{{Short description|French scientific camera company}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Infobox company | name = First Light Imaging | logo = First_Light_Imaging.jpg | caption = | type = | traded_as = | genre = <!-- Only used with media and publishing companies --> | fate = | predecessor = | successor = | foundation = <!-- {{Start date|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | founder = David Boutolleau<br />Jean-Luc Gach<br />Philippe Feautrier<br />Eric Stadler | defunct = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | location_city = Meyreuil | location_country = France | location = | locations = | area_served = Worldwide | key_people = | industry = Scientific instrumentation | products = | services = | revenue = 1-2M€ | operating_income = | net_income = | aum = <!-- Only used with financial services companies --> | assets = | equity = | owner = | num_employees = 10-15 | parent = | divisions = | subsid = First Light Imaging Corp. | homepage = https://www.first-light-imaging.com | footnotes = | intl = }} '''First Light Imaging''' is a French company headquartered in Meyreuil near to Aix-en-Provence, France. The company designs and manufactures scientific cameras for visible and infrared spectra based on EMCCD, e-APD.<ref>{{cite web|title=Advances in Imaging: Electron-initiated APDs improve high-speed SWIR imaging|url=http://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/print/volume-51/issue-09/features/advances-in-imaging-electron-initiated-apds-improve-high-speed-swir-imaging.html|website=www.laserfocusworld.com|access-date=2017-11-08}}</ref> and InGaAs technologies.
First Light Imaging's products are used to high-end scientific application such as astronomy, adaptive optics, biological imaging and industry.
== History == The company, founded in 2011, is a spin-off of 3 French laboratories: Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG) and the Haute-Provence Observatory (OHP).
The European Commission as part of the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument phase 2 has supported First Light Imaging for the development of C-RED One, an ultrafast low noise short-wavelength infrared commercial camera based on e-APD MCT technology.<ref>{{cite web|title=First Light Imaging Wins EC Grant to Develop IR Camera|url=https://www.photonics.com/Article.aspx?AID=57318|access-date=2017-11-08}}</ref>
First Light Imaging is a member of several French competitiveness clusters: Optitec, Alpha-Route des Lasers and Opticsvalley.
First Light Imaging is also a member of Aix-Marseille French Tech.<ref>{{cite web|title=First Light Imaging, Aix-marseille French Tech|url=https://amft.io/startup/first-light-imaging/|website=amft.io|date=8 January 2023 }}</ref>
In January 2016, First Light Imaging created a US subsidiary located in San Francisco, California.
10 January 2024, First Light Imaging is acquired by Oxford Instruments.
== Products == First Light Imaging designs and manufactures high speed and low noise scientific cameras for both visible and infrared spectra. * OCAM² is an ultrafast low noise camera, coming from a transfer of know-how from French laboratories and leading to the creation of the company. OCAM² is operating on the visible wavelength (from 400 to 900 nm) and based on an EMCCD sensor from E2V / Teledyne.<ref>{{cite web|title=Teledyne e2v wins CCD contract for world's largest telescope camera {{!}} Imaging and Machine Vision Europe|url=https://www.imveurope.com/news/teledyne-e2v-wins-ccd-contract-worlds-largest-telescope-camera|website=www.imveurope.com|language=en|access-date=2017-11-08}}</ref> A version with an electronic shutter embedded is also available. * C-RED One is a scientific camera operating on the short-wave infrared wavelength (from 0.8 to 2.5 μm) based on a e-APD MCT sensor from LEONARDO. * C-RED 2 is a scientific camera operating on the short-wave infrared wavelength (from 0.9 to 1.7 μm) based on an InGaAs sensor from SOFRADIR.
First Light Imaging's cameras are used at the Subaru Telescope<ref>{{cite web|title=First images with the new pyramid wavefront sensor|url=https://www.naoj.org/Projects/SCEXAO/06hotnews/index.html|website=Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics|date=October 2014|access-date=2017-11-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214182815/https://www.naoj.org/Projects/SCEXAO/06hotnews/index.html|archive-date=2017-12-14|url-status=dead}}</ref> in Hawaii; the GranTeCan telescope<ref>{{cite web|title=Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias - IAC - Divulgación|url=http://www.iac.es/divulgacion.php?op1=16&id=718|website=www.iac.es| date=19 December 2011 |language=es|access-date=2017-11-08}}</ref> in the Canary Islands; and the MIRC-X interferometry instrument on the CHARA Telescope.<ref>{{cite web|title=C-Red One IR interferometer now operational at the CHARA telescope array|url=http://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/2017/10/c-red-one-ir-interferometer-now-operational-at-the-chara-telescope-array.html|website=www.laserfocusworld.com|date=22 October 2017 |access-date=2017-11-08}}</ref>
Since 2014, First Light Imaging also brings its expertise to the JPL NASA.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=2014-05-19|title=First Light Imaging reconnue par la NASA|url=http://www.latribune.fr/regions/paca/20140519trib000830751/first-light-imaging-reconnue-par-la-nasa.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2017-03-11|website=La Tribune.fr|language=French}}</ref>
== Awards == 2014: The French Newspaper La Provence has rewarded First Light Imaging during its Economic Awards annual ceremony.<ref>{{cite web|title=Trophées de l'économie de La Provence, sept lauréats récompensés {{!}} CCIMP|url=https://www.ccimp.com/actualite/entreprises/30377-trophees-leconomie-provence-sept-laureats-recompenses|website=www.ccimp.com|language=fr|access-date=2017-11-03|archive-date=2017-12-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214184644/https://www.ccimp.com/actualite/entreprises/30377-trophees-leconomie-provence-sept-laureats-recompenses|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=trophées Entreprendre FIRST LIGHT IMAGING {{!}} Initiatives TV|url=http://www.initiatives.tv/trophees-entreprendre-first-light-imaging|website=www.initiatives.tv|access-date=2017-11-03|archive-date=2017-12-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214183026/http://www.initiatives.tv/trophees-entreprendre-first-light-imaging|url-status=dead}}</ref>
2015: First Light Imaging's founder Jean-Luc Gach was rewarded on January 13 with the Crystal Medal of the CNRS among 16 people. This medal honors very innovative engineers and technicians who contribute to French Research Excellency.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jean-Luc Gach a reçu la médaille de Cristal du CNRS - Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers - Institut Pythéas|url=https://www.osupytheas.fr/?Jean-Luc-Gach-a-recu-la-medaille|website=www.osupytheas.fr|language=fr|access-date=2017-11-03}}</ref>
2016: First light Imaging won the Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation in the "Imaging and Cameras" category, for the development of C-RED One. The Prism Awards is a leading international competition, organized by SPIE and Photonics Media<ref>{{cite web|title=SPIE Professional: Prism Awards Honor 9 innovative products|url=https://spie.org/membership/spie-professional-magazine/spie-professional-archives-and-special-content/2016_april_archive/2016-prism-awards-9-winners|website=spie.org|access-date=2017-11-08}}</ref>
==Acquisition==
On 10 January 2024, it was announced that Oxford Instruments acquired First Light Imaging.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oxford Instruments acquires First Light Imaging SAS |url=https://www.oxinst.com/news/oxford-instruments-acquires-first-light-imaging-sas/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Oxford Instruments |language=en}}</ref>
== References == <references />
Category:French companies established in 2011 Category:Optics manufacturing companies