Photonics – Key Enabling Technology. By Thomas P. Pearsall, Founder of the European Photonics Industry Consortium

Thomas P. Pearsall, Ph.D. is a pioneer developer of InGaAsP and the inventor of the InGaAs photodetector. In 2003, Pearsall started EPIC. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and has visited Adlershof several times. EPIC has 80 voting members and 400 associated members in 18 countries of the European Union.

Many of the goods and services that will be available in the market in 2020 are as yet unknown, but the main driving force behind their development will be the deployment of Key Enabling Technologies. Those nations and regions mastering these technologies will be at the forefront of managing the shift to a lowcarbon, knowledge-based economy.”

The European Commission in a key document identified five Key Enabling Technologies for European industrial development, among them photonics. This recognition of the strategic importance of photonics is remarkable since only eight years ago, the word “photonics” could not be found in any European Commission document. Photonics production in Europe totalled 52 billion euros in 2009. Revenues are distributed more or less evenly among several sectors: lighting, photovoltaics, sensors, including computer vision, bio-medical, defense & security and high-power lasers. European production of tools for laser-assisted manufacturing holds more than 50 percent of world market share. Innovations, products and applications in this area have been growing at about ten percent per year for the past two decades. High power lasers are a key element of agile, lean and green manufacturing. The research and development behind these tools for welding, cutting, drilling and marking have also shown the possibilities for lasers to be applied to a much wider array of applications, treating plastics, medical interventions, cutting and sewing of clothes, printing, packaging and many other applications. Lasers will soon be regarded as the tool of choice in nearly all areas of industrial manufacturing.

During a recent meeting with the Commission, the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC), has proposed high-priority actions to implement this initiative to for instance improve financing instruments for SMEs. There is much that could be accomplished by simple changes in fiscal policies. Intellectual Property is both people and patents. Make it financially attractive for bright entrepreneurs to try to make their fortune in Europe. Insist on a single application for patent coverage in Europe. Manufacturing infrastructure: Initiate manufacturing development centers for key processes where Europe has a leading position, such as Laser-assisted manufacturing.