OSA Illumination Optics Incubator

15-17 November 2017
OSA Headquarters, Washington, DC

Hosted by:

• Chi Man Fok, Diffractive Optics Ltd., Hong Kong
• Groot Gregory, Synopsys, United States
• Julius Muschaweck, ARRI, Germany
• Henning Rehn, OSRAM, Germany

Read more about this meeting: Day 1 and Day 2

View agenda here (pdf)

Overview

Illumination optics has grown into an industry: Thousands of engineers worldwide design optics for illumination every day. However, they form a disconnected and isolated group, instead of a thriving community of practice with established ways to learn, and to exchange knowledge. Courses at universities and textbooks are rare, and dedicated conferences do not exist. Correspondingly, research and technology development happens largely within companies, with insufficient research in universities, and little pre-competitive cooperation between universities and industry. At the Illumination Optics Incubator, our aim is to determine what needs to be done to create these missing platforms for international networking and collaboration, and for research and technology advancement in illumination optics.

Scope & Featured Topics

Networking, and collaborating in a community, is standard practice in other fields of science in general and optics in particular, like imaging optics, laser optics, and photonics. However, a community with a platform for networking, collaboration, and joint research is painfully missing in illumination optics. In an effort to try and change this, we intend to bring together a group of 30-40 experienced professionals in the field of illumination optics, covering the whole value creation chain: Scientists in optical design theory and optimization, engineers in optical design and software, manufacturers of injection molded optical parts and metallized reflectors, LED manufacturers and system integrators will be both welcome and needed. We hope that the outcome of the workshop is not just a number of practical steps, but also a commitment of attendees and their organizations to actually pursue these steps.
 
The program will include a limited number of talks as well as formal discussion periods and informal networking time. Key topics to be discussed include

1. Platforms for cooperation: Conferences, dedicated journals, …?
2. Illumination optics at universities: A roadmap to courses and degrees
3. Synergies, overlap and separation between illumination optics and imaging optics.
4. What kind of know-how is most badly needed in industry?
5. Which are the most pressing theory and technology gaps in illumination optics?
6. Concurrent engineering in illumination optics: What do optical designers and manufacturers need to know beyond their own field to make better products?
7. Missing standards (ISO 10110, data formats)
8. Common language for the toolbox: Design patterns need definitions and names

Meeting Sponsors