NIST seeks input on technology roadmaps for photonics

The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) is funding a program at the University of Rochester to develop a set of technology roadmaps for the photonics industry in the United States. This effort is part of NIST's Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) program.

Separate but linked roadmaps for optics; lasers; imaging and sensing; biophotonics; and displays are being developed to reflect the broad spectrum of photonics technologies and applications. A separate AMTech award to the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) is being used to develop a roadmap for integrated photonics.

The roadmaps will provide the industry with consensus forecasts of the technology trends and manufacturing challenges faced by various segments of the industry.

These roadmaps will strengthen the supply chain by providing small- and medium-sized photonics companies with information they would otherwise find difficult to obtain. They will also allow suppliers to communicate to their customers their capabilities and any gaps they foresee.

And they will be used to help guide the work of any publicly funded industry consortia that are established.

To allow for broad public input to the roadmaps, a set of short online surveys has been created on the National Technology Roadmap for Photonics (NTRP) website.

SPIE is a cosponsor of the NTRP and, together with NIST, invites photonics industry professionals to take these surveys and to indicate if they are interested in contributing to roadmap development.

More information: http://www.ntrp.us