INTERVIEW
pump-probe measurements. Science has always been a passion— mathematics and physics came naturally to me. At Vilnius University, laser research was one of the most prominent and successful disciplines, so when the opportunity arose to work in a laser laboratory, I seized it. Following my PhD, I initially intended to pursue a postdoctoral position but struggled to find a suitable opportunity. At that time, Light Conversion was operating within the Laser Research Centre, just across the corridor from my laboratory. I was already familiar with their technology, frequently using their devices and consulting their engineers. The company offered me a position, which I initially saw as temporary— perhaps a year before securing a postdoc role. That was in 2009, and I have remained with the company ever since.
What have been your positions at Light Conversion? I started as an engineer, focusing on customized systems, before transitioning to the role of the company’ s sole laser service engineer. Over time, I took on service management responsibilities, then sales management, where I remained for several years. For the past six years, I have been leading the company. During my tenure, Light Conversion has grown from approximately 47 employees to over 650— a remarkable transformation in just 16 years.
Where are your offices located? Our headquarters, as well as our primary manufacturing and R & D facilities, are in Vilnius, Lithuania. Additionally, we maintain sales and service offices in Bozeman, Montana( USA), Shenzhen( China), and Daejeon( South Korea). In Japan, we collaborate with distributors who also provide technical support. However, the majority of our research and development remains centralized in Vilnius.
How would you describe Light Conversion’ s market reach? Given the specialized nature of our industry, we have operated on a global scale since the company’ s inception. Our market is not defined by geographical boundaries but rather by technical requirements. This is particularly true for the scientific sector. Even within industrial applications, femtosecond laser technology remains a niche compared to continuous-wave or nanosecond lasers. As a result, we naturally evolved into a globally oriented enterprise, serving customers across various regions. Rather than making a conscious decision to target specific markets, our international presence emerged as a necessity driven by demand. Wherever there is a concentration of advanced research institutions or high-precision manufacturing industries, we are present. Our global service centers reflect this reach— while we directly serve customers in Europe, we rely on our regional offices and distribution partners to provide localized support in other parts of the world.
How would you describe your main markets? I would say that we are in a niche market. From the very beginning of our company, we aimed to serve the global market, whoever needs these types of devices. It ' s less about being market-specific and more about being specification-specific. Our focus is mainly on scientific applications, but industrial uses are growing. Femtosecond lasers are not as widespread as CW lasers or nanosecond lasers, but the demand is rising. In the industrial sector, applications tend to require high precision or minimal collateral damage, so if something can be done with a less expensive laser, people tend to opt for that. But where precision is key, we see higher adoption of femtosecond lasers. This market is highly diverse— medical applications, OLEDs, consumer electronics, automotive, and luxury products all rely on short-pulse lasers. Some of these markets are smaller, but they offer unique applications that our technology supports well. Overall, it ' s a broad market, with niche applications where precision and quality are paramount.
Do you sell primarily to academia or industry, or is it a mix of both? We started with scientific research and academia, but as the company grew, we expanded into the industrial sector. Now it ' s about half academia and half industry.
What are the main applications of your products? The applications are very diverse. Femtosecond lasers are more complex and expensive than longer pulse lasers, so industries typically use them where precision, minimal collateral damage, or small modifications are necessary. In medical applications, lasers are used for eye surgery and small-diameter stent cutting. In the display industry, they ' re used for OLEDs, and in consumer electronics, for cutting brittle materials. Automotive applications involve precision hole drilling, and luxury devices benefit from small-scale laser modifications. So it ' s a very diverse market, without a dominating application like the metal sheet cutting and welding that ' s common for CW lasers. Femtosecond lasers are often chosen for specialized applications where precision or flexibility is a significant advantage.
Lithuania has a rich history in optics and photonics. As the CEO of a major company in this field, how do you view the role of Lithuania in the global photonics ecosystem, and how do you continue to foster and support this legacy? We have a unique ecosystem here in Lithuania. In the capital, Vilnius, photonics and laser research have a strong presence, even though Lithuania has a relatively small population of 2.8 million. Vilnius itself has around 600,000 inhabitants. We have over 2,000 employees working in photonics and laser companies here, which is impressive not only in terms of numbers but also in the variety of expertise. We have precision mechanics for optics, custom coatings, laser components, and applications for both scientific and industrial uses. It’ s a specialized and broad field, and this diversity is key to our success. The growth potential here is significant because many companies are focusing on niche markets like academia, which is more demanding technologically. There ' s still room to scale up and serve larger industrial markets. The success of our laser companies here in Lithuania is self-propelling. Just like
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