Class 5 Photonics

Class 5 Photonics GmbH is a German laser technology company based on the DESY campus in Hamburg. It was founded in 2014 as a spin-off of the Deutsches Elektronensynchrotron (DESY) and the Helmholtz-Institute Jena, and it develops and manufactures ultrafast, high-power laser systems built around optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) and advanced nonlinear optical technologies such as high-harmonic generation (HHG). The company describes its mission as delivering ultrafast, high-power laser systems and EUV technology at outstanding performance to advance demanding applications from bio-imaging to ultrafast material science and attosecond science. Class 5 Photonics' product portfolio spans tunable OPCPA systems, lasers for 2-photon and 3-photon microscopy, micromachining lasers, XUV HHG sources and Ho:YLF gigawatt lasers. Its White Dwarf family of multiphoton microscopy lasers includes the White Dwarf 2p, White Dwarf 3p, White Dwarf hybrid and White Dwarf dual, while the Black Dwarf targets voltage 2-photon microscopy and micromachining. The company also introduced ARGO, a modular multi-color laser suite designed for advanced spectroscopy applications, and the tunable White Dwarf WD-1300-1700-pro for 3-photon microscopy. These systems are used in multiphoton microscopy, attosecond science, material science and photo-electron spectroscopy. The company is a private company that grew out of ultrafast research, and its team has more than a decade of experience building robust OPCPA systems that have won several awards for their high performance. In 2021 Class 5 Photonics moved to the Start-up Labs, and by 2022 it had become a leader in 3-photon microscopy. In 2023 it demonstrated its first >200 W multi-pass cell, and in 2024 it reached its first industry customers. The company is led by Managing Partner and founder Dr. Robert Riedel. In a notable consolidation of the ultrafast laser sector, the Lithuanian laser manufacturer Light Conversion acquired Class 5 Photonics GmbH. The cooperation between the Lithuanian and German laser manufacturers is set to strengthen their market position as suppliers of advanced ultrafast technologies. Class 5 Photonics therefore operates as a subsidiary within the Light Conversion group while continuing to develop its OPCPA-based laser platforms from its Hamburg home base.

Class 5 Photonics GmbH was founded in 2014 as a spin-off of the Deutsches Elektronensynchrotron (DESY), described by the company as the world-leading EUV/X-ray synchrotron laboratory, and the Helmholtz-Institute Jena. The company was established to commercialize ultrafast, high-power laser technology, and it built its technology platform around optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA), a nonlinear amplifier concept that combines chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) with optical parametric amplification (OPA). This approach allows ultrashort femtosecond pulses to be amplified to high pulse energies at high repetition rates, and it became the basis of the company's product line. From its home base on the DESY campus in Hamburg, Class 5 Photonics developed complete laser system integrations comprising a commercial Yb-based pump laser, white light generation (WLG) for a broadband seed pulse, a stretcher, an optical parametric amplifier and a compressor. Over more than a decade the team built robust OPCPA systems that won several awards for their high performance. The company's mission is to deliver ultrafast, high-power laser systems and EUV technology at outstanding performance to advance demanding applications from bio-imaging to ultrafast material science and attosecond science. The company's growth story includes several dated milestones. In 2021 Class 5 Photonics moved to the Start-up Labs. In 2022 it became a leader in 3-photon microscopy. In 2023 it demonstrated its first >200 W multi-pass cell. In 2024 it reached its first industry customers. Alongside these steps, the company expanded its product portfolio across tunable OPCPA systems, multiphoton microscopy lasers, micromachining lasers, XUV HHG sources and Ho:YLF gigawatt lasers, and introduced products such as the White Dwarf family, the Black Dwarf, the ARGO modular multi-color laser suite and the tunable White Dwarf WD-1300-1700-pro. A major turning point came when the Lithuanian laser manufacturer Light Conversion acquired Class 5 Photonics GmbH. The cooperation between the Lithuanian and German laser manufacturers is set to strengthen their market position as suppliers of advanced ultrafast technologies. Under Light Conversion ownership, Class 5 Photonics continues to operate from Hamburg as a subsidiary within the group, led by Managing Partner and founder Dr. Robert Riedel.

• 2024

  Reached its first industry customers.

• 2023

  Demonstrated its first >200 W multi-pass cell.

• 2022

  Became a leader in 3-photon microscopy.

• 2021

  Class 5 Photonics moved to the Start-up Labs.

• 2014

  Class 5 Photonics GmbH founded as a spin-off of DESY and the Helmholtz-Institute Jena.

• Light Conversion acquires Class 5 Photonics GmbH.

Developer of award-winning ultrafast, high-power OPCPA laser systems and EUV technology for demanding scientific and industrial applications.

• White Dwarf 2p

  Two-photon microscopy laser for high-speed volumetric imaging; wavelength 920 nm or 960 nm; average power > 2 W or > 4 W; repetition rate 10 MHz; based on an industrial-grade Yb-based femtosecond laser.

• White Dwarf 3p

  Three-photon microscopy laser for deep-tissue imaging at highest frame rates; wavelengths 1300 nm and 1700 nm; repetition rate up to 5 MHz; average power up to 5 W; based on an industrial Yb femtosecond laser.

• Black Dwarf

  Laser for 2P voltage imaging and micromachining; pulse energy > 35 µJ; average power > 35 W; pulse duration < 100 fs.

• White Dwarf hybrid

  Laser for simultaneous 2-photon and 3-photon microscopy; wavelengths 960 nm and 1300 nm; average power > 3 W or > 5 W; optimized for hybrid microscopy; based on an industrial Yb femtosecond laser.

• White Dwarf dual

  Dual-channel laser for 2- and 3-photon volumetric and deep-tissue imaging with red and green markers; wavelengths 920 nm, 960 nm, 1300 nm and 1700 nm; average power > 3 W or > 5 W; based on an industrial Yb-fiber femtosecond laser.

• ARGO

  A modular, multi-color laser suite designed for advanced spectroscopy applications.

• White Dwarf WD-1300-1700-pro

  Tunable laser for 3-photon microscopy.

• Tunable OPCPA systems

  Tunable optical parametric chirped pulse amplification laser systems.

• XUV HHG sources

  Extreme ultraviolet sources based on high-harmonic generation.

• Ho:YLF gigawatt lasers

  Ho:YLF gigawatt-class laser systems.

• Micromachining lasers

  Lasers for micromachining applications.

1. 1Class 5 Photonics - Ultrafast, high-power laser technologyclass5photonics.com
2. 2About - Class 5 Photonicsclass5photonics.com
3. 3OPCPA - Class 5 Photonicsclass5photonics.com
4. 4Products - Class 5 Photonicsclass5photonics.com
5. 5Class 5 Photonicswikidata.org