Photonics

Multi skills in handling with light

Academic engagement, public investments and a dynamic private sector have produced a photonics cluster in the Øresund Region. Diversity is the main quality of this cluster, which has companies operating within nearly the entire photonics value chain, from optical components to systems.

Underpinning the companies’ activities are strong research institutions that perform leading edge R&D and place the region in the forefront of international photonics. A handful of spin-off firms have emerged under the research centres’ tutelage.

Technological breakthroughs

Cutting edge products and processes characterize the region’s photonics sector. Several companies have achieved technological breakthroughs and two topics in particular deserve mentioning the advanced stage of development achieved by Øresund researchers: bending of light and high-speed optical fibres.

Besides optical communications, the region has renowned expertise in diverse areas of applications such as health, testing, and storage for optical media. The Lund Laser Centre, at the University of Lund, for example, has become one of Europe's leading institutes for environmental, medical and research applications of lasers.

One of the region’s most important research centres is COM (Communication, Optics and Materials Centre) at the Technical University of Denmark. COM’s researchers work within areas that range from materials science, through fabrication of optical components, to systems design and network planning.