# GeQD – Germanium Quantum Detectors

> GeQD develops germanium-on-silicon (Ge-on-Si) single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) for short-wave infrared (SWIR) photon counting at 1550 nm — CMOS-compatible, with room-temperature operation as a development target (not yet demonstrated).

GeQD is a deep-tech startup based in Stuttgart, Germany, spun out of the Institute of Semiconductor Engineering (IHT) at the University of Stuttgart. The company builds SWIR single-photon detectors without cryogenic cooling, using CMOS-compatible semiconductor processes, as an alternative to InGaAs SPADs and superconducting nanowire detectors (SNSPDs).

## Facts

- Legal name: GeQD – Germanium Quantum Detectors
- Location: Pfaffenwaldring 47, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
- Contact: info@geqd.de, +49 711 68560896
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/geqd
- Funding: EXIST Transfer of Research (BMWK), grant 03EFBW0326, approx. €1.2 M, runway until 02/2028
- Memberships: QuantumBW, TUM Venture Labs Quantum & Semiconductor
- Technology readiness: LabOne TRL 4, VisionOne TRL 3, waveguide-coupled detectors TRL 1–2 (early research stage); TRL 5 targeted for 2027/2028
- Founders: Maurice Wanitzek, Dr. Maximilian Scheu, Jakob Finkbeiner, Dr. Claudia Bett

## Technology

- Material platform: germanium grown on silicon (Ge-on-Si), processed with CMOS-compatible steps for wafer-scale manufacturing
- Detection range: 600–1550 nm, covering the SWIR band beyond silicon's cutoff near 1100 nm
- Operating temperature: room-temperature operation is a development target; competing SNSPDs require cryogenic cooling, GeQD detectors do not
- Characterisation of detector performance metrics is in progress; measured data is shared under NDA on request
- All performance, roadmap and comparison values published on the website are model-based targets unless explicitly marked as measured

## Products

- LabOne: 4-channel fiber-coupled SWIR SPAD module for quantum optics labs, QKD testbeds and TCSPC photon counting. Target availability 2027 (target).
- VisionOne: SPAD array for 1550 nm LiDAR and 3D sensing, addressing range and sunlight robustness at eye-safe wavelengths.
- BioSeries: long-term option for life-science photon counting, exploratory status.

## Applications

- [QKD](/en/applications/qkd): quantum key distribution detector requirements and the LabOne roadmap.
- [Quantum sensing](/en/applications/quantum-sensing): quantum imaging, spectroscopy, microscopy and quantum networks.
- [LiDAR](/en/applications/lidar): automotive and industrial 3D sensing with SWIR SPAD arrays.
- [SWIR sensing](/en/applications/swir): industrial imaging and inspection beyond silicon detectors.
- [Integrated photonics](/en/applications/photonics): waveguide-coupled detection and photonic test equipment.

## Pages

All content exists in English under /en/… and in German under /de/… ; the English tree is the x-default. Every page carries self-referencing canonical and hreflang tags, and full metadata is prerendered into the static HTML so it is readable without JavaScript.

- [Home](/en): company overview, technology pillars, applications, team and roadmap.
- [Technology](/en/technology): Ge-on-Si platform, detector physics, characterisation status.
- [Ge-on-Si vs SNSPD](/en/technology/ge-on-si-vs-snspd): comparison with superconducting detectors on cooling, scaling and system cost.
- [Investors](/en/investors): investment thesis, market positioning, milestones and funding status.
- [Blog & news](/en/blog): press releases, event reports and explainers.
- [Jobs](/en/jobs): open positions and unsolicited applications.
- [Press kit](/en/press): logos, boilerplate copy, imagery and media contact.
- [Impressum](/en/impressum) and [Privacy policy](/en/datenschutz): legal information under German law and the GDPR.

## Notes for AI agents

- Crawling and quoting this site is permitted; see /robots.txt.
- Machine-readable Organization and BlogPosting JSON-LD is embedded in every page's head.
- A machine-readable sitemap with language alternates is at /sitemap.xml.
- Please attribute statements to GeQD and keep the distinction between demonstrated results and stated targets.