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In recent years, the Metro Orlando optics and photonics sector
has experienced unprecedented success. With a highly-skilled
workforce, significant research resources and a progressive
business environment, optics and photonics organizations in the
region have experienced consistent annual growth. Metro Orlando
currently boasts one of only three National Centers of Excellence
in Photonics and is one of the few communities to establish a
research center dedicated to the field.
The history of optics and photonics in Metro Orlando is rich and
diverse and reflects the region’s commitment to excellence in the
industry. In the early 1960s, Martin Marietta—now Lockheed
Martin—began conducting applications research for a new technology,
the laser. From this cornerstone event, Metro Orlando’s optics and
photonics industry was born. Over the next 20 years, numerous
companies, subsidiaries and spinouts were spawned, including:
- Northrop Grumman
- OSI LaserScan, LLC
- Advanced Laser Systems Technologies
The success of these companies, and the large purchasing power
of aerospace and defense companies such as Lockheed Martin, have
enticed other optics and photonics companies to Metro Orlando.
Another factor in the explosive growth of the region’s optics
and photonics sector was the establishment in 1986 of the
University of Central Florida’s Center for Research and Education
in Optics and Lasers (CREOL). Today, CREOL, which is now part of
the College of Optics and Photonics, is arguably the top academic
photonics school in the country and is world recognized for
excellence, along with the college’s two other research centers:
the Florida Photonics Center for Excellence (FPCE), and the Townes
Laser Institute. Many optics and photonics companies are choosing
to locate in Metro Orlando to capitalize on the UCF College of
Optics and Photonics, CREOL and FPCE endeavors.
In addition to optics and photonics applications for the defense
industry, this technology is impacting a wide number of fields,
including:
- Telecommunications
- Medical
- Agriculture
- Entertainment
In telecom, a laser developed by a UCF professor of optics
recently broke the speed record for data transmission by sending
more than a terra bit (one trillion pieces) of information per
second from a single laser diode.
Medical advances include work by another UCF researcher who is
pioneering the use of liquid crystals—the substance used in video
game displays—to increase the clarity and effectiveness of eyeglass
lenses.
The Metro Orlando business community is closely knit and works
together to foster an environment that encourages information
exchange and breeds success. Research, community, and
business organizations unite to enhance the optics and photonics
industry within the region. One result of such collaboration
is the Florida Photonics Cluster (FPC), whose mission is to support
the growth and profitability of this industry throughout Florida by
providing a unified voice for the field and a network for
communication and collaboration, and by raising public awareness of
the contributions the industry makes to the region. Through
this and other avenues, industry leaders meet frequently to discuss
the business climate, as well as to develop partnerships and
strategies to accelerate the growth of their individual businesses
and the overall photonics sector in Metro Orlando. |
