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LEOS 2000, to be held this November 13-16 in Puerto Rico, is the thirteenth Annual Meeting of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society (LEOS). We are expecting a big crowd, as the number of invited and contributed papers topped 500. The Annual Meeting continues to grow in popularity because of the excellent technical program as well as the open atmosphere and the active exchange of technical information. This year’s meeting will begin on Monday with three plenary talks on a variety of subjects. Dr. Hiromichi Shinohara of NTT will lead off the plenary session with a talk entitled “Fiber Optic Communication Systems in Japan”. The second talk, “Rapid Advances in Commercial Optoelectronic Components and Modules for DWDM Systems” will be presented by Dr. Frederick Leonberger, of JDS Uniphase. The third plenary talk, “VCSELs: Prospects & Challenges for Optical Interconnects” will be given by Professor Karl Ebeling of the University of Ulm. After an afternoon of contributed and invited talks, an Awards Ceremony is planned for Monday night. A number of awards, including 23 Millennium Medals will be presented at the ceremony.
The LEOS Annual Meeting has always been anchored by a large number of outstanding invited talks and this year’s conference is no exception. We will feature 148 invited talks and four special symposia. The special symposia topics are “10 Gigabit Ethernet”, “Broadband Access Networks”, “Microwave Photonics” and “Lasers in Medicine and Biology”. In addition to the invited talks, over 300 contributed papers will be presented in the subject areas described below. We are excited about the depth and breadth of technical areas to be discussed and we look forward to a great meeting.
It is important to point out that the purpose of the LEOS Annual Meeting is to give LEOS members an opportunity to showcase their work. In addition, it is a good forum to debate technical issues, to discuss technical and professional questions or concerns, and to learn more about one’s chosen field, or a new field altogether. It is also intended to be a place where colleagues can meet and discuss technical issues, as well as have a little fun. We think Puerto Rico will provide a great atmosphere for getting together and exchanging information. You can find the most up-to-date information on the conference at the LEOS website,
http://www.ieee.org/organizations/society/leos/LEOSCONF/LEO/leos2000.html
We encourage everyone to dress casually, participate vigorously in the technical sessions, and last but not least, enjoy the conference festivities and some fun at the beach.
Topic areas are as follows:
The Electro-Optic Sensors and Systems program includes papers by world class scientists and engineers on research, development and applications of optical, electro-optical, and optoelectronic systems and sensors for ultra fast communications, information systems, security systems, radar, and image and data sensing. There will be sessions which include papers describing systems and techniques for high speed information processing and communications systems, optical interconnects, light modulators, smart pixels for information processing, optical storage/memory for information systems, three dimensional imaging systems, three dimensional image recognition, adaptive optics, radar, fiber optics sensors, and imaging systems for intelligent transportation systems.
The Integrated Optics and Optoelectronics sub-committee has put together an excellent program covering a variety of subjects in this field. Invited talks on Micro Optics, Photonic Bandgap Materials and Novel Optical Amplifiers indicate a trend towards exploration of newer areas in optoelectronics. A session on simulations and modeling highlight some of the tools and techniques currently available for device research.
This year’s conference has a long and impressive array of invited and contributed talks. There are two sessions in semiconductor lasers that examine the nonlinear dynamics of diode lasers and VCSELs analytically and experimentally. In particular, the possibility of synchronizing lasers when such systems exhibit complicated time behavior is discussed in several experimental papers. Solitons and localized effects in fibers are discussed in a session by two invited speakers. Nonlinear optical materials, including polymers are represented in three sesions, highlited by six invited speakers. Such topics as gain and laser action in conjugated polymers and applicatons of nematic films in stimulated scattering and divices are of great interest and are well represented. One session is devoted to frequency conversion, and materials for efficient conversion are discussed in two invited papers. Finally, nonlinear optics in waveguides and fibers is represented in three sessions containing thirteen papers and highlighted by five invited speakers. This most impressive array contains discussions of the new and emerging technology of holey optical fibers and their nonlinearities are discussed extensively as are nonlinear pulse propagation through one dimensional photonic crystals. This year’s hot topics in five packaging sessions include manufacturing automation, as well as packaging for multi-channel devices, such as VCSEL arrays. Low cost packaging, and methods for handling the characterization and packaging of high speed drivers and receiver electronics will also be discussed. Creative processing and test methods for packaging will be shown.
This year’s sessions in Optical Communications cover a broad range of topics from local to ultra long-haul communication systems. Among the highlights will be sessions on dispersion-managed soliton systems, polarization mode dispersion, fiber and semiconductor amplifiers, LAN and MAN systems, and wavelength conversion. New topics include specialty fibers and novel optical techniques. Twelve technical sessions running over all four days of the conference will feature fourteen invited talks by leading experts in the field.
The Optical Fiber and Planar Waveguide Technology Program will consist of five sessions covering a number of recent advances in fiber and planar technology. One session will focus on planar waveguide technology including SiON devices and porous silica channel waveguides for network applications. In another session, high contrast AWG that will allow dramatic reduction in size and increase in channel count will be described. The state of this technology will be reviewed in two invited talks. Another session will cover recent advances in multimode technology including an invited paper reviewing the current status of Gigabit Technology. Recent advances in fiber lasers and sensors will also be included.
This year’s Symposium on Optical Interconnects and Processing Systems will have seven sessions on systems, components, devices and modeling techniques for high- speed optoelectronic switching. The symposium encompasses both free-space and guided wave technologies for chip-to-chip, board-to-board, and rack-to-rack interconnect, as well as “transparent” switches for wide area and long haul networks. Featured topics include new research on the integration of micro-electro-mechanical (MEMs) devices into state-of-the-art cross connect switches; all-optical processing; integration of surface normal technologies including vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), detectors, and liquid crystal modulators; as well as implementations of planar optical interconnection structures, for automotive and avionics applications.
Tremendous interest in high capacity transmission systems and optical networks has been fueled by unprecedented growth in data and internet traffic. Advances in network architectures and device technology enable the transition from point-to-point systems to optical networking. The Optical Networks and Systems committee is addressing this trend with sessions focusing on optical crossconnects, modeling of optical networks, and advanced devices and network concepts. These sessions are anchored by 9 invited talks by noted experts in the field.
The Optoelectronics Materials and Processing area is comprised of nineteen contributed and eight invited papers that address some of the most exciting new directions in photonics. There are two sessions devoted to nanostructures in which key results on quantum dot structures and on microdisk and photonic bandgap materials will be presented. The explosive area of column III nitride materials continues to expand, and novel processing of these materials highlights one of our sessions. Hybrid structures formed by wafer fusion are critical components in sophisticated photonic systems. Recent advances in this technology, especially as applied to VCSELs and integration methods, are presented. Novel materials are described that extend the wavelength ranges or other characteristics of optoelectronic devices and advanced processing methods, particularly in the areas of etching, oxidation, and intermixing.
Optoelectronic packaging, manufacturing and reliability sessions will feature selected presentations This growing importance of parallel optical interconnects is reflected in two back-to-back sessions stressing the packaging of these components. Presentations in other sessions will include passive optical alignment techniques, WDM component packaging, packaging of low-cost integrated optical subassemblies, array devices packaging, new high speed packaging design, optoelectronic MEMs packaging, novel bonding, and assembly techniques, package reliability and methods of enhanced optical coupling.
The five sessions of Photodetectors and Imaging range in content from new device structures and material systems through applications of imaging. Highlights of the sessions include tuning of detection wavelength using new materials and processing techniques, ultra-high speed detectors, integrated photoreceivers, detector arrays for telecommunication applications, and novel microscopic optical imaging techniques.
The performance and capabilities of semiconductor diode lasers continue to progress rapidly. Quantum dot lasers display ultra-low thresholds, and photonic bandgap crystals provide unprecedented control over the optical modes. Advancing technologies include quantum cascade and antimonide lasers for the mid-IR, and nitride lasers for blue and uv wavelengths. Sessions are devoted to high-power, high-speed, and wavelength-tunable lasers. There will be a special session on optical MEMs technology.
This session will highlight new development in the generation of coherent soft x-ray, VUV, and UV radiation. Advances in the generation of coherent soft x-ray radiation by high order harmonic generation, soft x-ray laser and other novel methods will be reported. They will focus on the generation of high brightness, high average power and efficient short pulse. Coherence properties of the radiation emitted by various sources will be discussed.
This section will highlight emerging and novel technologies in solid state lasers. Sessions will cover recent developments in high power lasers, novel laser architectures, fiber laser, diode-pumping and non-linear conversion. These papers reflect the maturing states of the solid state laser field, with many papers representing the state-of-the-art in their technology area. Research results include development of mid-IR non-linear materials, development of high brightness, low M2 laser diode arrays, microchip lasers, diffractive optic resonators, >100W diode pumped lasers and fiber phase conjugate SBS mirrors.
The ultrafast optics and electronics community continues to be very active, with a program consisting of five sessions with eight invited and fourteen contributed papers focusing on the latest advances in the field of ultrafast phenomena and technology. Some of the ways in which ultrafast optoelectronics is taking on an increasingly important role in telecommunications are highlighted in a session, entitled Ultrahigh-Speed Transmission and Ultrafast Optoelectronics, featuring an invited talk on fiber propagation of short pulse OTDM signals, as well as talks on ultrafast switching and resonant-cavity enhanced photodetection. Terahertz science and technology are well-represented through two sessions entitled Terahertz Optoelectronics I & II, which include invited and contributed papers on many aspects of single-cycle electromagnetic transients, including near-field imaging, generation and detection, and scattering. Spatio-temporal propagation, manipulation and utilization of optical pulses of ever-decreasing duration is the topic of another session, which includes an invited paper on a novel pulse-compression technique, as well as other talks on pulse propagation and coherent control. An Ultrafast Measurements session will feature the latest work involving the electro-optic and photoconductive sampling techniques, as well as time resolved electron diffraction
The exploding demand for bandwidth has created an unprecedented growth in the telecommunications and data communications infrastructures, extending from long haul networks all the way to Local Area Networks. 10 Gigabit Ethernet will be the next standard in high speed data communications to address the bandwidth needs of this growing marketplace. This Special Symposium addresses various aspects of 10 Gigabit Ethernet, addressing components, technology, applications, and market pull.
This symposium consists of four sessions focused on some of the hot topics in medical optics. These topics deal with the use of the coherent properties of laser light for imaging in a manner that allows penetration of the surface of a material; near field spectroscopy; fluorescent imaging; a comparative imaging process that makes use of the confocal microscopy aided by non-linear optics; several papers on interstitial therapy in situ; dynamic changes in tissue properties such as absorption and practical problems in dermatology. This series of talks will bring both experts and novices up to speed on this field which is being rapidly commercialized.
Future internet demands connections at any time and any place. To achieve these goals one needs wireless internet connections at very high information data rate for individual user. It becomes clear that ‘photonics’ can assist microwave and high speed/high frequency electronics realizing these goals. This special symposium addresses advantages and state-of-art performance of photonic approaches to microwave (including millimeter-wave) applications and systems. Photonics is utilized for the generation, transmission, detection, processing, characterization and control of RF and microwave signals and find direct applicability to antenna (e.g. wireless and/or array) systems and instrumentation. The special symposium consists of 10 invited and 13 contributed papers. Photonic technologies for analog- to-digital conversion (ADC) at GHz sampling rates that utilizes ultra-low timing jitter mode-locked lasers will be described in several papers. Photonics techniques for microwave frequencies synthesis and electronic signal generation is the subject of another session. Papers on high speed/ high frequency optoelectronic receivers, modulators, filters, lasers and other photonic devices as well as optical probe of microwave-field imaging and other novel applications of microwave photonics round up the rest of the special symposium.
Broadband access networks have been rapidly evolving to offer consumers and businesses analog and digital video, high-speed data, and telephone services. The special symposium intends to provide a global view on the future outlook of broadband access networks by bringing together leading equipment vendors and cable operators.