MP Technologies, LLC

MP Technologies, LLC is a photonics and semiconductor laser R&D company based in Wilmette, Illinois, specializing in mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) and Type-II superlattice infrared detector arrays for defense applications. Founded in 2000 (year of first SBIR award), the woman-owned firm has received over $21 million in Phase II SBIR/STTR awards from the U.S. Navy, NASA, and the Missile Defense Agency. Core research programs include ring-cavity surface-emitting QCL arrays for power scaling at 4.5 microns, widely tunable multi-section QCLs for infrared countermeasures and standoff chemical detection, high-power UV lasers based on III-Nitride materials, and LWIR Type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice focal plane arrays with suppressed surface leakage currents. The company collaborates with Northwestern University as its primary research institution. Its laser and detector technologies address defense needs including aircraft infrared countermeasures, directed-energy systems, free-space communications, and long-range spectroscopic sensing. Principal investigator Dr. Yanbo Bai leads research in collaboration with Northwestern faculty.