Applications Of Photonic Technology Three

This collection of papers from the International Conference on Applications of Photonic Technology includes articles on a variety of relevant issues and topics.

In this book we present a snapshot of the state of the art in photonics in 1994, showing typical applications and emerging new ones; discussing the key technologies behind these applications, their limitations, and prospects. The articles in this book are extended versions of the papers presented at the first International Conference on Applications ofPhotonic Technology (ICAPT'94), held in Toronto, Canada, on June 21-23, 1994. Photonics has been recognized as one of the key technologies for the 21 st century, as electronics was the technology of the 20th centrury and electrical engineering changed the life of people in the 19th century. According to the recent report of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris (OECD), the market for photonics will grow dramatically in the next 10 years with an expected world-wide expenditure of US $230 billion from some US $30 billion in 1992. The explosion of information technology was the largest driving force for the deployment of photonic technology. It created insatiable demand for ever-higher data transmission and processing rates, which cannot be sustained by electronics alone. Boosted by the enonnous investment of the telecommunications and defense industries, the demand for photonics (or optoelectronics) is steadily increasing. It is solidly established in the long haul communications, laser printers and CD-ROMs.

This book presents a current review ofphotonic technologies and their applications. The papers published in this book are extended versions of the papers presented at the Inter national Conference on Applications ofPhotonic Technology (ICAPT'96) held in Montreal, Canada, on July 29 to August 1, 1996. The theme of this event was "Closing the Gap Between Theory, Developments and Applications. " The term photonics covers both optics and optical engineering areas of growing sci entific and commercial importance throughout the world. It is estimated that photonic tech nology-related applications to increase exponentially over the next few years and will play a significant role in the global economy by reaching a quarter of a trillion of US dollars by the year 2000. The global interest and advancements of this technology are represented in this book, where leading scientists of twenty-two countries with advanced technology in photon ics present their latest results. The papers selected herein are grouped to address six distinct areas ofphotonic tech nology. The reader will find throughout the book a combination of invited and contributed papers which reflect the state of the art today and provide some insight about the future of this technology. The first two papers are invited. They discuss business aspects ofphotonic engineer ing. One examines if chip-to-chip interconnections by means of optical technology are a good economic choice, while the other discusses the photonic technology from entre preneurial viewpoint. Papers related to materials and considered for photonic applications, e. g.

Discusses the basic physical principles underlying the technology instrumentation of photonics This volume discusses photonics technology and instrumentation. The topics discussed in this volume are: Communication Networks; Data Buffers; Defense and Security Applications; Detectors; Fiber Optics and Amplifiers; Green Photonics; Instrumentation and Metrology; Interferometers; Light-Harvesting Materials; Logic Devices; Optical Communications; Remote Sensing; Solar Energy; Solid-State Lighting; Wavelength Conversion Comprehensive and accessible coverage of the whole of modern photonics Emphasizes processes and applications that specifically exploit photon attributes of light Deals with the rapidly advancing area of modern optics Chapters are written by top scientists in their field Written for the graduate level student in physical sciences; Industrial and academic researchers in photonics, graduate students in the area; College lecturers, educators, policymakers, consultants, Scientific and technical libraries, government laboratories, NIH.

Optics and photonics technologies are ubiquitous: they are responsible for the displays on smart phones and computing devices, optical fiber that carries the information in the internet, advanced precision manufacturing, enhanced defense capabilities, and a plethora of medical diagnostics tools. The opportunities arising from optics and photonics offer the potential for even greater societal impact in the next few decades, including solar power generation and new efficient lighting that could transform the nation's energy landscape and new optical capabilities that will be essential to support the continued exponential growth of the Internet. As described in the National Research Council report Optics and Photonics: Essential Technologies for our Nation, it is critical for the United States to take advantage of these emerging optical technologies for creating new industries and generating job growth. The report assesses the current state of optical science and engineering in the United States and abroad-including market trends, workforce needs, and the impact of photonics on the national economy. It identifies the technological opportunities that have arisen from recent advances in, and applications of, optical science and engineering. The report also calls for improved management of U.S. public and private research and development resources, emphasizing the need for public policy that encourages adoption of a portfolio approach to investing in the wide and diverse opportunities now available within photonics. Optics and Photonics: Essential Technologies for our Nation is a useful overview not only for policymakers, such as decision-makers at relevant Federal agencies on the current state of optics and photonics research and applications but also for individuals seeking a broad understanding of the fields of optics and photonics in many arenas.

The day when fiber will deliver new, yet now only foreseeable, broadband ser vices to the end user is getting nearer and nearer as we make our way towards the prophetic year 2000. Step by step, as we move from first generation lasers and fibers to the by now common erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, looking forward to such things as wavelength multiplexing and solitons, photonic switching and optical storage, the community of researchers in optical communications has stepped into the era of photonic networks. It is not just a question of terminology. Optical communication means tech nology to the same extent that photonic network means services. If it is true that information is just as marketable a product as oil or coke, the providing of an extensive global information infrastructure may end up having an even greater impact than the setting up of a world-wide railroad network did at the beginning of the industrial era. Just like wagons, bandwidth will be responsible for carrying and delivering goods to customers. The challenge for all of us in this field is for it to function in every section of the overall network, transport, access and customer area, in the best possible way: the fastest, most economical and most flexible. New services provided by a new network that exploits the potential and peculiarities of photonics surely requires a rethinking of solutions, new ideas, new architec tures, new design, especially where electronics is still dominant, as in transport and access networks.