Redlen Technologies

Redlen Technologies is a Canadian semiconductor company that designs and manufactures multi-energy radiation imaging modules based on proprietary cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) imaging sensors. The company controls the full production chain, growing, processing and testing CZT crystals and wafers in-house and combining the resulting sensor material with electronics to produce application-specific detector modules. Its primary focus is medical photon counting computed tomography (PCCT) detector solutions; the company describes itself as the only merchant supplier of PCCT detector solutions in clinical use. Additional application areas include nuclear medicine (cardiac SPECT, breast imaging), mammography, security and baggage screening including homeland security portals, and non-destructive testing.

The technology detects individual X-ray photons and their energy, and pairs this with smaller pixel sizes; the company states this yields up to ten times more information in a CT scan at significantly reduced radiation dose. Redlen has described itself as being in transition from prototype production toward mass production, with organizational strategy, structure and systems being rebuilt around volume manufacturing of CZT sensors for photon-counting CT.

Since September 2021 Redlen has operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon Inc. Under Canon ownership, the stated aim is to apply Canon's process engineering, manufacturing automation and volume production capabilities to scale CZT imaging solutions, while Canon supplies CZT detector modules to medical equipment manufacturers worldwide and supports development of PCCT systems at Canon Medical Systems Corporation.

Founding story

Redlen Technologies was founded in 1999 by metallurgist Bob Redden to pioneer a CZT crystal growth method producing higher purity and uniformity of semiconductor wafers than existing approaches, a property particularly valuable for X-ray sensors and which remains the basis of the company's technology. One secondary profile instead dates the company to 2000 and describes it as a spin-off from the University of Victoria, with production at the Saanichton site commencing in 2000.

Business model

Redlen is a component supplier: it manufactures CZT sensors and integrates them into value-added, application-specific detector modules sold to equipment makers, described as Global Fortune 500 customers in the medical, security and non-destructive testing segments. It positions itself as a merchant supplier, selling PCCT detector solutions to imaging OEMs rather than building complete scanners. Following the acquisition, Canon also distributes CZT semiconductor detector modules to medical equipment manufacturers globally.

Revenue derives from the sale of CZT semiconductor sensors and integrated radiation imaging detector modules to original equipment manufacturers of medical imaging, security screening and non-destructive testing systems.

Traction

Third-party reporting describes the Saanichton plant moving from pilot-scale output supporting 5-10 CT scanner systems per year toward capacity for detectors for 500-1,000 CT systems per year, aided by a $40 million Canon-backed plan to double the facility. The company states its PCCT detector solutions are in clinical use and that demand for the technology is high globally, while it transitions from prototype to mass production. It reported active hiring as of 2023.

Latest developments

Post-acquisition leadership includes Rich Mather as President and CEO and Jay Dent as Chief Financial Officer, with a board chaired by Toshio Takiguchi, Executive Vice President and Head of Medical Group at Canon Inc. and Chairman of Canon Medical Systems Corporation. Canon created a Redlen Business Development Division in 2022 under general manager Hideo, and senior technical hires include Hiroaki Nakai, previously a technology executive at Canon Medical Systems, as VP Technology Advancement. Capacity expansion at the Saanichton site and the scale-up of photon-counting CT detector production remain the central operational focus.