPTIK EXPRESS

Products and services

• High LIDT Laser Optics and Coatings Custom and catalog high-LIDT coated laser optics and thin-film coatings for industrial laser systems, medical laser devices, and scientific research applications.
• Dispersive Coatings Thin-film coatings engineered with specific dispersive properties for pulse compression, chirped mirrors, and other wavelength-dependent applications.
• IBS Coatings High-performance ion beam sputtered thin-film coatings for the most demanding LIDT and spectral performance requirements.
• Optical Substrates Optical substrates supplied to customers, either as polished blanks or in combination with LASEROPTIK coating services.
• Special Coating Types Specialty thin-film coatings for unique customer specifications that fall outside the standard catalog offerings.
• Coatings on Special Substrates Thin-film coatings applied to specialty substrate materials (e.g., non-standard glasses, crystals, or unusual geometries) for custom applications.
• Coatings for Special Applications Custom thin-film coating solutions tailored to specific application requirements such as research, medical, or industrial laser use cases.
• LOOP (LASEROPTIK Online Portal) Web-based ordering platform that allows customers to conveniently configure, order, and manage purchases of coated optics and related products.
• LASEROPTIK EXPRESS Premium expedited manufacturing and delivery service for customers requiring faster-than-standard turnaround on coated optics.

Quantifiable outcome

• CW LIDT of >86 MW/cm² (irradiance) and >634 kW/cm (linear power density) demonstrated at 1070nm
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Long-standing cooperation with research partner in thin film development, measuring methods, and LIDT certification. Currently cooperating on smartLIDT project (2024-2026) for AI-supported automated laser damage threshold testing. VUV spectrometer built by LZH. Joint development of coating techniques and measurement devices.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing cooperation in development of new coating techniques and improvement of coating materials. External qualifications for scattering measurements available at IOF.
• Institut für Nanophotonik Göttingen e.V. (IFNANO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation in development of coating techniques and coating materials. Formerly known as LLG (Laser-Laboratorium Göttingen).
• Investitions- und Förderbank Niedersachsen – NBankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for smartLIDT project. Project funded through European Fund for Regional Development (EFRE). Project duration: 01.01.2024 – 30.06.2026.
• ELI BeamlinescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation on HAPLS petawatt laser project - world's highest average power petawatt laser system. LASEROPTIK supplied large area ion beam sputtered dielectric ultrafast mirrors for beam transport system. LIDT of 0.9 J/cm² at 42 fs achieved.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Jenoptik: German photonics and optics group with laser optics and coated optics product lines that overlap directly with LASEROPTIK's offerings. Serves similar industrial laser and semiconductor customers, and is itself a reference customer of LASEROPTIK, illustrating the buyer/supplier overlap common in this space.
• Edmund Optics: Global optics manufacturer and distributor with a significant laser optics and thin-film coating product line. Comparable to LASEROPTIK on coated laser optics but at much larger catalog scale and broader customer reach.
• Thorlabs: Broad optics and photonics catalog supplier offering coated optics, mirrors, and thin-film components. While Thorlabs spans much wider optics categories, its coated laser optics business directly competes with LASEROPTIK's standard and custom offerings.
• Coherent Corp. Large vertically integrated laser and photonics manufacturer that is both a major customer of LASEROPTIK (40+ year collaboration) and a competitor in high-power laser optics manufacturing. Closely comparable on end products (laser mirrors, coated optics) but at much greater scale and broader portfolio.
• IDEX Corporation (CVI Laser Optics / Meller Optics): IDEX owns laser optics businesses (CVI Laser Optics, Meller Optics) that produce coated laser mirrors, partial reflectors, and polarizers directly comparable to LASEROPTIK's offerings, with broader industrial conglomerate backing.
• II-VI Infrared (now part of Coherent) / Laser Optics: Pre-Coherent-merger II-VI operated a substantial laser optics and coatings business that remains part of Coherent's portfolio today. Relevant as a historical and ongoing direct competitor in precision thin-film coated optics for high-power lasers.

Direct peers

• Omega Optical: US-based manufacturer of optical filters and thin-film coatings serving laser, medical, and scientific markets. Closely comparable technology base (thin-film deposition) and customer segments to LASEROPTIK, particularly for filters and specialty coatings.
• Chroma Technology: Specialty manufacturer of optical filters and thin-film coatings for laser, biomedical, and aerospace applications. Comparable niche specialty-coating business model and customer overlap in life sciences and research segments.
• Alluxa: Specialty thin-film optical coating manufacturer focused on hard-coated filters and high-performance laser optics. Closely comparable technology platform (plasma/IAD deposition) and similar target customers in laser and life sciences instrumentation.
• Materion Corporation (Optics Balzers): Through its Optics Balzers brand, Materion manufactures thin-film coated optical components including laser mirrors and IBS-coated optics—directly comparable technology and product overlap with LASEROPTIK's core coating portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/laseroptik

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 LASEROPTIK GmbH