Silicon and Crystal Photonics for Chemical Sensing

July 31, 2012

Electronics Convergence and Communications Technology ยป 2012 ... There have been numerous advancements in silicon and crystal photonics development for chemical sensing equipment. Looking at the photonics chemical sensing equipment provider and information source sites online, it is amazing to see all of the potential applications of this type of technology. The U.S. Armed Forces uses photonic microharp chemical sensors in the real-time detection of vapors. This usage could potentially detect dangerous gasses and chemical weapons in both military and public applications. Just imagine in the case of a terrorist gas attack on a public subway, a photonic microharp sensor could detect the gas and allow for evacuation at the first hint of chemical presence.

Some uses of photonic crystals include sensing finite environmental changes within ambient gas materials in the air. Read the rest of this entry »

Share

How Our Understanding of Light Has Grown

July 31, 2012

Telecommunications And Radio Systems SCCI NewsLight is all around us. Thanks to the sun, and other artificial sources of light there is really never a time where the vast majority of humans have to go without light. Over the past few millennium mankind’s understanding of what light is, and how it works has grown from viewing light and the luminaries that provide light, as gods, to in modern times having a basic understanding of the principles that affect the way that light works, and how light interacts with certain materials.

Starting in the 1960s a science developed called photonics. The basic idea behind the science was to see if light could be used to perform certain functions in connection with electronics and telecommunications. From this science emerged a lot of the technology that was behind the telecommunications boom and that started in the late 80s, and has continued until our time. Read the rest of this entry »

Share