Raytum Photonics LLC

Raytum Photonics LLC is a minority-owned small business limited liability company established in 2015 and headquartered in Beltsville, Maryland, specializing in advanced photonics research and development. The company brings substantial expertise in fiber laser systems, optical component design, high-power laser engineering, and specialized photonics technologies that serve the federal government's defense and scientific research objectives. As an Asian-Pacific American owned manufacturer of goods, Raytum Photonics has established itself as a trusted federal contractor with a demonstrated track record of delivering innovative optical and photonics solutions across multiple federal agencies.

Through federal contract awards, Raytum Photonics has primarily worked with the Air Force Research Laboratory and Naval Air Warfare Center on both large definitive contracts and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program initiatives. The company's most significant contract is an $1.8 million firm fixed-price award from the Air Force Research Laboratory for the development of an active distributed pump signal combiner for high-power fiber laser systems, which is set aside for total small businesses and scheduled for completion in November 2027. Additionally, Raytum Photonics has received multiple SBIR Phase I purchase order contracts from the Air Force Research Laboratory, including awards for optical fiber combiners designed to combine mid-wave infrared quantum cascade laser output ($179,990), prototype isolators evaluated using low and high-power lasers ($179,998), and fiber combiner prototype design enhancements through analytical and numerical modeling ($179,998). The company also received an $1.099 million SBIR Phase II cost-plus-fixed-fee contract from Naval Air Warfare Center for research and development in photonics and optics capabilities. Furthermore, Raytum Photonics secured a $167,454.42 SBIR Phase I definitive contract from the Department of the Army Materiel Command's Research Development and Engineering Command for work on ultra-sensitive Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) active substrates. All federal contract awards to Raytum Photonics have been designated as total small business set-asides.

Through federal grant awards, Raytum Photonics has primarily partnered with the Department of Energy's Office of Science under the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049), demonstrating the company's capabilities in fundamental scientific research and advanced photonics development. Recent project grants awarded in February 2025 include $206,500 for developing a highly sensitive slope sensor for surface metrology using an external cavity laser and $206,500 for radiation-tolerant high emissivity coatings using quantized nanolaminates, both with performance periods extending through November 2025. Earlier DOE Office of Science grants from February 2022 included $199,992 for a tunable fiber laser system in the visible wavelength range for photocathode drive, $199,992 for precise control of particle orbits in accelerators using machine learning technology, and $199,995 for a broadband low aberration composite magnet sextupole lens. Additional project grants supported the development of specialized optical components including a low insertion loss high power cryogenic Faraday isolator for carbon dioxide wavelengths ($199,993, awarded June 2021) and high-performance dichroic filters for large-scale neutrino detector systems (awarded June 2021). These grant awards reflect Raytum Photonics' alignment with the Office of Science's mission to advance scientific understanding through basic research and the development of innovative scientific tools and instrumentation.