Whether you’re guiding the business of an industry leader or managing a startup, following global market data and corporate valuations, tracking business trends in photonics, industrial lasers, optics, and seeking new opportunities is time well spent. I like to think reading Laser Focus World is also. After all, in this issue we cover vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), which are laser diodes that emit perpendicular to the surface of the wafer on which they are fabricated and, as a result, do not require cleaving to form their laser cavities. The price/performance benefits of these lasers accelerate adoption and drive the creation of new applications. Having recently expanded to smartphone face recognition, lidar, and other applications, there is currently much active research aimed at new applications that will leverage the potential of these coherent light sources.
For example, in this issue we cover a new biophotonic application for VCSELs (see article). The article introduces an example of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) that uses VCSELs to achieve high-resolution living-brain imaging of functions such as cortex activity. According to Yole Développement (Lyon, France), the global VCSEL market should surpass $3.7 billion by 2024, growing at a 31% CAGR between 2018 and 2024. That’s one reason why we’ll also be addressing the rapidly expanding VCSEL market in a panel discussion to be held at Laser Focus World's 32nd Annual Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar. Another reason is that VCSELs are proving to be a disruptive force, broadening the wave of innovation at all levels for all optoelectronic semiconductors and supporting optics according to panel moderator John Dexheimer from Lightwave Advisors.
I hope you will join us at the only executive-level event held in partnership with SPIE and part of the official Photonics West program, as we explore the ecosystem around VCSELs. The panel will discuss opportunities for complementary materials and fab partners, design firms, metrology, optics, filters, and the optical assembly/integration needed for system builds. Held on February 3, 2020, the Monday before SPIE Photonics West, the seminar will also offer exclusive market data for executives, business development managers, and investors as well as networking opportunities. After reviewing the agenda and speaker lineup, I think you'll agree this event would be time well spent. You can register online at www.marketplaceseminar.com/register.
John Lewis | Editor in Chief (2018-2021)
John Lewis served as Editor in Chief of Laser Focus World from August 2018 through October 2021, after having served as the Editor in Chief of Vision Systems Design from 2016 to 2018. He has technical, industry, and journalistic qualifications, with more than 13 years of progressive content development experience working at Cognex Corporation. Prior to Cognex where his articles on machine vision were published in dozens of trade journals, he was a technical editor for Design News, covering automation, machine vision, and other engineering topics, for over six years.