Control of optical signals will enable the next worldwide technology revolution, much as integrated electronics and logic did it a few decades ago. A number of exploding markets call for new and more advanced optical solutions:
In communication, the demand for information bandwidth is increasing at a tremendous rate, making all-optical solutions absolutely necessary in more complex networks than the present point-to-point transmissions. The optical technologies for switching and routing signal streams, new wavelength generation and conversion in networks, as well as dense integration in optical chips will soon be the market defining solutions.
Light technologies are currently maturing into new tools in the bio-medico sector. Laser surgery, optical diagnostics and visualisation/sensing systems will provide doctors, surgeons and researchers with new tools for better ways for medical care and medical treatment solutions.
In consumer market products, smaller optical signal processors and networks will in general improve machine-to-machine communications for instance in distributed control systems in industry and in smaller mechanical systems such as cars. For entertainment and visualisation purposes, many new types of displays and light enhanced products will shed new light on daily life for all of us. Much increased efficiencies and use of solar cell based technologies will decrease power consumption and diminish the strain on the environment.
Photonics can be utilised in numerous applications, and we believe it to be the coming technology in many fields. The Photonics Academy Denmark covers photonics with several PhD projects and summer school courses and is very interested in future projects under the broad headline of photonics.