Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on Leading-Edge Engineering from the 2009 Symposium (2010)
Chapter: Introduction--Nelson Tansu and Michal Lipson
Introduction
NELSON TANSU
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
MICHAL LIPSON
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
Recent successes in the development of optical materials structured on a length scale comparable to the wavelength of light have attracted growing interest from scientists and engineers in many disciplines. Novel concepts of ultrasmall microphotonic devices have the potential to revolutionize communications technologies on all scales, from on-chip data communications in computing to the circuit board level to long-haul communications. Advances in semiconductor nanophotonics and nanostructures have revolutionized solid-state lighting and solar cells, which could have tremendous impacts on future energy applications.
The four presentations in this session provide an overview of photonic technologies and new applications from academic and industrial perspectives. The speakers cover both silicon-based photonics for chip-based applications and III-V-based semiconductors for energy applications.
