27/05/2004

NATO Advanced Research Workshop, Sept. 21-25, 2004, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

NATO
Advanced Research Workshop

Frontiers in Planar Lightwave Circuit Technology:
Design, Simulation and Fabrication

September 21-25, 2004
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

**IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS!**
Program and Other Details
Last updated: Sept. 20, 2004
The following changes have been made to the program:
- Dr. de la Rue will be presenting on Wed., Sept. 22 from 11-12pm
- Dr. Waechter will be presenting on Thurs., Sept. 23 from 1:30-2:30pm
- Visits at the CPFC on Wed., Sept. 23 will take place prior to the Roundtable Discussions
- The last session will be done at 13:00 on Sat., Sept. 25

Organized by
Vitesse Re-Skilling^TM Canada Inc.
Institute for Microstructural Sciences, National Research Council Canada
Institute of Radio Engineering & Electronics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Overview
Over the last decade the optical component industry and research community have embarked on a planar lightwave circuit (PLC) revolution. Recent advances in photonics and microelectronics have driven this revolution, and by the commercial reality that new optical technologies must eventually be manufacturable and meet market requirements. The focus of photonics research and development has shifted away from the traditional source/fibre/detector based telecommunication link, to complex devices incorporating microphotonic waveguides, high index contrast materials, photonic crystals, sub-wavelength diffractive structures, and highly integrated planar lightwave circuits. Applications of planar lightwave circuits now encompass biomedical research, optical interconnects, transportation, environmental monitoring, and sensors for defence and security.

The NATO Advanced Research Workshop will address the scientific and technical challenges encountered along the path from design and simulation to fabrication and qualification of planar lightwave circuits that incorporate these new optical technologies and address the expanding range of applications. The workshop will bring together internationally recognized photonics experts from university, government, and industrial research organizations to provide a critical review of the existing knowledge, identify key areas for future research and product development, and explore emerging applications in communications, information technology, and in the health, defence and security sectors.

Areas of Interest
High refractive index contrast devices
Magneto-optic materials and devices
Photonic crystal devices
PLC components for optical interconnects
Waveguide based biosensors
Etching techniques for sub-micron feature definition

Scientific Directors
Dr. Siegfried Janz, Group Leader, Optoelectronics Device Group
Institute for Microstructural Sciences, NRC, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Dr. Jiri Ctyroky, Associate Professor, Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics
Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Scientific Secretary
Dr. Stoyan Tanev, Program Manager, Vitesse Re-Skilling™Canada
Tel. 613-746-3595, ext. 228, Fax 613-746-6653, E-mail stoyan.tanev@vitesse.ca

Location
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites
111 Cooper Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2P 2E3, Tel. 613-238-1331, Fax 613-230-2179

Participation Cost
$750 USD (includes acommodation, breakfasts, lunches, reception, no dinners)
Note: A very limited number of scholarships will be available to cover the participation cost of participants having no other sources for financial support.

Organizing Committee
Sylvain Charbonneau, IMS-NRC, Canada
Trevor Benson, University of Nottingham, UK
André Délage, IMS-NRC, Canada 
Alan D. Boardman, University of Salford, UK
Solomon Saltiel, Sofia University, Bulgaria

Speakers
Trevor Benson, University of Nottingham, UK, Micro-Optical Resonator Devices,
Materials & Technologies
A. D. Boardman, Salford University, UK, Magneto-Optics Devices, Materials and Technologies
Jiri Ctyroky, Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha, Simulations of High Contrast Photonic Structures
Richard De La Rue, University of Glasgow, UK, Photonic Crystal Fabrication Techniques
Jiri Homola, Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha, Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensors for Food Safety
Siegfried Janz, IMS-NRC, Canada, Microphotonics: Current Challenges and Applications
S. Saltiel, Sofia University, Bulgaria, Cascaded Nonlinear Optical Processes for Planar Device Geometries
Boris Lamontagne, IMS-NRC, Canada, Fabrication of Planar Waveguides: Techniques and Issues
Laura Lechuga, CSIC, Spain, Optical Biosensor Devices as Early Warning Systems
Bert J. Offrein, IBM Research, Switzerland, The Future of Photonics R&D and Industry II
Christoph Waechter, Fraunhofer Institute, Germany, Exploring the Integrated Optics Software Landscape
Shlomo Ruschin, Tel-Aviv University, Israel, Light by Light Interaction in Silicon-on-Insulator Waveguides
Elena Romanova, Saratov State University, Russia, Ultra-Short Pulse Propagation in Non-Linear Planar Waveguides
Jeff Young, University of British Columbia, Canada, Non-Linear Processes in High Index Contrast Semiconductor Waveguides
Frank Shepherd, CPFC-NRC, IMS-NRC, Canada, Microfabrication Techniques at the CPFC

Workshop Format
The workshop will consist of invited lectures by experts in specific aspects of planar lightwave technology, focus sessions in the areas of design, modeling and fabrication, and round table discussions.

Invited talks: Each talk will review a particular subject and discuss the related design, simulation and fabrication challenges, as well as new promising directions. The speakers will also discuss in depth practical examples demonstrating successful and outstanding design, simulation and fabrication experiences related to the topic they are presenting. This will make the discussions practically oriented and meaningful.

Focus sessions: The focus sessions will be informal discussions of practical issues in the design, simulation, fabrication and testing of planar lightwave circuit devices. The discussions will be led by experts in the focus topics. Examples drawn from the invited lectures will be used to generate discussions on real life issues in optical design and state-of-the-art micro-fabrication techniques.

Focus session topics: Simulation and modeling issues; Micro-fabrication: Mask layout design, lithography and processing; Bio-sensing techniques and devices

Workshop participants are invited to bring in-house software simulation tools for demonstration purposes. Interest groups will be created that will explore some of the design and simulation steps in new ways using both in-house and commercial software simulation tools provided by key speakers and participants. These sessions will generate many practical questions concerning the design, simulations, practical feasibility, fabrication challenges, commercial versus in-house simulation tool issues, etc. Interest groups will prepare reports summarizing the key findings during the running of the workshop. The finalized interest group reports will be part of the book published as a result of the workshop.

Roundtable discussion topics
Photonics at the Beginning of the 21st Century – Main Directions and Challenges
Biophotonics – A New Technology Paradigm: Health, Environment and Defence Applications
In-House vs. Commercial Photonics Simulation Tools – A Convergence in Functionality

For More Information

Contact:
Dr. Stoyan Tanev
Program Manager
Photonics and Biophotonics Programs
Vitesse Re-Skilling^TM Canada Inc.
T: (613) 746-3595 ext. 228
F: (613) 746-6653
E: Stoyan.Tanev@vitesse.ca