# S2 Corporation

> S2 Corporation is a Bozeman, Montana photonics company that reads the radio spectrum the way a hologram stores an image - all at once. Its core technology, spatial-spectral (S2) holography, uses a cooled, sugar-cube-sized crystal doped with rare-earth atoms as an optical computer that captures and processes radio frequencies across enormous instantaneous bandwidths (0.03 to 110 GHz). Packaged as the Extreme Bandwidth Analyzer and Correlator (EBAC), the technology serves electronic warfare, signals intelligence, RF spectrum monitoring, emitter geolocation, and data mining for U.S. defense and intelligence customers including DARPA and IARPA.

- **Founded:** 2005
- **Headquarters:** Bozeman, Montana, United States
- **Founders:** Kris Merkel (President & CEO, Co-founder)
- **Team size:** ~19 employees
- **Products:** Extreme Bandwidth Analyzer and Correlator (EBAC), S2 Spectrum Analyzer, Spatial-Spectral Holographic Optical Processor, Photonic Computational Engine
- **Notable:** 20 patents issued or pending for EBAC / spatial-spectral holographic technology, Named a Top 10 Photonics Solutions Company (2022) by Semiconductor Review, Awarded a DARPA contract worth up to ~$20.96 million for a broadband electromagnetic spectrum receiver

## Products & services

- **Extreme Bandwidth Analyzer and Correlator (EBAC)** — Core photonic system that processes radio frequencies from 0.03 to 110 GHz and beyond instantaneously in large bandwidth swaths, supporting electronic warfare, signals intelligence, RF spectral monitoring, emitter geolocation, and adaptive/covert RF communications.
- **S2 Spectrum Analyzer** — A wideband RF spectrum analyzer and monitoring system built on the proprietary S2 holographic technology for real-time, high-frequency spectrum awareness.
- **Spatial-Spectral Holographic Optical Processor** — A crystal-based optical computer that performs massive Fourier transforms by storing spectral components as microscopic holograms inside a cooled rare-earth-doped crystal; demonstrated line rates up to 200 Gb/s.
- **Photonic Computational Engine** — High-data-rate photonic processor for 2-D image and streaming-data processing, with applications in computer vision feature identification and database queries (IARPA-funded).

## Achievements

- 20 patents issued or pending for EBAC / spatial-spectral holographic technology
- Named a Top 10 Photonics Solutions Company (2022) by Semiconductor Review
- Awarded a DARPA contract worth up to ~$20.96 million for a broadband electromagnetic spectrum receiver
- Demonstrated optical processing at single-line rates up to 200 Gb/s with ~100x lower power than conventional supercomputers
- Completed successful field testing of the technology over a decade ago
- Invested over $5 million into Montana State University photonics research

## Latest updates

- **2020-08** — Awarded DARPA contract to prototype and demonstrate a broadband electromagnetic spectrum receiver system, valued up to ~$20.96M with option period.
- **2019-06** — Raised a $4M seed round (latest disclosed funding).
- **2018-10** — Dr. Kris Merkel presented at the 55th Annual AOC International Symposium & Convention.
- **2017-10** — Received an award from the National Spectrum Consortium.
- **2017-06** — Won a $1M IARPA contract with Montana State University to develop photonic processors for vision and streaming-data systems.

## Links

- Website: https://s2corporation.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/s2corporation

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/s2-corporation
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Last updated: 2026-07-03