Precision in Photonics. Together We Shape a Sustainable Future.
Turning Nobel-Prize-Winning Science into Technology.
Read About Our Co-Founder
Menlo Systems, headquartered in Martinsried near Munich, is a leading developer and supplier of cutting-edge instrumentation for high-precision metrology. Our Nobel Prize-winning frequency comb technology is internationally recognized as a benchmark for precision and reliability. With subsidiaries in the US, Japan, and China, and a global distributor network, Menlo Systems is closely connected to its customers from science and industry around the world.
Our main product lines are optical frequency combs, ultrastable microwave systems, solutions for time and frequency distribution, terahertz systems, femtosecond lasers, ultrastable lasers, and complete systems for quantum technology applications. In addition, we design and manufacture custom solutions for laser-based precision measurements.
Leading in Precision
Our mission is to accelerate the advancement of optical technology for precision measurements and their applications from the table tops of research laboratories to standard use in communication and high technology industries. Our aim is to serve our customers in pursuing their visions and ideas.
Menlo Systems was founded in 2001 by Professor Dr. Theodor W. Hänsch, Dr. Ronald Holzwarth, Dr. Michael Mei, and Alex Cable as a spin-off from the renowned Max-Planck-Institute for Quantum Optics (MPQ) in Garching near Munich.
Organized in a GmbH, the company counts more than 200 employees, the majority having a university degree in physics or engineering, united by the passion for precision in photonics. With the two industrial partners, Hamamatsu and Thorlabs, together we shape light in a unique way.
The invention of the optical frequency comb technology – a revolutionary and simple technique for measuring the frequency of light – has been called “…the biggest advance in precision electromagnetic measurements since people began to measure laser frequencies in the seventies…”.
Our mission is to accelerate the advancement of optical technology for precision measurements and their applications from the table tops of research laboratories to standard use in communication and high-technology industries. Our aim is to serve our customers in pursuing their visions and ideas. Our hope is to create a place for highly-skilled people in an open environment.
We deliver standard as well as customer inspired solutions of highest quality. The products are made in Germany and the systems are designed for 24/7 operation.
Our core technology originates in stabilized lasers for optical frequency comb generation, serving applications such as time and frequency metrology, high-resolution spectroscopy, Lidar, astronomy, or space borne metrology.
- The timing and synchronization systems provide perfect solutions for large-scale facilities such as geodetic observatories or particle accelerators.
- The ultrastable lasers enable complete systems for optical clock applications, and serve applications where pure optical signals are required. Specifically for quantum technology 2.0, our laser systems consisting of an optical frequency comb, an ultrastable reference laser, and application-optimized CW lasers, combine Menlo Systems’ core competencies into unique instruments that open up new application horizons for our customers.
- The terahertz time-domain spectrometers serve applications in spectroscopy and quality control.
- The femtosecond fiber lasers based on our patented figure 9® all-PM fiber technology offer excellent stability and low-noise operation. Besides being unique seed lasers for the above instruments, the lasers as stand-alone units find applications in diverse markets like life sciences, 3D printing and additive manufacturing, in material scribing or cutting, and in research and development.
Apart from complete solutions we also offer stabilization electronics, add-ons for metrology, and photodetectors for various applications.
Menlo Systems’ headquarters is located in Martinsried near Munich. We operate our US subsidiary in Boulder, Colorado, where it conducts in-house production, development, sales, and comprehensive customer support to serve clients across the US and Canada. In China, we have Menlo Systems Quantum Laser Technology Co. Ltd. With its co-location with Thorlabs China in Shanghai it allows us to give excellent technical support as well as excellent and in-time service to Chinese customers. In Japan with Menlo Systems K.K. and the partnership with Hamamatsu we have excellent support for the Japanese customers.
Our highly qualified engineers located at our subsidiaries guarantee excellent technical support as well as in-time service. For our customers, we offer webinars, frequency comb seminars, technology seminars, as well as application seminars at our headquarters as well as in selected places worldwide.
Powering Innovation Through Partnerships
Strategic partnerships are the key to customer satisfaction and our success. For more details on Menlo Systems’ strategic partner program, contact us at sales@menlosystems.com.
Industrial Partners
Thorlabs, Inc.
Our key strategic partner, renowned for its extensive portfolio of high-quality products in optics and optomechanics that empower innovation across the photonics industry.
Hamamatsu Photonics
Our key strategic partner, recognized worldwide for its leading opto-electronic components and advanced light detection technologies driving progress in photonics and beyond.
Research Partners
Pushing the Boundaries of Photonics
At Menlo Systems, research and development are at the heart of our innovation. Through collaborative R&D projects with leading academic and industrial partners, we drive progress in precision metrology, quantum technologies, and ultrafast photonics. These projects help us translate cutting-edge science into real-world solutions.
Committed to Excellence
Menlo Systems: a ISO 9001:2015 company
ISO 9001:2015 is the world’s most widely used and most important standard in quality management.
More than 10 years ago, Menlo Systems has successfully completed the ISO 9001:2015 audit process for the first time. All our processes and services have been tested in accordance with ISO 9001:2015. The successful certification demonstrates that Menlo Systems meets the highest quality standards. Since the first audit we have passed all audit processes successfully, and work with our auditors in a close dialogue every year to review our processes with the aim for continuous improvement.
Why do we care?
Of course we will hang the official certificate onto our wall in the headquarters.
More important: As the ISO 9001:2015 requires a process oriented quality management system we were testing and qualifying each single process in Menlo to ensure that we meet highest quality standards. From the order intake until the manufacturing process, all steps have to go hand-in-hand with the quality requirements to ensure highest quality lasers “Made in Germany”.
And it is an ongoing process: Continuous improvement is a cornerstone of the ISO 9001:2015. Also in future, we will focus on continuous improvement in all processes. This allows us to deliver standard products as well as customized systems of high complexity meeting highest quality standards.
So we do care because it is to the benefit of our customers. And we are committed to your feedback.
So help us to improve and send your feedback.
Michael Mei
Managing Director Menlo Systems