Photonics is the science and technology of manipulating information signals in the form of light, rather than using electronics. It provides new opportunities for high-bandwidth transmission and processing of information, at much reduced cost. Photonics is emerging as one of the most important key technologies for a wide range of markets and applications in the 21st century.

The objectives of PiFAS are:

• Development of new photonic devices and systems

• Development of photonic integration, packaging and assembly technologies

• Training of new researchers in photonics (PhD level)

• Support photonic academic research in Ireland

• Support Irish industry to implement photonic technologies in their business

• Build a critical mass of photonics 'research and development' in Ireland

Typical Photonic integration comes in two flavours- either "device led", or "systems led". Device led integration tends to involve complex devices, expensive processes, and does not typically take economics into consideration.

Systems led integration generally focuses more on off-the-shelf devices, with standardised components, in which devices and subsystems are not very well optimised. These approaches lead to low costs, with low functionality, or a high cost, with high functionality.

At PiFAS, on the other hand, we want to achieve both low costs, and high functionality, with our integration programme, which is the ideal situation.

PiFAS is capitalising on current Irish investment in photonics. We have a complement of 14 Principal Investigators, and we build on our existing strengths:

• Photonic systems pull

• Photonic device expertise

• Industry focussed & industrially relevant

• Atoms to systems capability

PiFAS "Innovations in Photonics"  Brochure