Photonic Glass was founded by Mark Spitzer in 2008.  The company is engaged in research and development in optical materials for solar energy and other applications. 

Spitzer earned the Ph.D. in physics from Brown University in 1981. His thesis topic was on the subject of the upper limit to the efficiency of photovoltaic solar cells.  Although formally trained in physics, Spitzer focused on applied science and also studied electrical engineering at Brown.  He was designated the Amperex Electronics Fellow in Applied Research.

In 1980 Spitzer joined the technical staff of Spire Corporation where he obtained funding from the Solar Energy Research Institute (now NREL) to develop highly efficient ion-implanted silicon solar cells. Spitzer delivered solar cells exceeding contact goals and that established a new conversion efficiency record.  He served as Principal Investigator on solar cell development contracts from the NASA, the Jet Propulsion Lab, Solar Energy Research Institute, Sandia National Laboratory and the Department of Energy.  In 1984 he was promoted to Manager of Photovoltaics Research, and his team developed highly efficient InP solar cells for space applications, heteroepitaxial layers on Si, and AlGaAs lasers.  Spitzer and his team also developed a flat plate solar module with 15% conversion efficiency which held the record for highest module efficiency for several years.  While at Spire, Spitzer developed a reputation for deliveries exceeding contract requirements.

In 1987 Spitzer joined Kopin Corporation to lead development of a threat-hardened concentrator solar cell for Air Force space power systems.  This work led to delivery of GaAs solar cells that exceeded both performance and hardness requirements.  Under contract to Sandia, Spitzer delivered a monolithically interconnected 12V GaAs photovoltaic cell for power-down-fiber  applications. 

In 1990 Spitzer was promoted to Principal Scientist at Kopin (reporting to the CEO) and in that capacity led development of LEDs and displays.  He won three contracts from DARPA to develop both electroluminescent and liquid crystal displays based on a CMOS active matrix backplane.  His multi-company team delivered working prototypes of each technology with pixel densities of up to 2000 DPI.  Variants of these displays are now provided to the military for thermal weapons sights and other applications. 

In 1995, Spitzer founded The MicroOptical Corporation (now Myvu Corporation) and in 1996, Spitzer left Kopin to lead MicroOptical as CEO.  During his 10-years as CEO, the company performed DARPA contracts to develop advanced eyeglass displays for the military; this technology was later licensed to Raytheon for military display development.

In 2005, Spitzer began a shift in MicroOptical’s focus from technology development to offshore consumer electronics product manufacturing.  His team developed a consumer products strategy, Myvu® and SolidOptex® brands and a consumer electronics display product prototype.  Spitzer hired new management in 2006 from the consumer electronics industry, and moved to the position of Chief Technology Officer.  The company subsequently changed its name to Myvu and moved engineering and development operations to Singapore and Malaysia. 

In 2008, Spitzer left Myvu to form the Photonic Glass Corporation which is commercializing the incorporation of new photonic layers in solid optical and thin-film materials.  Throughout Spitzer’s career, he has focused on difficult technical challenges that others consider impossible.  Spitzer is the inventor or co-inventor on 50 issued U.S. patents, and has authored or co-authored over 80 technical papers.  In 2007 Spitzer was designated a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum.