After almost a year of construction, Laser Components Detector Group, which researches, develops and manufactures semiconductor detectors, has moved into a new, larger building in Chandler.
The company has been in Phoenix since 2004.
Laser Components Detector, which brings its highly skilled workforce to the Uptown Chandler employment corridor, has been instrumental in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic by manufacturing CO2 detectors used in ventilators produced by medical-equipment manufacturers.
In the new building, at 2277 N. Nevada St., optoelectronic components for key technologies, such as medical technology and autonomous driving, will be manufactured.
It is the latest advancement in the city’s growing high-tech industry. Laser Components Detector Group currently has 40 employees. The new building will allow for future employment growth to 80 in a single-shift operation in the production facility and more than 200 in a three-shift rotation.
“For us, the new production center is also a clear commitment to the Phoenix metropolitan region,” said Patrick Paul, CEO of the Laser Components Group. “In recent years, Chandler, in particular, has developed into a center for future technologies, such as autonomous driving. We look forward to continuing to operate in such an exciting and dynamic environment.”
During the planning stages, great importance was assigned to elements that have been tested and proven at the company headquarters in Germany: spacious social rooms, such as a cafeteria with open areas, and ultra-modern offices that support working in small teams.
ISO Class 10,000 cleanrooms occupy almost half of the 29,000-square-foot facility. Air locks in the entrance area and in the passageways for material transfer ensure strict particle control. In addition, the floor, work stations, and cleanroom clothing are protected against electrostatic discharge in accordance with IEC and ANSI industry standards.
“With this building, we are able to meet the rapidly increasing demand for our technologies and create a basis for growth in the coming years,” said Raj Chakraborty, who recently took over management of the site from co-founder Dragan Grubisic.
Laser Components Detector Group specializes in a several technologies. In addition to silicon and InGaAs avalanche photodiodes for the detection of the smallest amounts of light, their product range includes pyroelectric detectors for flame detection and PbS/PbSe-, InAs, and InGaAs photodiodes, which are mainly used for gas measurement.
“This advanced technology company is truly pushing the frontiers of innovation and we wish them many years of success at their state-of-the-art building,” said Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke.
Detection of light is its business through detectors capable of detecting light of intensity as low as a single photon, which in the wavelength range is well beyond the sensitivity of the human eye.
The Detector Group specializes in engineering custom designs of individual configurations, resulting in high-performance Silicon Photodiodes, InGaAs Avalanche Photodiodes, pyroelectric detectors and Lead Salt IR Detectors for use in the detection of the smallest amounts of light and radiation.
It fabricates, assembles, and tests the vast majority of these products in-house.
Its product range extends from low-cost APDs for commercial applications to high-end components used in military and aerospace applications. Its products feature in cutting-edge applications, such as LiDAR for autonomous vehicles, drone technology and satellite missions. It also specializes in building complete receivers that are engineered to demonstrate high sensitivity, high wavelength range, and large frequency bandwidth.
