Thursday, March 11, 1999
8:30 - 10:00 AM

1333 H Street, NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
202-296-5000 x5685
stpi@rand.org

Abstract:

The emergence of photonics--where light, rather than electricity, is manipulated toprocess and store data--is poised to further revolutionize the Information Age. The infrastructure of the Information Age has relied upon advances in the speedof semiconducting integrated circuits that have continually grown smaller,faster, and cheaper. Currently emerging from photonics research labs areminiature light sources, such as the vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser, or"VCSEL," that can be used to facilitate data communications and distributionapplications.

One-tenth the diameter of a human hair, a VCSEL exhibits phenomenal qualitiesthat can create efficiencies in optical communications, chemical detection,medicine, and even commercial products, and yet are amenable to high volumemanufacturing. VCSELs were first proposed in Japan in the late 1970s, but sincethe late 1980s, researchers in the United States have pioneered theirdevelopment and manufacture. This presentation will discuss the advances andunique properties of VCSELs, as well as overview the near-term and emergingapplications of this photonics light source for the Information Age.

Speakers:

Kent Choquette, PhD, Photonics Research Lab, Sandia, New Mexico
Rob Bryant, MODE, Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico

Please call to reserve a seat: 202-296-5000 x1219 or email stpi@rand.org