1 Global Diffraction Gratings Market Outlook
The global Diffraction Gratings market is projected to exhibit substantial growth in the coming years, with a CAGR of 7.28% from 2024 to 2033, reaching a total market size of $257.64 million USD in 2024. A diffraction grating is an optical element that divides (disperses) light consisting of many different wavelengths (such as white light) into light components by wavelength. The simplest type of grating is one with a large number of evenly spaced parallel slits.
Figure Global Diffraction Gratings Market Size and Growth Rate (2024-2033)

2 Diffraction Gratings Market Growth Drivers and Constraints
The diffraction gratings market is driven by the increasing demand for these optical components in scientific research and various industries, as they play a crucial role in applications such as spectroscopy, laser technology, and telecommunications. The growing need for high-performance optical solutions in emerging markets is also contributing to market growth. However, the industry faces challenges, including high technical barriers that require significant investment in research and development, as well as the need for skilled personnel to innovate and manufacture these products. Additionally, the market is constrained by its concentration in high-end applications, necessitating efforts to diversify and expand into new sectors to enhance growth opportunities.
3 Diffraction Gratings Market M&A Activities
In 2022, II-VI Incorporated successfully completed its acquisition of Coherent, Inc., a leading global provider in materials, networking, and lasers. This strategic merger has expanded II-VI’s capabilities across the value chain, from materials to components, subsystems, systems, and services, leveraging the combined strengths of both organizations. The acquisition is expected to enhance II-VI’s position in the market by offering a broader range of advanced technologies that are transformative across multiple industries. The new combined entity, operating under the name Coherent, aims to serve four key markets: Industrial, Communications, Electronics, and Instrumentation, with a total addressable market of $65 billion. This move signifies II-VI’s commitment to driving innovation in areas such as cloud technology, 3D sensing, electric vehicles, additive manufacturing, and the commercialization of space, among others, as they move towards a more mobile, intelligent, and electrified future.
4 Global Diffraction Gratings Market Analysis by Type
In 2024, the global sales of diffraction gratings are projected to reach 2,750.5 thousand units, indicating a continued growth in the market. This figure is a significant increase from the previous years and represents a substantial share of the total market. The market share for each type of diffraction grating in 2024 is anticipated to be as follows: ruled gratings are expected to account for 57.62% of the total sales, forecasting to 1584.7 K units, while holographic gratings are projected to capture 42.38% of the market share, accounting for 1165.8 K units. Together, these two types of gratings will comprise the entire market share, reflecting the dominance of these products in the global diffraction grating industry for the year 2024.
Table Global Diffraction Gratings Sales and Share by Type in 2024
Type | Sales in 2024 (K Units) | Market Share in 2024 (%) |
---|---|---|
Ruled Gratings | 1584.7 | 57.62% |
Holographic Gratings | 1165.8 | 42.38% |
5 Global Diffraction Gratings Market Analysis by Application
In 2024, the global diffraction gratings market for applications is anticipated to show significant growth, with sales reaching an estimated 2,750.5 thousand units. The market share distribution for the various applications is expected to be led by the Monochromator and Spectrometer segment, which is projected to capture 69.20% of the total market share, accounting for 1903.3 K units. The Laser application is forecasted to account for 11.67% of the market share, accounting for 321 K units, while the Optical Telecom segment is expected to hold a 12.75% share, accounting for 350.6 K units. The Astronomy application will represent a smaller portion of the market with 3.56%, accounting for 98 K units, and Others will take up 2.82%, accounting for 77.6 K units. These percentages indicate the diversified application areas of diffraction gratings and the importance of each sector in the overall market landscape for the year 2024.
Table Global Diffraction Gratings Sales and Share by Application in 2024
Application | Sales in 2024 (K Units) | Market Share in 2024 (%) |
---|---|---|
Monochromator and Spectrometer | 1903.3 | 69.20% |
Laser | 321.0 | 11.67% |
Optical Telecom | 350.6 | 12.75% |
Astronomy | 98.0 | 3.56% |
Others | 77.6 | 2.82% |
6 Global Diffraction Gratings Market Analysis by Region
regional growth, with total sales projected to reach 2,750.5 thousand units. The market share distribution across regions is anticipated to be as follows: North America is expected to hold a market share of 35.93%, accounting for approximately 988.3 thousand units; Europe is projected to capture 27.26%, representing around 749.7 thousand units; and Asia Pacific is expected to hold 34.39%, equating to approximately 946.0 thousand units. Additionally, Latin America is forecasted to account for 1.37%, with about 37.8 thousand units, and the Middle East and Africa is expected to represent 1.04%, corresponding to approximately 28.7 thousand units. These figures underscore the varying levels of market penetration and growth potential of diffraction gratings across different geographical regions, indicating a continued reliance on these optical components in a range of applications and industries worldwide.
Figure Global Diffraction Gratings Sales Market Share by Region in 2024

7 Top 3 Companies of Global Diffraction Gratings Market
7.1 HORIBA
Company Introduction and Business Overview:
HORIBA, established in 1945, is a renowned Japanese manufacturer of precision measuring and analytical instruments. With a global presence, HORIBA specializes in the production of instruments for vehicle exhaust measurement, environmental monitoring, medical applications, and scientific research. As one of the top analytical and life science instrument companies worldwide, HORIBA has a strong foothold in the diffraction gratings market.
Products Offered:
HORIBA offers a diverse range of diffraction gratings for industrial applications, which include high-volume production of OEM gratings manufactured from standard master gratings or customized to meet specific technical requirements. These gratings are used in various applications such as colorimetry, HPLC, telecommunications, life science, and analytical instruments. HORIBA Scientific also provides a broad spectrum of products that utilize these gratings, including spectrometers and hyperspectral cameras. In addition to these, HORIBA Scientific extends its offerings to gratings for scientific research used in applications like ultrafast and high-energy lasers, space flight, astronomy, and synchrotrons.
Sales Revenue in the Latest Year:
HORIBA reported sales of 478.7 thousand units, with a revenue of $43.01 million, reflecting a strong market position in the diffraction gratings segment.
7.2 MKS Instruments (Newport Corporation)
Company Introduction and Business Overview:
Founded in 1961, MKS Instruments, Inc. is a global provider of instruments, systems, subsystems and process control solutions that measure, monitor, deliver, analyze, actuate and control critical parameters of advanced manufacturing processes, to improve the process performance and productivity of our customers.
Newport is a brand of the MKS Instruments Photonics Solutions division. The Newport product portfolio includes a full range of solutions including precision motion control, optical tables and vibration isolation systems, photonic instruments, optical and optomechanical assemblies.
Products Offered:
MKS Instruments (Newport Corporation), a leading global provider of precision motion control, photonic instruments, and optomechanical assemblies, specializes in custom diffraction gratings for a variety of industries. These gratings, designed in partnership with OEM instrument manufacturers’ optical engineers and scientists, are tailored to achieve optimal spectral efficiency, wavelength dispersion, substrate material, and size for unique applications. MKS Instruments’ team approach ensures the delivery of the best cost-performance-time-to-market value, making their gratings a key component in semiconductor lithography, life science analytical instrumentation, astronomy, and environmental analysis.
Sales Revenue in the Latest Year:
MKS Instruments (Newport Corporation) achieved sales of 437.0 thousand units, generating a revenue of $45.60 million, indicating a significant market share in the diffraction gratings industry.
7.3 II-VI
Company Introduction and Business Overview:
II-VI delivers innovations that resonate with customers in diverse applications in the industrial, communications, electronics and instrumentation markets. Coherent is headquartered in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, with research and development, manufacturing, sales, service and distribution facilities around the world. Coherent Corporation is an American manufacturer of optical materials and semiconductors. As of 2021, the company has 22,961 employees. Their stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol COHR. In 2022, II-VI acquired laser manufacturer Coherent, Inc. and adopted its name.
Products Offered:
II-VI, a company with a strong presence in the industrial, communications, electronics, and instrumentation markets, offers a range of diffraction gratings that feature precise periodic structures for achieving high wavelength resolution. Their products are manufactured using in-house holography, ion-etching, and replication processes, resulting in planar and concave reflection gratings, as well as planar transmission gratings. These gratings serve various applications, including wavelength selective switches (WSS) in communications and ultrafast lasers for materials processing, showcasing II-VI’s commitment to providing advanced optical components for diverse industries.
Sales Revenue in the Latest Year:
II-VI reported sales of 267.5 thousand units, with a revenue of $24.34 million, demonstrating a substantial impact on the global diffraction gratings market.