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Franco-American Optical Alliances

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SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 5, 2010 – Last night, after the first day of the Photonics West Exhibition had wound down to a close, a gathering of Francophiles occurred at the nearby Westin Hotel. About 50 people arrived to find out whether collaboration between American and French photonics innovators was practical, feasible and desirable. They were not disappointed.

“France is very active in optics and photonics,” asserted Jean Claude Sirieys of the French National Optics and Photonics Committee (CNOP) during his opening remarks. He cautioned, however, that although intra-European partnering is easy, French-American collaborations are far more complex.


Jean Claude Sirieys, the president of the French National Optics and Photonics Committee (CNOP), addresses the French-American Meeting for Photonics Innovation. Photos by Lynn Savage.

France is aswarm with clusters of photonics companies and institutions, including Elopsis, Optitec, Route des Lasers and Systematic/OpticsValley. Each of these are designed to bridge competitive interests and drive innovation in specific market segments, such as high technologies, optics and imaging systems, lasers, and optoelectronics and software.

According to Sirieys, a new nursery for nascent photonics companies, called the Technoptic Building, will open later this year in Château-Gombert, just north of Marseilles.

After further opening salvos from Alexei Glebov of Optigrate Corp. in Orlando, Fla., the floor was given over to several companies who were looking to state their case for potential collaborations.

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For example, Robert Braunschweig of Amplitude Systemes in Pessac, France, noted that his company is poised to take advantage of the boom in micromachining of medical devices. Smaller and smaller biocompatible devices are becoming required by doctors and hospitals, including such items as labs-on-a-chip, stents and various other implants. Amplitude Systemes, which makes ultrafast diode-pumped lasers that are efficient and accurate for manufacturing these items, is looking to for collaborators who will integrate the French company’s laser systems into their own products.


Richard Palomo of Cilas speaks at the French-American Meeting for Photonics Innovation as Philippe Bregi of Egide and Matthieu Ayfre of the University of Bordeaux Office of Technology Transfer look on.

Other French companies presenting at the meeting included Imagine Optic SA of Orsay and Alpao of Biviers, who both develop adaptive optics systems. Also there was Richard Palermo of the Marseilles branch of Cilas, which recently rolled out the world’s largest optical coating chamber, capable of handling components up to 2 m by 2 m by 400 mm.

To wrap up the meeting, Matthieu Ayfre, licensing manager at the University of Bordeaux Office of Technology Transfer, spoke briefly of the challenges and benefits of engaging businesses and universities together.

The members of the audience seemed enthusiastic to engage with their French and American counterparts immediately.

Lynn Savage
[email protected]

Published: February 2010
Glossary
adaptive optics
Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effects of atmospheric distortions. The Earth's atmosphere can cause light passing through it to experience distortions, resulting in image blurring and degradation in various optical applications, such as astronomical observations, laser communications, and imaging systems. Adaptive optics systems actively adjust the optical elements in real-time to compensate for these distortions. Key...
lab-on-a-chip
A lab-on-a-chip (LOC) is a miniaturized device that integrates various laboratory functions and capabilities onto a single, compact chip. Also known as microfluidic devices, lab-on-a-chip systems are designed to perform a variety of tasks traditionally carried out in conventional laboratories, but on a much smaller scale. These devices use microfabrication techniques to create channels, chambers, and other structures that facilitate the manipulation of fluids, samples, and reactions at the...
optoelectronics
Optoelectronics is a branch of electronics that focuses on the study and application of devices and systems that use light and its interactions with different materials. The term "optoelectronics" is a combination of "optics" and "electronics," reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of this field. Optoelectronic devices convert electrical signals into optical signals or vice versa, making them crucial in various technologies. Some key components and applications of optoelectronics include: ...
photonics
The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...
adaptive opticsAlexei GlebovAlpaoAmericanAmericasAmplitude SystemesBiviersBusinessChâteau-GombertCilasCNOPCoatingscollaborationElopsisEuropeFrenchFrench National Optics and Photonics CommitteeImagine Optic SAimaging systemsindustrialinnovationJean Claude Sirieyslab-on-a-chipLynn SavageMarseillesMatthieu Ayfremedical devicesmicromachiningoptical coatingOpticsOptigrate Corp.OptitecoptoelectronicsOrlandoOrsaypartneringPessacphotonicsPhotonics Westpw10Research & TechnologyRichard PalermoRobert BraunschweigRoute des LasersSoftwareSPIE Photonics West 2010stentsSystematic/OpticsValleyTechnoptic BuildinguniversitiesUniversity of BordeauxUniversity of Bordeaux Office of Technology TransferLasers

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