Description of Securities

NeoPhotonics Corporation, or the Company, is authorized to issue up to 100,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0025 par value per share, or common stock, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0025 par value per share, or preferred stock.

The following summary description is based on the provisions of our certificate of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws and the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law. This information may not be complete in all respects and is qualified entirely by reference to the provisions of our certificate of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws and the Delaware General Corporation Law. Our certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws are filed as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K to which this Description of Capital Stock is an exhibit.

The following is a description of our common stock, which is the only security of the Company registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

Dividend rights. Subject to preferences that may apply to shares of preferred stock outstanding at the time, the holders of outstanding shares of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends out of funds legally available if our board of directors, in its discretion, determines to declare dividends and then only at the times and in the amounts that our board of directors may determine.

Voting rights. Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote for each share of common stock held on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation does not provide for the right of stockholders to cumulate votes for the election of directors. Our certificate of incorporation establishes a classified board of directors, which is divided into three classes with staggered three-year terms. Only one class of directors will be elected at each annual meeting of our stockholders, with the other classes continuing for the remainder of their respective three-year terms. These provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation could discourage potential takeover attempts. See “Anti-Takeover Effects of Delaware Law and Our Charter Documents” below.

No preemptive or similar rights. Our common stock is not entitled to preemptive rights and is not subject to conversion or redemption provisions. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of our common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any series of our preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.

Right to receive liquidation distributions. Upon our dissolution, liquidation or winding-up, the assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders are distributable ratably among the holders of our common stock, subject to prior satisfaction of all outstanding debt and liabilities and the preferential rights and payment of liquidation preferences, if any, on any outstanding shares of preferred stock.

The rights of the holders of our common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of holders of shares of any preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.

We are authorized, subject to limitations prescribed by Delaware law, to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series established by our board of directors. Our board of directors is authorized to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each series and to fix the designation, powers, preferences and rights of the shares of each series and any of its qualifications, limitations or restrictions. Our board of directors can also increase or decrease the number of shares of any series, but not below the number of shares of

that series then outstanding, without any further vote or action by our stockholders. Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of the common stock. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring, discouraging or preventing a change in control of the Company and may adversely affect the market price of our common stock and the voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock.

Some of the provisions of Delaware law may have the effect of delaying, deferring, discouraging or preventing another person from acquiring control of the Company.

We are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any business combination with any interested stockholder for a period of three years after the date that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, with the following exceptions:

In general, Section 203 defines business combination to include the following:

In general, Section 203 defines an “interested stockholder” as an entity or person who, together with the person’s affiliates and associates, beneficially owns, or within three years prior to the time of determination of interested stockholder status did own, 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation.

A Delaware corporation may “opt out” of these provisions with an express provision in its original certificate of incorporation or an express provision in its certificate of incorporation or bylaws resulting from a stockholders’ amendment approved by at least a majority of the outstanding voting shares. We have not elected to “opt out” of these provisions. The statute could prohibit or delay mergers or other takeover or change in control attempts and, accordingly, may discourage attempts to acquire us. Certain provisions in our certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws could have an effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control.

Our certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or employee to us or our stockholders, any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. However, several lawsuits involving other companies have been brought challenging the validity of choice of forum provisions in certificates of incorporation, and it is possible that a court could rule that such provision is inapplicable or unenforceable.