Join SPIE Government Affairs Director Jennifer O'Bryan as she details the latest public policy issues impacting the optics and photonics community, including the recent executive order on the U.S. supply chain regarding semiconductor chips and rare earths, export control changes in the U.S. and China, and significant U.S. federal funding increases on the horizon in research and development of key technology areas. Talk to be followed by panel discussion

Regional conflicts are joined by international terrorism as dominant factors in security planning and defence spending is being adjusted to focus on more flexible, responsive and mobile force structures with an increasing focus on logistics and lifecycle support. Moreover, new type of battlefields (urban areas, smart cities, …) brings new challenges to the infantry for improved situational awareness, lethality and survivability. My talk will review the current and future technologies for foot soldiers for better communications, enhanced lethality, mobility, survivability, and sustainability. It will provide an analysis of semiconductor related equipment for infantrymen: their applications, players, and markets, including infrared and radiofrequency, as well as sensors, batteries, exoskeletons, and future technologies. A specific focus will be done on infra-red imagers and sensors. Technological trends and market forecasts will be described.

Photonic integrated circuit is the enabling technology to address next generation compact, low power and high-performance optical devices. Very low propagation loss, high power handling, wide transparency window up to visible spectrum and CMOS-compatibility make silicon nitride the ideal integrated platform for certain applications such as lidar, chemical sensing, bio-spectroscopy, communication (Satellite, Lifi, 5G) and of course quantum domains. There are different flavours of SiN technology such as LPCVD and PECVD with distinct features and capabilities. State of the art researches are taking place globally where imec 200 mm commercial platform brings value to novel and highly strategic domains from nonlinear photonic for special laser integration (e.g. dual comb, mode locked lasers) to extremely low loss waveguide for scalable quantum chip, high power handling Free Space communication and optical beam forming for 5G and lidar applications.

The International Space Station is a one-of-a-kind orbiting platform in low Earth orbit that is capable of enabling research and technology development not possible on Earth. Through its unique vantage point, and constant microgravity environment, the space station has supported thousands of research experiments over its more than 20 years orbiting our planet. One of the areas that has brought tremendous promise and intrigue is through in-space production applications, wherein the space station can drive the design of new or enhanced products that may be sold on Earth and facilitate the development of a robust and sustainable market in space. This session will focus on the production of optical fibers grown onboard the space station, and how this could open new avenues of business to support companies within the aerospace, communications, and defense industries.

The role of SPACs and LIDAR - Are they driving the future of the photonics industry? In the past 12 months over $3 billion of fresh capital is flowing into the photonics sector via 7 firms to date with LIDAR SPACs and IPO financings. These firms combined market values have exceeded sector bellwethers Lumentum, II-VI, FLIR, and IPG Photonics combined. Plus, Quantum, PiC, medical diagnostic and laser-based 3D printing firms are also hauling in pools of SPAC capital, as are major communications infrastructure builds that use photonics. The nature of SPAC public firms is they issue forecasts out to 2025-2030, with the LIDAR group consistent in their projections that the LIDAR TAM size will reach over $150 billion in 2030 revenue. Our panel will address: What are the Implications for the photonics components and assembly community in terms of: (1) hiring needs and availability of talent, (2) ramping in the supply chain, (3) adoption of new technologies, (4) serving other applications markets, impact on your company and customer strategies and financing avenues? Will it result in a crowding out effect on smaller firms and smaller market applications as talent and vendors race to volume and the opportunity for profit and stock rewards in these hyper growth markets? Will component and services to photonic systems firms be squeezed in price and supply scheduling similar to the semiconductor squeeze as consumer IoT garners design and volume market-share? What secondary benefits do you see coming from this investment wave? Spill-over into other applications? As executives, managers and employees -- what opportunities, risks and actions might this present you with? Are you seeing impact today?.