Our mission and values

Our mission at Class 5 Photonics is to deliver ultrafast, high-power laser systems and EUV technology at outstanding performance to advance the research and science of our customers.

• Innovation and technology driver:
  We offer award-winning products serving the ultrafast community with wavelengths ranging from high-flux extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to high-field Terahertz. We continously innovate to enable researchers in physics, chemistry, and biology to conduct outstanding research at the frontiers of technology.
  

 

• Competence:
  Our experienced team has a strong background in ultrafast research with the goal to achieve the maximum benefit for our customer‘s application by a tailored laser design and user-friendly operation.
  
  
• Excellence in service:
  We offer high quality, solution oriented service to solve our customer's problems with very fast response times and remote service capabilities.

Read our latest news

Management team

Dr. Robert Riedel

Managing Partner
Chief Executive Officer
CEO

Dr. Michael Schulz

Managing Partner
Chief Technology Officer
CTO

Klaus Schmidt

Chief Operations Officer
COO

Our growth story

2020

Class 5 Photonics continues to grow and has now 14 full time employees.

2019

Growing and moving again - now to the DESY Innovation Village.

​2018

WINNER OF SPIE PRISM AWARDS (LASERS)
WINNER OF LASERFOCUSWORLD INNOVATORS AWARD GOLD

2017

Move to new headquarter at DESY campus.
Launch of Supernova OPCPA and Supernova IR OPCPA.

​2016

Launch of White Dwarf IR OPCPA.
First delivery of a White Dwarf dual OPCPA to life-science customer.

2015

First customer contracts.

2014

Winner of the OptecNet Photonics Award (StartUp Challenge).
Class 5 Photonics was founded as a spin-off company of the German particle accelerator facility Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrontron DESY in Hamburg and launched the first product (White Dwarf OPCPA).

2013

First demonstration of a 112 W burst-mode OPCPA system for the Free-Electron Laser FLASH at DESY.

2010

 First demonstration of a 60 kHz repetition rate sub-10 fs, OPCPA with 2 W average power and 3 GW peak power in collaboration with the Institute of Applied Physics in Jena.

2008
​
 Helmholtz Young Investigator Group for high power laser development at DESY founded. The group leader, Dr. Franz Tavella, and his group members are the later founding team of Class 5 Photonics.

Careers

Working student / Werkstudent (m/w/d) - Marketing