EU Photonics, Nano Map Drawn

The consortium MONA (Merging Optics and Nanotechnologies) has published a European Roadmap for Photonics and Nanotechnologies, which provides insight into the future of materials, equipment, processes and applications. The MONA project was launched in 2005 by the European Commission in order to bridge the gap between photonics and nanotechnologies, according to its Web site.

Almost 300 people from industry and academia were involved in the construction of the roadmap, the outcome of a two-year project. Project leaders included: CEA Leti (Electronics and Information Technology Laboratory of the French Atomic Energy Commission) in Grenoble, Switzerland; Acreo AB; Aixtron AG; Alcatel-Thales III-V LAB; ASM-International; the European Photonics Industry Consortium; IMEC, an independent European, Belgium-based research center in nanoelectronics and nanotechnology; Opticsvalley, an optics, electronics and software engineering network in the Paris region; Schott AG; VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH; and Yole Développement, a microelectromechanical systems market research and business development consulting company based in France.

The roadmaps identifies highest-priority economic growth areas, taking into account market size, market growth and the positioning of European industry and research in these areas, MONA said. Topics include applications, nanomaterial challenges and impact, important nanophotonic devices, recommendations for European science and industry, roadmap methodology, and 10-year outlooks for nanomaterials, equipment and processes, and applications and related markets.

The document also identifies potential synergies between photonics/nanophotonics and nanomaterials/nanotechnologies, MONA said. "The challenge of mastering nanoelectronics and nanophotonics science and technologies at an industrial scale is of utmost strategic importance for the competitiveness of the European industry in a global context.

"Photonics and nanotechnologies are highly multidisciplinary fields and two of the principal enabling technologies for the 21st century," MONA said. "They are key technology drivers for industry sectors such as information technologies, communication, biotechnologies, transport and manufacturing. Photonics/nanophotonics and nanomaterials/nanotechnologies can benefit from each other in terms of new functions, materials, fabrication processes and applications."

The group's objectives are to:

develop a consensus on the development of research, technologies and innovation in the areas of photonics and nanotechnologies.
promote a timely worldwide exchange on scientific results, market development perspectives, and technology trends related to photonics and nanotechnologies.
contribute to the deployment of resources at the regional, national and European levels for the development of photonics and nanotechnologies

The document can be downloaded free at: www.ist-mona.org