CLEO/QELS & PhAST: something for everyone.(Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference)(Photonic Applications, Systems, and Technologies)

BALTIMORE, MD -- The 2005 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference (CLEO/QELS, May 22-27), once again presented an increasingly broad-based program that reflects the increasingly broad spectrum of technologies and applications in this field. For the second year in a row, the Photonic Applications, Systems, and Technologies (PhAST) program was held in conjunction with CLEO/QELS and is an applications-oriented series of presentations that complement the historically theoretical research emphasis of CLEO/QELS.

The variety of conference topics was illustrated by the speaker presentations at the plenary sessions, which were divided into separate Monday evening and Wednesday morning sessions. On Monday evening, Arpad Bergh, president of the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA; Washington, D.C.; www.oida.org), discussed how the convergence of communications, computers, and consumer electronics will lead to new optoelectronics markets and a surge in LED and sensor demand for cell …