SPIE Photonics West will set records again this year, solidifying its role as the leading international event in the optics and photonics industry. This year's program is the largest yet, with more technical presentations and exhibiting companies from the biomedical optics sector, the latest advancements in lasers, MEMs, and optoelectronics, and a major exhibition including 1,300 suppliers. Presentations span early research results, scientific achievements, engineering solutions, and industry forums on silicon photonics, sustainable technology, and the global laser market, providing a matchless opportunity to see the future.

BELLINGHAM, Washington, USA December 06, 2012

The largest-yet Biomedical Optics technical program and BiOS Expo are driving growth for SPIE Photonics West 2013. With strong programs in LASE, OPTO, and MOEMS-MEMS as well, the international event is expected to draw more than last year's 20,000 total registered attendance to the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, 2-7 February.

Highlights include:

*Photonics West exhibition with nearly 1,300 exhibiting companies and nearly 200 product launches

*annual Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation sponsored by SPIE and Photonics Media to recognize the best new products

*SPIE Startup Challenge, with cash awards sponsored by Jenoptik, to give venture capital exposure and mentoring to aspiring entrepreneurs working to bring new products to market.

Approximately 235 exhibiting companies are expected for the BiOS Expo. Available space in the exhibition halls is filling fast, and late-booking companies for the Photonics West Exhibition face the prospect of a waiting list.

Personalized medicine to integrated photonics

Technical conference presentations are up approximately 5% over last year, with more than 4,450 organized into four topical areas ― BiOS, LASE, MOEMS-MEMS, and OPTO ― and the Green Photonics virtual symposium.

The BiOS program provides the latest information on biomedical optics, diagnostics and therapeutics, biophotonics, molecular imaging, optical microscopy, optical coherence tomography, and optogenetics.

New conferences reflect important advances in personalized medicine:

*Terahertz and Ultrashort Electromagnetic Pulses for Biomedical Applications

*Optogenetics and Hybrid-Optical Control of Cells

*Optical Methods in Developmental Biology

*Bioinspired, Biointegrated, Bioengineered Photonic Devices.

Opening-day speakers in the popular BiOS Hot Topics session include:

*Ernst Bamberg (Max Planck Institute), optogenetics and hybrid-optical control of cells

*Ben Potsaid (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), MEMs tunable VCSEL technology for ultrahigh-speed OCT

*Dan Oron (Weizmann Institute of Science), patterned multiphoton photoactivation in scattering tissue by temporal focusing

*Jonathan Sorger (Intuitive Surgical), clinical requirements for optical imaging in medical robotics

*Bernard Choi (Beckman Laser Institute), camera-based functional imaging of tissue hemodynamics

*Mathias Fink (Institute ESPCI, CNRS), multiwave approach to elasticity imaging for cancer detection

*Joe Culver (Washington University in St. Louis), functional optical imaging of the brain

*Vladimir Zharov (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences), photoacoustic flow cytometry.

The MOEMS-MEMS program has seen a jump in submissions, driven primarily by more papers in the areas of microfluidics, bioMEMS, and medical microsystems, along with papers on micro-optics, and adaptive optics. Papers explore how MEMS and MOEMS will enable the mass-produced miniaturized products and integrated systems of the future. Plenary speakers are:

*Bozena Kaminska (Simon Fraser University), future systems with nano-optics contributions

*Aaron Knoblach (GE Global Research), optical MEMS pressure sensors for geothermal well monitoring

*Kaili Jiang (Tsinghua University), super-aligned carbon nanotubes.

Presentations in the OPTO program cover the latest developments in a broad range of optoelectronic technologies and their integration for a variety of commercial applications. Topics include silicon photonics, photonic crystals, optoelectronics, semiconductor lasers, quantum dots, and nanophotonics. Plenary speakers are:

*Markus Aspelmeyer (University of Vienna), quantum optomechanics

*Richard Soref (University of Massachusetts, Boston), group IV photonics for the mid-IR

*Miles Padgett (University of Glasgow), optical angular momentum.

The LASE program focus is on laser sources, lasers for manufacturing, lasers for micro/nanoengineering, and other applications. Highlights include laser resonators, fiber, solid state, and high-power lasers for materials processing and the world's largest concentration of semiconductor laser/LED content.

Plenary speakers are:

*Wim Leemans (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab), particle acceleration and TeV physics and compact x-ray and gamma-ray sources

*Martin Wegener (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), 3D metamaterials made by direct laser writing

*Geert Verhaeghe (Faurecia Autositze), remote laser welding in automotive production.

A virtual symposium on Green Photonics reflects the integration of enabling photonics technologies in solutions to the world's environmental and energy challenges. More than 65 papers from throughout the program are highlighted in this symposium.

Industry insights

Executive panels on market trends in photonics, sustainable technology, and silicon photonics and photonics integrated circuits and a talk by SPIE CEO Eugene Arthurs on government initiatives and opportunities for growth in photonics provide strong industry-focused content.

More than 70 short courses providing CEU accreditation provide a valuable resource for working professionals, spanning essential topics in optical, biomedical, laser, manufacturing, and optoelectronics engineering.

A comprehensive set of professional development workshops and other activities for students and early career professionals are offered, and the event will provide numerous opportunities for valuable networking throughout the week.

Accepted papers will be published in the SPIE Digital Library as soon as approved after the meeting, and in print volumes and digital collections.

About SPIE

SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies. The Society serves nearly 225,000 constituents from approximately 150 countries, offering conferences, continuing education, books, journals, and a digital library in support of interdisciplinary information exchange, professional growth, and patent precedent. SPIE provided over $2.7 million in support of education and outreach programs in 2011.