Graphene's Rich Potential for Commercialisation Is Workshop Topic for Research and Industry Leaders

BELLINGHAM, WA and CARDIFF, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - March 11, 2016) -  Frank Koppens of ICFO (Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology) and Nathalie Vermeulen of B-PHOT (Brussels Photonics Team, Vrije Universiteit Brussel) will lead a daylong workshop in Brussels on 5 April on transitioning graphene-based photonics technology from research to commercialisation.

Sponsored by SPIE Europe, the workshop will feature 12 research leaders from industry and academia speaking on prospects and potential for commercialisation in a wide range of applications.

The workshop is being held during SPIE Photonics Europe, which runs 3-7 April in the Square Brussels Meeting Centre. Pre-registration is required for the workshop, and seating is limited. Cost to attend the workshop is EUR150, or free with full technical programme registration for SPIE Photonics Europe.

Talks by experts from leading university as well as industrial labs will provide the latest research updates, inspiration for developing new products and capabilities, and valuable insights for assessing new venture funding proposals, said SPIE Science and Technology Director Bob Hainsey.

"Graphene-based photonics technology promises a radically new set of capabilities to meet pressing future needs," Hainsey said. "Capabilities are as wide-ranging as expanded communications networking and data storage, increased computing speeds, enhanced disease control utilising increasingly larger and more complex data sets, next-generation wearables, and more accurate sensor systems for fire, motion, chemical, and other applications." 

Workshop co-chair Nathalie Vermeulen stressed the translational nature of the event stating, "It is of utmost importance to focus on how to bring graphene out of the lab and into these real-life applications."

A rapid-presentations panel at the end of the day will focus on next steps and challenges toward commercialisation.

Among the speakers are:

• Marco Romagnoli, CNIT National Laboratory for Photonics Networks, on graphene-based integrated photonics for data communication and strategies for wafer-scale integration
  
• Christoph Stampfer, RWTH Aachen University, on scalable, cost-efficient fabrication of high-mobility graphene for applications such as high-frequency transistors, magnetic field sensors, and flexible optoelectronics
  
• Wolfgang Templ, Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs, on graphene-based photonics providing extremely high data rates up to the range of tens of gigabits and down to the individual user level
  
• Cedric Huyghebaert, imec, on integration schemes for silicon photonics transceivers incorporating graphene-based modulators and photodetectors co-integrated with silicon waveguides
  
• Alan Colli, Nokia Technologies, on thermal detectors for infrared imaging in healthcare, smart energy systems, security, fire sensing, automotive, and motion tracking
  
• Hartmut Roskos, Physikalisches Institut, Goethe-Universität, on an analysis of antenna-coupled field-effect transistors in four different materials for application in detection of THz radiation
  
• Valerio Pruneri, ICFO and ICREA, on ultrathin metals to directly grow graphene on transparent substrates, enabling new functionalities for optoelectronic devices.

About SPIE

SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, an educational not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based science, engineering, and technology. The Society serves nearly 264,000 constituents from approximately 166 countries, offering conferences and their published proceedings, continuing education, books, journals, and the SPIE Digital Library. In 2015, SPIE provided more than $5.2 million in support of education and outreach programs. www.spie.org