General Photonics Sector

Photonics is the science of generating, controlling and detecting light. The field is at the crossroads of several disciplines including physics, electronics, mathematics and chemistry. The global market for photonics products is €350 billion, of which €65 billion is produced in Europe. The European photonics industry employs 290,000 people directly and involves over 5,000 SMEs.

Related Case Studies

Photonics is a key enabling technology for a wide range of application areas such as:

Industrial Manufacturing

  • In-line process monitoring
  • Machine vision
  • Laser cutting

Sensing and Detection

  • Environmental monitoring
  • Water and soil analysis
  • Autonomous cars

Lighting, Displays &
Solar Cells

  • TVs, cameras, phones
  • Energy-efficient LEDs
  • PV solar panels

Imaging and Microscopy

  • Contaminant identification
  • Medical imaging
  • Chemometrics

Medical Devices &
Technology

  • Point of care diagnostics
  • Cancer screening
  • Health monitoring

Information and
Communications

  • Optical fibre communications
  • Internet, built in mobility networks
  • In-car entertainment