Photon Spot — vendor dossier

Photon Spot

Sources & detectorsEnabling supply chain
P

US single-photon-detection vendor selling superconducting-nanowire single-photon-detector (SNSPD) systems and sub-Kelvin cryogenic packages to quantum-information, deep-space-optical-comms, and instrumentation customers. Founded in 2009 by Vikas Anant and bootstrapped on product sales and R&D contracts. Longstanding NASA/JPL supplier, with SNSPDs flown on the Deep Space Optical Communications demonstration and the Artemis II laser-comm system. Flagship Eos-series fibre-coupled SNSPDs report >95% system detection efficiency at 1550 nm. Competes with Single Quantum and IDQ; NIST CHIPS Act award funds a large-format SNSPD camera cryostat.

HQ
Monrovia, California, USA
Founded
2009
Status
private
Last verified
Fri May 15 2026 08:00:00 GMT+0800 (Singapore Standard Time)

Timeline

200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026202720282029today
2009
Photon Spot founded by Vikas Anant (MIT EE PhD 2007) to commercialise SNSPD systems for the research market
2020
NASA Deep Space Optical Communications — 80 Mb/s downlink demonstrated by JPL using Photon Spot SNSPDs
2022-12
JOSA / Journal of Lightwave Technology — Photon Spot SNSPDs benchmarked in optical-communications system (NIST collaboration)
2023
8x8 imaging SNSPD array (with JPL) delivered to Heriot-Watt University in a compact rack-based cryogenic system
2024
Artemis II laser-comm SNSPD systems delivered in collaboration with NASA JPL; supports lunar-mission optical downlink
2026
Ultra-compact, ultra-low-vibration cryostat for large-format SNSPD cameras (NIST/CHIPS Act award)
shipped milestone public roadmap

Current flagship

Eos series SNSPD — fibre-coupled multi-channel SNSPD with sub-Kelvin closed-cycle cryostat (>95% SDE at 1550 nm, ~1-2 cps dark count)

Milestones

  1. 2024
    Artemis II laser-comm SNSPD systems delivered in collaboration with NASA JPL; supports lunar-mission optical downlink
    Sources & detectors blog source ↗
  2. 2023
    8x8 imaging SNSPD array (with JPL) delivered to Heriot-Watt University in a compact rack-based cryogenic system
    Sources & detectors blog source ↗
  3. 2022-12
    JOSA / Journal of Lightwave Technology — Photon Spot SNSPDs benchmarked in optical-communications system (NIST collaboration)
    Sources & detectors paper source ↗
  4. 2020
    NASA Deep Space Optical Communications — 80 Mb/s downlink demonstrated by JPL using Photon Spot SNSPDs
    Sources & detectors blog source ↗
  5. 2009
    Photon Spot founded by Vikas Anant (MIT EE PhD 2007) to commercialise SNSPD systems for the research market
    Sources & detectors press source ↗

Roadmap

  • 2026 Ultra-compact, ultra-low-vibration cryostat for large-format SNSPD cameras (NIST/CHIPS Act award) source ↗

Capability details

2 unverified fields
  • milestones — Photon Spot historically rarely issues press releases — milestone dates inferred from vendor solutions page and customer announcements; year-only granularity
  • shareholders — Private, bootstrapped — no disclosed cap table

People

  • Vikas Anant — Founder & CEO (since 2009) ↗

References