Recently by Marie Freebody

By Marie Freebody

Martin Goetzeler, CEO of Osram Opto Semiconductors, Germany

I was lucky enough to speak to Martin Goetzeler recently and gained some interesting insights into his opinions on the global photonics market. As well as running one of the world's leading lighting manufacturers, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, Goetzeler is also the president of Photonics21, a technology platform that aims to bring together European photonics professionals.

"We expect the 21st century to become the century of photonics, which means that it is very important to bring the photonics community together," said Goetzeler. While it is a bold statement, it is clear that he is not alone in the view that photonics is going to play an increasingly crucial role in the global market in the years to come.

Viviane Reding, European commissioner for information society and media, recently said, "Photonics is driving innovation in Europe." This statement is based on a recent photonics study, which was carried out at the end of 2007 by Photonics21. The study predicts that for the period 2005 to 2015, the global photonics market will experience an annual growth rate of 7.6%.

According to Goetzeler, the key markets in which he expects to see significant improvements in the next ten years are industrial manufacturing, lighting and projection systems, biophotonics, and optical networks.

For those of you working in these sectors, do you agree with Goetzeler and Reding? Do you see your business booming in the coming decade or are there other fields that are being overlooked? Are we really living in the century of photonics?

By Marie Freebody

Did you see the partial solar eclipse?

I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was eagerly anticipating the partial solar eclipse, which was visible from the UK last Friday morning. I happened to be at home in the usually sunny seaside town of Bournemouth, but was hugely disappointed to find a very grey and overcast sky prevented me from observing this special event.

A lucky optics.org reader fared much better, however, and sent us this great snap of the partial eclipse from Devoran near Falmouth, Cornwall. Clive Cassey took this image at 10:03am at the greatest occultation. Clive used 10 x 42 binoculars to project a 30mm diameter real image onto card, which he captured using his 3Mpixel digital camera.

I'm sure Clive wasn't the only optics.org reader lucky enough to have snapped the eclipse, so if you have any pictures of your own please do send them in.

If, like me, you missed the partial solar eclipse, then you can look forward to the next big celestial event - the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on Tuesday 12th August.

The Perseid meteor shower is an annual event that has been observed for more than 2,000 years. Although the best time to look is during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday, if you can't wait until then why not stop by Jodrell Bank in Cheshire, UK for its Perseid Meteor Shower party this Saturday.

A barbecue and a night time sky show - what could be better?

If you do manage to take any pictures of the meteor shower, then please send them in to us at marie.freebody@iop.org

Could an optical technique used every day in laboratories all over the world help to answer the fundamental question of are we alone in the Universe? A team of scientists from the US and the UK certainly hopes so. The group believes that its laser fluorescence equipment can be made to withstand the harsh environment on Mars to search for life on the planet.

The researchers propose that the system could operate on any Mars lander or rover and be made ready for launch in just five years. The key challenge they face is to make the instrument light enough to be flown, and resilient enough to survive the cold, -120°C Martian nights.

Michael Storrie-Lombardi and Jan-Peter Muller, of the Mullard Space Sciences Laboratory in the UK are carrying out experiments both in the laboratory and at Silver Lake in California, US - a well-known Mars analogue study site. "Being able to test the fluorescence signal both under laboratory conditions and in the field has been critical in ensuring the system will work on the surface of Mars," said Muller.

The approach uses ultraviolet fluorescence to illuminate soil and rock in search of tell-tale signs of life. In particular the group is searching for chemical compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are believed to be one of the earliest forms of organic matter in the Universe. And, just like living organisms, PAHs fluoresce when excited by ultraviolet light.

"While using fluorescence to illuminate organic material has been carried out for decades, light sources were too large and unwieldy to use for a robotic mission to another planet," said Storrie-Lombardi. "However, new generations of LEDs, which are very small, reliable and energy efficient make this possible."

"Placed on a Mars rover, one of these LEDs positioned a few centimetres from a target can easily provide enough light to produce fluorescence in small PAHs," Storrie-Lombardi added. "But even more encouraging is the very recent development of a small 375 nm laser diode that can illuminate geological layers and crevices high up on otherwise inaccessible rock outcrops."

The tool is ideal for initial surveys as it requires no sample preparation, does not destroy sample material and requires only electrical power to operate, conserving precious water and other consumable resources for sister instruments.

If you want to find out more about this work, the team has just published a paper in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

A robot snake that can slide around narrow and intricate pipes checking for leaks along the way may sound far-fetched, but that's exactly what scientists in Norway are working on.

Cybernetic experts are joining forces with optical scientists at SINTEF to develop an inspection robot that will be able to move in pipes of various diameters, right down to 20 cm.

The group is building on the experience and knowledge acquired with previous snake robots called Anna Konda and AiKo. Now, it is developing an intelligent pipe inspection robot on wheels that will be able to climb, navigate intersections and at any given time know its location in the pipe system.

"We want to develop a robot with 10 or 11 joint modules, each with an identical pair of wheels cast in plastic," said Jens Thielemann, from the Optical Measurements and Data Analysis department at SINTEF. "The robot will function as a train when operating horizontally. Such robots already exist, but we want to develop a robot that can climb too."

A time-of-flight camera will provide the robot's vision, allowing it to navigate and move forward on its own. "The robot knows when a left or right turn is approaching and also contains a built-in path description detailing what tasks it should carry out in different situations," added Thielemann.

When the robot enters a vertical pipe, it will lift its head to meet the wall. It can then either move sideways with its abdomen against the pipe and twist itself upwards or it can topple backwards, attach itself to the pipe wall and roll upwards.

The scientists emphasise that the project is at the design stage but hope to demonstrate a prototype model by the end of the year. The final version of the robot will be constructed of aluminium and measure 1.5 m in length.

Digital Dash's RTD

Adding to the list of in-car gadgets that take our concentration off driving, comes news of a multi-touch interface designed to provide drivers with a futuristic digital dashboard. The Digital Dash Reconfigurable Tactile Display (RTD) is said to be the world's first multi-touch interface that incorporates physical controls with a curved display surface.

The system uses a rear projector unit designed by Osram Opto Semiconductors to display images such as audio controls and maps of other indicators, including images that interface with knobs, buttons and faders, on a display/control surface. A CMOS camera detects touch contact, knob rotations and button movement at the display, which eliminates the need for wires and electrical components. The RTD could be used to control functions such as heating, air-conditioning and rear parking cameras.

The visible projected image in the Digital Dash RTD is powered by Osram's Ostar-Projection LED light sources. In addition, Osram's IR Dragon IR emitter floods the display area with IR light, allowing the CMOS camera to sense the position of the controls or the user's touch on the screen.

According to Osram, the display is well-suited for use in automobiles, sound-mixing boards, video editing, industrial, military and home control use and any other control- and image-intensive user interface applications.

"The touch screen market understands the benefits of RTD technology and we are working to bring this next generation of innovation to the market through the advancements in high power and efficient visible and infrared solid state light sources," commented Tom Shottes, president and CEO of Osram Opto Semiconductors. "With Digital Dash's technology, the futuristic screen designs we see in forward-thinking concept displays can now be a reality."

As we may one day find ourselves happily jabbing at images on our dashboard to adjust the radio, air conditioning and navigation system, I can't help but wonder if we will need another gadget to drive the car.

Do you have a unique way of walking? Researchers at the S.J College of Engineering in India seem to think so. They believe that we all have our own individual gait that makes us easily recognizable. The group is so convinced by this idea that it has developed a gait recognition system, which it believes could improve security surveillance at airports, military institutions and banks.

The technique uses a camera to capture a key set of frames over a person's complete walk cycle. The sequence could then be compared with a database by airport security to recognize suspects before they even enter the airport concourse. Comparing such data with CCTV footage may also help to track suspect terrorists or criminals who may otherwise be disguising their features or carrying forged documents.

The researchers emphasize that gait recognition has significant advantages over more well-known biometrics, such as fingerprinting and iris scanning in that it is entirely unobtrusive and could be used to identify an individual from a considerable distance. "The ability to identify a possible threat from a distance gives personnel a longer time frame in which to react before a possible suspect becomes a real danger," the researchers say.

The approach works by capturing side view images of a person as they walk. The images are converted into silhouette form and analyzed, together with height measurements and the periodicity of the gait to classify the walk.

So far, the team has carried out initial tests on 20 people walking in a straight line at normal speed and stride, back and forth in front of a video camera. The researchers found that recognition performance of the system was sensitive to changes in viewing angle above ten degrees but was reasonably robust even when the individuals changed walking speed.

The shape of things to come in the computer world will be anything but flat, predicts Roel Vertegaal, a professor from Queen's University, Canada. Thanks to Vertegaal's work on flexible displays at the university's Human Media Laboratory, we could one day see computers integrated into almost any object.

"We want to reduce the computer's stranglehold on cognitive processing by imbedding it and making it work more like the natural environment," said Vertegaal. "It is too much of a technological device now, and we haven't had the means to truly integrate a high-resolution display into artefacts that are curved, flexible and textile, like your coffee mug."

Current work includes developing computers that can take the form of foldable paper allowing users to navigate a document by turning the pages. The group is also developing an interactive computer on a Coke can, which can display video on its surface and respond to touch.

Recent advances in computer technology have allowed inventors to move beyond the rigid, rectangular design of current devices. Developments in touch input technologies now allow for any surface to sense two-handed, multi-finger touch. Advances in flexible displays that use OLEDs to form electronic paper or E-Ink means that displays can be rolled up and put inside a pocket, like regular paper.

Another development, known as Kinetic Organic Interfaces enables computers to adjust their shape according to some computational outcome or through interactions with users. Vertegaal hopes that this will yield 'Claytronic' 3D displays capable of showing pictures as well as physical shapes in 3D.

So perhaps one day we will look back on a time when we used to flick through an ordinary newspaper while sipping coffee from a mug - that is just a mug - and wonder how we ever managed?

LED lights up
roads on campus

Academic institutions would always rather spend their money on high-tech kit rather than mundane things like lighting. Now a programme launched by US LED manufacturer Cree offers universities a way to save money and protect the environment by switching to LED lighting.

The LED University program is an international community of universities working to accelerate the adoption of energy-efficient LEDs. So far, four US universities have joined the LED initiative - North Carolina (NC) state, Marquette, University of California Santa Barbara, Arkansas - while Tianjin Polytechnic in China has also signed up to the initiative.

According to the US Department of Energy, 22% of all the electricity used in the US powers lighting. The hope is that the deployment of LED lighting will reduce energy usage, protect the environment, reduce maintenance costs, and provide a better quality of light for improved visibility and safety.

Each of the participating universities is conducting feasibility studies to determine the cost and environmental benefits of switching to LED lighting in campus applications. The University of California Santa Barbara has installed 23 LED streetlights on a campus road and reports that, compared to its traditional streetlights, it is achieving a 44% reduction in energy use as well as better light distribution and colour rendition.

Other installations include recessed lighting in the chancellor's office and a dormitory in NC State University, while the University of Arkansas has installed the first set of what it plans will be approximately 1700 recessed LED lights in university buildings. Meanwhile, Tianjin Polytechnic University has installed 1500 LED streetlights designed by its graduate students on the campus' main roadway.

"Lighting is a significant energy drain worldwide and if we can significantly reduce the amount of energy used for lighting, we will make a dramatic contribution to protecting our resources and environment," said Pingjuan Niu, a professor at Tianjin Polytechnic University. "Tianjin Polytechnic University is proud to be among the first to join this important lighting and energy conservation initiative."

"The world optoelectronics market will surpass $1.2 trillion by 2017." That's the staggering prediction made by Steve Anderson, chief editor of Laser Focus World (LFW) in this afternoon's industry perspectives seminar.

Based on LFW's 2008 market review and forecast, the optoelectronics market gained about 7% in 2007 to reach $620 bn, and the predicted annual growth rate is around 7.7%. The main contributor to this growth comes from components, which was worth $350 bn in 2007 and is expected to reach $675 bn in 2017. The biggest drivers for this growth are flat-panel displays, which has a predicted growth compound growth rate of 7.4%.

Looking specifically at lasers, the world market was worth $6.9 bn in 2007 with diode lasers taking a 55% market share. Anderson cites the biggest trend driving growth as miniaturization, followed by the development of new wavelengths, faster pulses and greater beam delivery options.

In terms of laser sales, the three largest sectors are materials processing applications, which in 2007 were worth $1.3 bn, followed by telecoms at $1.7 bn and optical storage at $1.6 bn. "The telecom laser market exceeded the optical storage market for the first time since 2001," said Anderson. "This is largely due to the huge growth of fibre to the home that we have seen recently."

Living in the US, Anderson is all too aware of the current financial uncertainly the country is experiencing. "Device manufacturers are cautious about new investment due to shaky consumer confidence," he said. "This has a knock-on effect to component manufacturers. An indication of this is the news that AMD, a major device manufacturer, announced major lay-offs this year due to the drop in demand for chips."

But it's not all bleak, with the global laser market forecast to grow by 7% in 2008 to reach $7.4 bn. Green photonics, such as photovoltaics - and especially thin-film photovoltaics - also represents an excellent opportunity (see earlier entry for more details on the photovoltaic market). The optical storage market also recovered from a 15% decline in 2006, growing by 7.7% in 2007 to $1.60 bn mainly due to blue diodes used in Playstation 3 games consoles, Blu-ray discs and HD DVD players.

Another area to watch is bio-optics, particularly diagnostics and imaging technique such as optical coherence tomography (OCT). According to Anderson, the medical therapy market is predicted to grow by 10% to reach $614 m.

Could the off-cuts from fish be the next breakthrough optical material? James Grote from the US Air Force Research Lab certainly thinks so, as he presented his research into the optical applications of waste fish at Thursday morning's hot topic seminar.

"Where silicon is today's fundamental building block for inorganic electronics and photonics, biopolymers hold promise to become tomorrow's fundamental building block for organic photonics and electronics," he said.

His approach uses the DNA derived from waste salmon caught in Hokkaido in Japan, and there's plenty of it - 10,000 tons/year to be exact. "DNA from this biowaste is abundant, inexpensive and green," said Grote. "It has the potential to compete with, or maybe someday even replace, fossil-fuel based plastics for applications ranging from eyeglasses to LEDs, transistors and solar cells."

The fish is first prepared in a series of processes, including breaking down the skeleton, removing the protein, decolourization and freeze drying. During this process the DNA maintains its double helix structure and can be doped with various other polymers to enhance certain optical properties.

"With careful doping, the biopolymer demonstrates low optical losses of less than 0.5 dB/cm over a broad wavelength range, electrical conductivities 3-10 orders of magnitude higher than other polymer materials, and they are tunable," said Grote.

So far, Grote and his colleagues have made the first all-DNA electro-optic (EO) modulator, which exhibits lower losses compared with current polymer EO modulators, and operates at significantly lower power. The group has also demonstrated the first red, blue and green bio-organic LEDs and the first bio-organic field effect transistor.

Much work still has to be done before these DNA-based polymers can compete with inorganic optical materials, but Grote is optimistic that his research is taking the first important steps towards creating biopolymer-based solar cells, LEDs and lasers.