Photonics & The Rocky Mountain Region
Photonics is the science of generating and harnessing the energy of light. Applications cover all ranges of our daily lives, from the display and camera in our cell phones to the satellite images on Google Earth. From the barcode readers at the store to the DVD player on TV, there are lasers and focused light used everywhere. The future looks promising, with growing use of photovoltaics, 3D imaging, and LED lighting.
The last 10 years in the photonics industry has been tumultuous as the telecommunications industry’s demand for fiber optics and related components led much of the industry into the boom and bust of the early 2000's. During this time, only one area of the United States saw a net growth in photonics companies: the Rocky Mountain Region. Two states in the region, Arizona and Colorado now rank in the top 10 states for photonics companies in the nation.
Ten years ago, the entire Rocky Mountain Region accounted for about 10% of the photonics industry. Today this is closer to 25%. While the Rocky Mountain region saw the same boom as the rest of the nation, they did not see as dramatic a decline as regional businesses shifted to other markets or products in order to keep going.
Since 2001 three Nobel Prizes for Physics were awarded to photonics work in the region, the most for photonics in the nation during this time. Exciting new research in many arenas is also underway throughout the Rockies.
Photonics has always been a technology used by many different industries, which is one of its strengths. Today the region does significant business with
- Areospace
- Medical Instruments
- Renewable Energy
- Homeland Security / Defense
- Electronics
- Nanotechnology
- Biotech (pharmaceuticals)
- Telecommunications
- Software
- RFID
Photonics has the power be the quiet technology that both help many industries grow as well as provide a stabilizing economy. This technology crosses over so many industries, both high tech and old time industries such as energy and lumber, that it will continue to help the Rocky Mountain region outgrow the boom and bust cycles that have been around since the gold rush days.
The Rocky Mountain POSSE brings together the leaders of this vibrant, enabling industry, to discuss what has worked and will work in their companies as we go forward. This industry has a history of working together and sharing information, so the POSSE just helps create a forum for this history to continue. Some of their strategies and lessons learned will have universal appeal to the high tech business world.
Optics or Photonics Organizations in the Region:
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