News & Events

We are delighted to congratulate our colleague Prof. Frank Peters on receipt of SFI Industry Partnership Award 2023.  This is in recognition of his work with IPIC in partnership with Rockley Photonics, University College Cork & Tyndall National Institute. Frank has been working  in photonic research for over 30 years, he has filed over 80 patents. He has been part of three start-ups including, most recently, Rockley Photonics and the creation of the Irish research division of Rockley.  On the award Frank responded “I am delighted to receive the SFI Industry Partnership Award. None of this would have been possible without the outstanding IPIC team at Tyndall, who provided the support, encouragement and hard work required to enable the research and development projects – thank you to David McGovern, Patrick Morrissey, Ann Heffernan, Anna Kaar, Paul Townsend (IPIC), and Anthony Morrissey (UCC Innovation). Thanks to Rockley Photonics and the wonderful research partnership with them. I am also thankful to the School of Physics, and SEFS for providing the flexibility to let me spend extended time working with industry.” 

Paper III-V-on-Si DFB Laser With Co-Integrated Power Amplifier Realized Using Micro-Transfer Printing published by IEEE is currently in the top 3 downloaded in IEEE Photonics Technology letters this year.   This work was supported in part by both the European Union and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI).   Credit goes to a number of Researchers, including IPIC’s own Brian Corbett and Emanuele Pelucchi.  Follow this link to read the paper.

IPIC host the Photonics Ireland Pavilion at the SPIE BiOS and Photonics West conference & exhibition 2023. This event is attracting thousands of attendees keen to engage with industry partners and technologists, with over 1100 exhibiting companies.   You will find Photonics Ireland Pavillion at booth 4645.  We have a strong representation from Ireland across Tyndall, IPIC and industry colleagues from BioPixS; Eblana Photonics; mBryonics; Pilot Photonics; X-Celeprint and iSLight.

Many of our colleagues have also presented papers at the conference, below are members of the Biophotonics team.

Please reach out if you’d like any further information info@ipic.ie 

Electro-Optics Magazine recently launched the inaugural Photonics100 list of the most innovative people in Photonics, we are delighted to see Prof. Liam Barry from IPIC@DCU and Dr. Frank Smyth from Pilot Photonics, an IPIC Industry Partner included in the list. This listing honours those that are the driving force behind the evolution of photonics technologies.

The team in DCU has been developing innovative comb laser technologies for almost two decades. These technologies played a key role in the formation of Pilot Photonics in 2011 and the company has now developed miniaturized comb lasers based on photonic integration that it is using to target high growth, mass markets. “Our journey towards the photonic integration of our technology started through a series of meetings and early projects with IPIC researchers back in 2014. Unlike most comb lasers our technology is well suited to monolithic photonic integration which means that single-chip PICs enhanced with comb laser capabilities can be mass produced at wafer scale today. This opens up large opportunities in the telecoms, satellite comms, and aerospace markets.” commented Dr. Smyth, CTO at Pilot Photonics.

The research teams in DCU and Pilot continue to innovate collaboratively in the comb laser space and are now focused on energy efficient data centres and satellite communication technologies through an IPIC targeted project, a Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund project, and an EU Training Network Programme.

Commenting on the inaugural Photonics100 list, Prof. Barry from IPIC@DCU noted that “the inclusion of Irish based researchers is clear evidence of the innovative work being carried out in Photonics in Ireland, and puts the country in a strong position to benefit both socially and economically from the growth in the photonics sector over the coming decades”.

Useful links:

Dr Frank Smith and Pilot Photonics

Prof Liam Barry

Electro Optics

IPIC, is pleased to announce the participation of two of its early stage researchers in 2 newly started Horizon Europe projects. The Lolipop project with Tyndall lead Dr Padraic Morrissey from the Photonics Packaging group will deal with the integration of Lithium Niobate (LiNB) on Insulator (LNoI) and Silicon Nitride as a hybrid but disruptive platform, to take advantage of the excellent electro-optical properties of LiNb. This disruptive platform will offer the highest integration, modulation and second order nonlinear performance in the entire spectrum from 400 up to 1600 nm, based on the combination of the LNOI and the silicon-nitride technology. As the global market of bulk LN modulators is huge, significant impact can be expected due to the integration of the two complementary material systems.

Dr Morrissey commented “Our main role is in the design and optimization of micro transfer printing for the transfer of LNOI films onto a TriPlex platform, which will enable a dramatic miniaturization of the device footprint”

The Lolipop project is coordinated by the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems in Greece and runs from September 2022 to February 2026.

The Phormic project, with leads Dr Padraic Morrissey from the Photonics Packaging group and Dr Cleitus Antony from the Photonic Systems Group, will establish a European platform for next-generation programmable photonic chips with a low adoption threshold for product developers in diverse application domains. e.g. in data center communication, sensing and mm-wave wireless beamforming.

Dr Antony stated, “Control electronics is an essential part of the architecture to realise a multipurpose photonic processor. We will develop the electronic interface and digital control circuits to tune hundreds of programmable photonic elements on a single chip.”

The project is coordinated by IMEC in Belgium and runs from October 2022 to March 2026. The proposed multipurpose programmable photonic processors will accelerate photonic prototyping, will be cost-effective for low-volume products, and will provide a low-barrier entry point for photonics innovators, including SMEs. The platform will provide opportunities for the integration of on-chip tuneable lasers with large spectral coverage, increased functionality of photonic circuits, due to lower power consumption and therefore enable the adoption and innovation of research-oriented photonic chips. This acceleration of development could have a significant impact on the use of photonics across European industry, including reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions thanks to e.g. fibre-optic links and environmental and industrial sensors. Both groups have received over 1M€ in total funding to fulfil their roles in these projects.

Martin O’Connell, Head of EU Programmes in IPIC, welcomed the award stating “The participation of both Drs Morrissey and Antony is testament to our efforts in developing the next generation of future research leaders and is thus aligned with our Tyndall 2025 strategy”

IPIC’s Paul Townsend is delighted to meet with young artistic minds in participating on a panel of judges (along with RTE’s Ryan Tubridy) in assessing primary school children’s creative responses to National Broadband Ireland’s (NBI) competition ‘Imagine the Future’.   The students interpretation can be via a piece of sculpture, a photo, a painting, a song, a short movie or even a dance!   The concept is asking the children to think about how they see us living our lives in the future, how they see transport, school, community, hospitals, etc. evolving.

Paul Townsend leads our Optical Communications Theme of 30 researchers, if you would like to know more please contact us at info@ipic.ie

If you would like to know more about this and other NBI competitions, please click here.

On 3rd April, Anna-Marie Turley of Enterprise Ireland reported on independent.ie detailing how Ireland’s photonics industry is developing vital technology innovations, in areas of robotics, high speed broadband and technologies in the health-tech space, thus positioning photonics as a vital part of our lives now and into the future.

She comments “Globally, photonics is a critically important sector and an area in which Irish companies and educational institutions continue to thrive.

From playing a pivotal role in AI and security, the role of photonics in our daily lives will become increasingly pronounced.

With the right environment and supports in place, Irish-based companies delivering innovative solutions in this space are perfectly positioned to become market leaders, and Enterprise Ireland is proud to support them.”

Anna-Marie is the department manager for Retail, Consumer and Online at Enterprise Ireland.

To view this news piece in full follow this link.

Congratulations to DCU spinout Pilot Photonics, on successfully raising €1.8m funding. This success is built on the commitment and collaboration of research teams within Dublin City University, Tyndall and the Irish Photonic Integration Centre.

The Irish Times have reported, Pilot Photonics’ ‘novel “comb laser” technology, using its patented “gain switching” technique allows for the generation and manipulation of waves of light with exceptional precision and the creation of multiple lasers from a single device. Combining this with a semiconductor processing known as photonic integration, means Pilot’s devices are suitable for mass production and offer performance, size, cost, power, and stability advantages over traditional single wavelength lasers. The technology has multiple applications across the communications, energy, and aerospace sectors globally’.

For more details on this success, please click here to access Irish Times article.

Congratulations to Brillanté Photonics who have launched their patented super luminescent blue LED (SLED) device. Brillianté confirm  these devices are  “super bright, narrowband, speckle free, small etendue illumination source“.   We wish the team continued growth and success.

Brian Corbett, world-leading researcher from IPIC and Tyndall National Institute, has been awarded the 2021 Institute of Physics Katharine Burr Blodgett Medal and Prize.

The gold medal has been awarded for his identification and creation of breakthrough innovative photonic device technology solutions that have driven the development and growth of several startups, and major innovations by multinational companies.

On awarding the prize, the Institute of Physics (IOP) said: “Brian Corbett has raised visibility of Ireland’s high impact technology ability significantly on the world stage. He is an outstanding recipient for the Katharine Burr Blodgett Medal and Prize.”

Brian Corbett has always demonstrated leadership in innovation and technology. He invented the technology that enabled the establishment of Eblana Photonics (2001) to commercialise a scalable laser manufacturing technology which drives down the cost of high-performance, single-wavelength lasers for diverse mass market applications. His work helped launch Firecomms, the first ever Irish startup to be acquired by a Chinese Corporation (ZJF). The acquisition included a €5 million investment in Firecomms’ engineering team in Cork, resulting in the growth of the team to ~30 today. He was also key to attracting X-Celeprint to establish their global headquarters in Tyndall in 2013, with X-Celeprint’s CEO accrediting the decision to the capabilities and vision of Corbett and his team. The company is developing and licensing patented Micro-Transfer-Print technology – a cost-effective and scalable manufacturing process for integrating microscale photonic devices onto silicon-based structures.

Not only is his work with startups and SMEs critical to the development of the Irish entrepreneurial and enterprise ecosystem, his partnerships with multinational companies have ensured enduring and fruitful relationships with companies such as Intel (as recognised by their 2013 Outstanding Researcher Award) and Seagate. Through his leadership and vision, more companies will spin out and grow – one is currently targeted on superluminescent LEDs.

On receiving his 2021 IOP award, Brian Corbett said: “I am truly honoured to receive this recognition and humbled to join all the previous prestigious winners of the IOP Katharine Burr Blodgett Medal and Prize, which recognises contribution to the application of physics in an industrial and commercial context.”

The team here at IPIC are really proud and send many congratulations to Brian on his great work!

Cork Science Festival, Science for Everyone took place 6-14th November.  This year’s festival was an online program of free public engagement events, open days, science tours, talks, exhibitions, shows, workshops and school events.   IPIC were delighted to participate and engage with members of the public curious about science.   In particular, IPIC’s EPE Officer, Dr Caitriona Tyndall along with Conal Murphy, PhD student, delivered an online workshop on creating your own spectroscope to children at Togher National School, Dunmanway.   The children had a lot of fun learning about the science of light, discussing rainbows, visible and invisible light spectrums, etc.   If you’d like to see more around this event with the school, please click here.

PhotonHub is a New European Academy to boost the skills and know-how of industry in exploiting opportunities in the €615B global photonics sector.

A programme to train thousands of industry workers in the adoption and development of innovative photonics-based solutions to some of society’s biggest challenges, from environmental sustainability to healthy living and smart infrastructure, has been established by a consortium of over 50 of Europe’s top photonics competence centers.

The European Photonics Academy will offer training courses beyond the lecture room with a strong focus on hands-on training. Course attendees will gain real-world experience using state-of-the-art design, manufacturing, test equipment and facilities. The academy’s training centers will offer unique courses across a wide range of photonics technology platforms and application domains. The academy will initially run for four years with the clear intention of becoming a sustainable long-term support to European industry.

Interest in photonics is booming, with the global photonics market estimated to be worth €615B in 2020 and recent research showing that the European photonics market is growing at more than double the rate of global GDP. However, gaining access to the cutting-edge technical know-how and the hands-on skills required to utilize photonics technologies remains difficult for many companies, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The academy, launched by PhotonHub Europe, the full-service one-stop-shop Photonics Innovation Hub funded by the European Commission, will make it easy for SMEs in particular to fully exploit this critical enabling technology for their own innovation activities.

“For the first time the European Photonics Academy means that SMEs have a one-stop-shop to pick and choose from a large menu of training options, making it easy to get the exact training course suited to their needs. Companies can be assured that their employees are getting top quality training from best-in-class facilities since quality assurance is overseen by PhotonHub,” said Prof Peter O’Brien of the UCC Tyndall Institute in Ireland, who leads training support services at the academy. “We expect to support 6,000 European companies with training over the next four years, each sending several employees on one or more of our courses, with several hundred companies immediately taking up photonics technologies in their applications and product manufacturing as early adopters. As a result, we believe the academy will be a massive catalyst for the take-up of photonics by European companies.”

Photonics involves the generation, manipulation and detection of light and is a key enabling digital technology that underpins many existing and emerging applications. Over the next decade photonics will make a significant impact to our everyday lives – transforming industries, tackling critical issues such as climate change, and improving societies across Europe. Some current applications include:

· Agriculture (scanning technology and infrared imaging to monitor food production and quality, and sensor systems for planting and irrigation)

· Green Energy Sources (LED lighting and Photovoltaic devices used for solar electric panels)

· Information Communications Technology (optics for data storage, transmission across fibre-optic networks and displays)

· Life Sciences (testing and analysis devices such as non-invasive glucose monitors and point-of-care and wearable diagnostics)

· Medical Technology (lasers for surgery, photodynamic therapy, smart surgical instruments).

Europe is a global leader in the development of photonics technologies, with much of this innovation generated through research funded by the European Commission. The new academy will allow European workforces access to state-of-the-art photonics technologies and advanced methods of photonics manufacturing through structured training and education. To-date, 40 training centres across Europe have been selected for funding, with 10 more to be announced later this year. Critically all regions of Europe will have access to training, including those with little or no expertise in photonics, with centres as far apart as Ireland, Spain, Finland and Greece.

Three types of training courses are available:

· Online Training, geared towards new entrants to the photonics sector providing a half-day introduction to photonics and an overview of the key enabling power of photonics technologies for wide-ranging applications.

· Demo Centres, offering one-day training courses on-site with a focus on particular photonics technology applications.

· Experience Centres, offering in-depth three-day or five-day training courses with a strong focus on lab-based activities and hands-on working using state-of-the-art equipment and application demonstrator tools.

People wishing to attend any of the Online Training, or either of the Demo or Experience Centre training courses, can browse the training catalogue via the PhotonHub website (https://www.photonhub.eu/our-services/) and register for the particular course of interest to them.

Further details about PhotonHub’s extensive Online Training, and Demo and Experience Centre training courses, can be found in the link here.