Opto-Electronic
System Design
Electronics specialists for precision optical instruments. From detector front-ends and FPGA firmware to custom PCBs and embedded control, we deliver complete electro-optical solutions from concept through production-ready designs.
- Prototype to Production
- 20+ Years Expertise
- Optics + Electronics Under One Roof
Opto-Electronic Design Capabilities
From individual photoreceiver circuits to complete electro-optical systems, we cover the full spectrum of opto-electronic design.
Photoreceiver Design
Custom photoreceiver boards optimized for your wavelength, bandwidth, and sensitivity requirements. From single-channel to multi-element arrays.
Avalanche Photodiode (APD) Circuits
High-sensitivity APD receiver designs with optimized bias circuits, temperature compensation, and low-noise transimpedance amplifiers.
Amplifier Design
Transimpedance amplifiers, low-noise preamps, and signal conditioning circuits designed for optical detection and measurement applications.
FPGA Design & Firmware
FPGA-based instrument control and high-speed data acquisition on Altera Cyclone with NIOS II soft processors, including correlator firmware for photon-counting and DLS instruments.
Custom PCB Design
Mixed-signal SMD board design in Altium: schematic capture, layout, signal integrity, and full US-sourced BOM generation ready for manufacturing.
USB Interface Design
USB 2.0 High-Speed device interfaces built on FTDI and custom controllers, with firmware, drivers, and host-side integration for instrument connectivity.
CCD Readout & Interface Electronics
Complete CCD readout chains with full voltage and timing analysis, low-noise clock generation, and analog front-end design for scientific imaging.
Thermal & TEC Control Electronics
Precision thermoelectric cooler drivers and thermal management circuits that keep detectors and laser sources at stable operating temperatures.
Servo & Actuator Control
Closed-loop servo and actuator control integrated into precision optical instruments. Focus mechanisms, beam steering, zoom drives, and automated alignment with sub-micron accuracy, including stepper and piezo motors.
Camera System Design
Complete camera system engineering from sensor selection and interface design to image processing pipelines and embedded firmware development.
Sensor Integration
Custom interface and readout electronics for OEM detectors, from Hamamatsu photosensor modules in scientific instruments to Avago integrated LED/photoreceiver encoders (AEDR-8300 series) in motion-control systems.
Board Bring-Up & Debug
Systematic bring-up, debug, and signal integrity analysis of new and existing boards. We find the root cause, not just the symptom.
Instrument Redesign & Electronics Modernization
Replacing obsolete components and redesigning legacy instrument electronics, keeping proven optical products manufacturable for years to come.
Opto-Electronic System Design Services
Detector, control, and interface electronics across a wide range of instruments and applications.
Opto-Electronic Solutions Across Sectors
Our electro-optical expertise spans medical devices, telecommunications, defense, industrial automation, and beyond.
Medical & Biomedical
Diagnostic instruments, surgical imaging, and patient monitoring systems
Telecommunications
Fiber-optic transceivers, optical switching, and signal processing
Defense & Aerospace
LIDAR, target acquisition, night vision, and ruggedized Opto-Electronic systems
Industrial Automation
Machine vision, quality inspection, laser processing systems
Scientific Research
Spectrometers, dynamic light scattering (DLS) instruments, photon-counting systems, and custom detectors for lab measurement
Consumer Electronics
Wearable sensors, smart home photonics, and optical interfaces
Recent Opto-Electronic Projects
A selection of electro-optical systems we've designed and delivered for our clients.
Designed a multi-channel photoreceiver with custom TIA achieving 10 GHz bandwidth for a fiber-optic communication application.
Engineered a temperature-compensated APD receiver module with integrated bias control for a long-range LIDAR system.
Complete camera system including sensor selection, FPGA-based image processing, and precision motor-driven autofocus for automated quality control.
Your Partner for Opto-Electronic Design
We combine deep optical expertise with electronics engineering to deliver systems that work.
Cross-Disciplinary Expertise
Most firms do optics or electronics. We do both, eliminating the integration gap between optical design and electronic implementation.
Concept to Production
We don't just hand off a schematic. From initial feasibility through PCB layout, prototyping, testing, and manufacturing support — we stay with your project end-to-end.
Proven Track Record
Over 20 years and hundreds of successful Opto-Electronic projects. From university research labs to Fortune 500 companies, our systems are deployed worldwide in production.
Opto-Electronic System Design FAQs
What opto-electronic design services does Optics for Hire provide?
OFH designs the electronics that make optical instruments work — detector front-ends, FPGA firmware, custom PCBs, and embedded control systems.
Specific capabilities include transimpedance amplifiers for APD, InGaAs, and PbS detectors; FPGA-based data acquisition and instrument control (Altera Cyclone, NIOS II); custom SMD PCB design in Altium with full US-sourced BOMs; USB 2.0 high-speed interfaces; CCD readout and timing electronics; thermal and servo control; and systematic board debug and signal integrity analysis.
What makes your opto-electronic design approach unique?
Most engineering firms specialize in either optics or electronics. Optics for Hire does both, eliminating the integration gap between optical design and electronic implementation. Our cross-disciplinary team of PhD-level engineers combines deep optical expertise with electronics engineering to deliver opto-electronic systems that work seamlessly — from photoreceiver circuits to complete camera systems with embedded firmware.
What industries do your opto-electronic designs serve?
Our opto-electronic system design services serve medical and biomedical (diagnostic instruments, surgical imaging), telecommunications (fiber-optic transceivers, optical switching), defense and aerospace (LIDAR,, night vision), industrial automation (machine vision, quality inspection, laser processing), scientific research (spectroscopy, custom detectors), and consumer electronics (wearable sensors, smart home photonics).
What size companies do you work with?
We design opto-electronic systems for companies of all sizes — from university research labs developing custom electro-optical instruments to Fortune 500 companies requiring production-ready opto-electronic assemblies. Our team scales to your project needs, whether you require a single photoreceiver circuit design or a complete camera system with sensor integration, firmware, and image processing.
Can you help me make a prototype?
Yes. Prototyping is a key stage in our opto-electronic design process. We take your electro-optical design from schematic through PCB layout and prototype assembly, then test and validate performance against your specifications.
Can you help with volume production?
Yes. Our opto-electronic design services extend from concept through volume production. We provide production-ready schematics, PCB layouts, firmware, and complete documentation packages. We stay with your project end-to-end — through manufacturing support, production testing procedures, and quality assurance — to ensure your electro-optical system performs at scale.
What types of photoreceivers and sensors do you design with?
Our opto-electronic engineers design custom circuits for a wide range of optical sensors and photoreceivers including silicon photodiodes, avalanche photodiodes (APDs), CCD and CMOS image sensors, and specialized photosensors from Hamamatsu and Avago. We design the complete signal chain — from transimpedance amplifiers and bias circuits to digital interfaces and embedded processing.
Can you design FPGA firmware for optical instruments?
Yes. FPGA design is a core capability. We develop FPGA-based data acquisition and instrument control on Altera Cyclone devices with NIOS II soft processors, including correlator firmware for photon-counting applications and high-speed real-time processing pipelines for imaging systems.
Can you redesign or modernize the electronics of an existing instrument?
Yes. We regularly take on instrument redesign and electronics modernization projects: replacing obsolete components, redesigning end-of-life boards, and bringing legacy designs into modern CAD (Altium) with US-sourced BOMs, so proven optical products stay manufacturable.