Laser Optics & Photonics

Biography

Jose Pozo is the Director of Technology and Innovation at EPIC (European Photonics Industry Consortium). As EPIC’s CTO, he represents 350 companies active in the field of Photonics. His job consists on actively engaging with them and provides them with tools to strengthen their position in the supply chain; such tools are the organization of 20 technology workshops per year, provision of market intelligence and finding B2B leads. He has the vision that the future of optoelectronic manufacturing can take place in Europe to a large extent, and as part of that vision he is actively involved in the EU-funded pilot lines. He has 20 years’ background in photonics technology, market knowledge, and a large network within the industrial and academic photonics landscape. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Bristol, U K, MSc and B E in Telecom Engineering from UPNA (Spain) / VUB (Belgium). In addition, he has worked as Post-doctoral Researcher at the Eindhoven University of Technology (The Netherlands), EU proposal coordinator at TNO (The Netherlands) and Sr. Photonics Technology Consultant at PNO Consultants. 

Abstract

Over the last 30 years, new developments in laser systems have impacted strongly on every single aspect in the manufacturing of devices and products that are currently available on the market. Lasers and optics are used in the manufacturing of cars, PCs, and displays as well as in marking steel and in the creation of logos. In lithography, lasers have been the key enabler of wafer-level manufacturing. Furthermore 3D printing has a central role in the customized manufacturing of devices in the Industry 4.0 era. In ophthalmology and cosmetic surgery, lasers play a key role in maintaining our eyesight and transforming our appearance. The military applications should also not be forgotten as lasers have provided improvements in many areas, such as, range finders, designators, LIDARs, and illuminators. Finally, the biggest industrial breakthrough of photonics in the latest year has been the use of photonic devices (VCSELs, freeform optics, IR detector arrays…) in the consumer market in general, and in mobile phones in particular.