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optoSiC

HardwareBad Homburg v. d. Höhe, GermanyFounded 2003· One of 1739 Hardware companies tracked by AMPulse

Develops and manufactures high-performance SiC (silicon carbide) galvo scanning mirrors and fast steering mirrors for laser-based systems, serving as critical optical components in additive manufacturing, defense, and industrial laser processing.

CEO / Founder
Luc Themelin
Team Size
5001-10000
Stage
Active
Total Funding
$4.38B
Latest Round
IPO
Key Investors
Bpifrance Participations, Amiral Gestion SA, Janus Henderson Investors UK Ltd

Technology & Products

Key Products

Galvo Scanning Mirrors (4mm–500mm apertures, standard XY series: XY20G, XY35G); Fast Steering Mirrors for defense and aerospace; SCANcoat 1080-H (high-reflectivity coating for 1070nm fiber lasers, lower deformation vs. standard dielectric coatings); SCANcoat 1030-H (coating for 1030nm wavelength); SCANcoat 1550-HD (coating for 1550nm wavelength); OEM customer-specific SiC mirrors and optical/mechanical design services; Mounting solutions for commonly used galvo systems

Technological Advantage

(1) CLAIMED: Highest thermal and mechanical stability of any optically polishable material; lighter weight enabling faster galvo scan speeds; SCANcoat coatings show lower deformation than standard dielectric coatings at 1070nm. (2) VERIFIED: Mersen Boostec SiC selected for ESA Herschel (3.5m primary mirror, 2009) and GAIA space telescopes; ESO Extremely Large Telescope M4 adaptive optic and M5 mirror; CNES SME Label for SiC space optics manufacturing. Technical partnership with Canon for galvano scanner motors with SiC mirrors. Member of Spectaris (German industry association for optics/photonics). ADVANTAGE TYPE: Material science moat — proprietary sintered SiC process (Boostec) with 25+ years of aerospace-qualified heritage creates high switching costs for OEM customers who have qualified SiC mirrors in their laser systems.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

SiC optoSiC+ material delivers the highest combination of thermal and mechanical stability of any optically polishable material, enabling galvo mirrors with lower thermal deformation than standard dielectric coatings at 1070nm fiber laser wavelengths — critical for maintaining beam precision in high-power laser sintering and melting processes used in metal/polymer AM systems. Mirrors available from 4mm to 500mm apertures reduce system weight while maintaining stiffness, enabling faster scan speeds and higher throughput in laser-based AM builds.

How They Differentiate

optoSiC differentiates through its exclusive use of proprietary sintered SiC (optoSiC+) rather than silicon, copper, or beryllium alternatives. SiC offers ~3x higher thermal conductivity than silicon and ~2x higher specific stiffness, enabling mirrors that maintain optical flatness under multi-kilowatt laser loads — a critical advantage in high-power AM systems where thermal deformation directly impacts part quality. The 4mm–500mm aperture range (claimed up to 1000mm per Laser Focus World) is among the broadest in the SiC galvo mirror market. Unlike silicon mirror suppliers (e.g., Coherent), optoSiC's SiC substrates can withstand higher laser power densities without thermal warping, making them particularly suited for next-generation multi-kW laser AM systems.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

OEM manufacturers of laser scanning systems, galvo scanner integrators, additive manufacturing equipment builders, defense contractors, and industrial laser processing system providers.

Industry Verticals

Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing; Defense & Aerospace; Industrial Laser Processing; Semiconductor Equipment; Space & Astronomy (via parent Mersen Boostec)

Competitors

Coherent (silicon-based galvo mirrors for laser scanning systems); Pleiger Laseroptics (SiC mirrors for laser applications); Avantier (custom SiC mirrors for high-performance optics)

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Parent Mersen SA reported 2024 revenue of €1,244M (~$1.29B), with record sales. optoSiC identifies additive manufacturing as one of its most rapidly growing market segments. Mersen's 9-month 2025 sales totaled €895M.

Major Milestones

1891 — Mersen (originally Carbone Lorraine) founded in Pagny-sur-Moselle, France; 2010 — Carbone Lorraine renamed to Mersen; IPO on Euronext Paris (MRN); 2015 July — Mersen acquires 95.07% stake in Boostec (SiC manufacturing expertise); 2019 — optoSiC brand launches, first exhibited at LASER World of PHOTONICS; 2022 — Launch of XY20G and XY35G galvo mirror product lines; 2023 — optoSiC exhibited at LASER World of PHOTONICS; 2024 — Mersen achieves record sales of €1,244M; SCANcoat 1080-H coating introduced for AM fiber laser market; 2025 — optoSiC exhibits at Formnext 2025; technical partnership with Canon announced; SCANcoat 1030-H and 1550-HD coatings launched; 2025 July — Salvador Lamas appointed COO as CEO succession plan

Notable Customers

Canon

https://www.optosic.de

Why this company matters

Mersen's optoSiC division produces galvo scanning mirrors and fast steering mirrors from proprietary sintered silicon carbide (optoSiC+), a material that combines high thermal conductivity, specific stiffness, and mechanical stability. These mirrors are designed to resist thermal deformation at 1070nm fiber laser wavelengths, a common wavelength in laser powder bed fusion and selective laser sintering systems. The product line includes the XY20G and XY35G galvo mirror series with apertures from 4mm to 500mm, as well as SCANcoat coatings optimized for 1030nm, 1070nm, and 1550nm lasers.

The company targets OEMs building laser scanning systems, galvo scanner integrators, and additive manufacturing equipment makers. Its SiC mirrors are lighter than alternatives, enabling faster scan speeds and higher throughput in metal and polymer AM builds. Mersen's parent company, a publicly traded industrial group with €1.24 billion in 2024 revenue, provides manufacturing scale and global distribution across 33 countries. A technical partnership with Canon pairs optoSiC mirrors with Canon galvano scanner motors for high-end laser systems.

optoSiC's material science heritage traces to the 2010 acquisition of Boostec, a French SiC specialist whose optics have flown on ESA's Herschel and GAIA space telescopes and the ESO Extremely Large Telescope. This aerospace qualification creates switching costs for OEM customers who have validated SiC mirrors in their laser systems. The main competitive risk comes from silicon-based mirror suppliers such as Coherent, though SiC's higher thermal conductivity and stiffness give it an edge in next-generation multi-kilowatt AM systems where thermal warping directly affects part quality.