Plenary Talks

Title: The large binocular telescope observatory 

Speaker: Christian VEILLET

Abstract: The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) occupies a unique place in the current suite of large ground-based optical telescopes. With two 8.4-m primary mirrors mounted side-by-side on a common altitude-azimuth mounting, it offers a combined collecting area of a single 11.8m telescope, more than any other telescope. The two primary mirrors are separated by 14.4m center-to-center and provide an interferometric baseline of 22.8m edge-to-edge, making LBT a forerunner of the next generation of telescopes. The binocular design, combined with integrated adaptive optics utilizing adaptive Gregorian secondary mirrors to compensate for atmospheric turbulence, provides a large effective aperture, high angular resolution, low thermal background, and exceptional sensitivity for the detection of faint objects. This presentation will explore the history of the LBT observatory, the role it plays in adaptive optics and astronomical instrumentation development, and in the design of the Extremely Large Telescopes still to come. Some of the exciting science programs enabled by LBT, from our Solar System and extrasolar planets to the far reaches of the universe, will remind the audience that technological prowess is a means rather than an end in itself. 

Biography: Christian Veillet is the Director of the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory since early 2013. He was previously the Executive Director at the Canada-FranceHawaii Telescope, where he arrived as Resident Astronomer in 1996 and served as Project Manager/Project Scientist for the CFHT MegaPrime Project and chaired the Working and Steering Groups which laid out and ran the CFHT Legacy Survey. His current research areas include Kuiper Belt Objects and Near Earth asteroids. Back in the late 1970s/early 1980s, he made studies of the dynamics of Uranus and Neptune satellites prior to the Voyager fly-by. Before joining CFHT, he spent 16 years at Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur in charge of the French Lunar Laser Ranging program. There he studied space experiments using light pulses traveling in space for synchronizing atomic clocks and testing some aspects of general relativity. Christian also wrote and installed the telescope control software for the Korean Mt Bohyun telescope, the THEMIS solar telescope and the Zimmerwald satellite laser ranging station.  

Title: Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project status 

Speaker: Fengchuan LIU

Abstract: The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is an extremely large optical-infrared telescope with diffraction-limited performance that will shape the landscape of astronomy for the next 50 years from its vantage point in the northern hemisphere. The TMT International Observatory is a public-private-international partnership that unites the scientific, instrumental and industrial communities of India, Canada, China, Japan and the USA for this endeavor with all partners contributing to the design, development, and scientific use of the observatory. This paper will describe progress made since the construction phase started in April, 2014: challenges and opportunities on the telescope site, communications and management of a truly global collaboration, design and development, education and public outreach.  

Biography: Dr. Fengchuan Liu received his bachelor degree in Physics from Nankai University, Tianjin, and both his Master and PhD degrees in Physics from the University of Washington, Seattle. After a Postdoctoral research at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Dr. Liu spent 20 years at Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Lab as a research scientist, a project scientist and a project manager. Dr Liu joined TMT as the Deputy Project Manager in 2015, and became the Project Manager (acting) in 2020. 

Title: An introduction to 3D printing+  

Speaker: Bingheng LU 

Abstract: The report first systematically expounds the global developments in 3D printing, including the development status of mainstream 3D printing technology and the development trends of frontier technologies. Further, the bottlenecks and future trends of large-scale and industrialized metal additive manufacturing are analyzed, and the key development directions of 3D printing technology are also proposed. In addition, the report puts forward the concept of "3D printing+", pointing out that "3D printing+" is being applied to various manufacturing fields and different aspects of social life. 3D printing+ has brought innovation in the products and equipments of various fields including lightweight and integrated printing of parts and components, efficient heat exchange, application of new materials, design of multi-material and functionally graded structures, etc. In the fields of aerospace, naval architecture and ocean engineering, new energy, robotics, remanufacturing, precision medicine, biomedical, automobile, mould, construction, electronics, cultural and creative industries, etc., 3D printing+ technology will continue to expand. The report discusses and predicts that not only in terms of manufacturing concept will additive manufacturing, subtractive manufacturing, and forming manufacturing form the three pillars in this field. But also in terms of the value they created will the field be divided into three equally competitive parts. Finally, some of achievements of National Innovation Institute of Additive Manufacturing in the past three years are shared. 

Biography: As one of the pioneers conducting the research on Rapid Prototyping Technology in China，Prof. Lu initiated the RP machine based on UV light in the world and 6 other advanced RP equipment as well as special RP raw materials and put them into industrialized production. During the National 9th Five-year plan period, Prof. Lu led and participated in 9 state level key research projects including 863 high-tech program and NSFC projects etc. Professor Lu is the member of Expert Committee of Advanced Manufacturing Technology and Automation of the State "863" High-tech Program, the director of RP&M Engineering Centre under MOE, vice chief-member of Teaching Supervision Subcommittee of Machine Design & Manufacturing, and consultant expert of NSFC. 

Title: Ultrashort pulsed laser structuring of biomimetic surfaces and related applications 

Speaker: Emmanuel STRATAKIS, Costas FOTAKIS 

Abstract: The study and simulation of biological systems is popularly known as biomimetics - a combination of the Greek words ‘bios’, meaning life, and ‘mimesis’, meaning to imitate. Nature offers a wealth of diverse functional surfaces, whose properties are unmatched in today’s artificial materials. In this context, a highly interdisciplinary field of research has emerged concerning the design, the synthesis and the fabrication of biomimetic structures, based on the ideas, concepts and underlying principles developed by nature. Biomimetic materials provide innovative solutions for the design of a new generation of functional materials and can lead to novel materials design principles. Bionics and biomimetics are disciplines with high potentials for technical innovation. In this context, several methodologies have been developed to facilitate the formation of bioinspired constructs, exhibiting hierarchical structuring at length scales ranging from hundreds of nanometers to several microns. Laser processing is a highly versatile approach allowing bottom-up and top-down structuring, while it excels over mechanical, chemical and electric discharge texturing, as it enables localized modifications with a large degree of control over the shape and size of the features that are formed and a broader range of sizes that can be fabricated. This lecture will review the development of novel ultrafast pulsed laser processing schemes for the controlled fabrication and engineering of biomimetic surfaces to realize extraordinary optical, wetting, biological and tribological properties, for a variety applications, including special optics, microfluidics, flexible optoelectronics and tissue engineering. In parallel, the biological principles behind the functionalities exhibited by the natural surface archetypes will be analysed and discussed. In particular, by applying ultrafast laser pulses novel surface structures with sub - micron sized features are produced while the physical properties of semiconductor, dielectric and metallic surfaces are significantly modified. The biomimetic surfaces developed exhibit controlled dual-scale morphology, that mimics the hierarchical structuring of natural surfaces with exciting properties (i.e. the Lotus Leaf, the Shark Skin, Lizards’ Integument and Cicada wings). As a result, the biomimetic morphology attained gives rise to notable multifunctional properties including water repellence, self-cleaning, antibacterial, anti-friction, antifogging, anti-reflection and combination of those smart surfaces, i.e show the ability to change their functionality in response to different external stimuli. At the same time, the ability to tailor the morphology and chemistry is an important advantage for the use of the biomimetic structures as models to study the dependence of growth, division and differentiation of cells on the surface energy of the biomimetic cell culture substrates used for tissue regeneration. Besides presenting the potential and significance of the laser based biomimetic surface structures, this talk will also delineate existing limitations and discuss emerging possibilities and future prospects.  

Biography:  

Emmanuel STRATAKIS Dr. Emmanuel Stratakis is a Research Director at the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser (IESL) of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), where he is leading the “Ultrafast Laser Micro- and Nanoprocessing” laboratory. He received his Ph.D. in Physics in 2001 from the University of Crete. He has been a Visiting Scientist at the University of California Berkeley in the fall semesters of 2006 and 2008. He has over 220 SCI publications and more than 8000 citations, h-index=48 (Scopus), and he has coordinated many National and EU grants. He has delivered more than 40 invited and keynote lectures and has been organizer and chair in major international scientific conferences. He has been an Editor of the journals Opto-electronic Advances, Materials Today (Bio), Applied Sciences and International Journal of molecular Sciences. Since 2015, he is the Director of the European Nanoscience Facility of FORTH, part of the NFFA-Europe EU Infrastructure, where he is a member of the General Assembly. He is a National expert in the High-Level Group of EU on Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Biotechnology, Advanced Manufacturing and Processing. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of COST. Since January 2020 he is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Biomimetic.  

Costas FOTAKIS Costas Fotakis is currently Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Crete and Distinguished Member of the Foundation Organization for Research and Technology (FORTH). He has served as Alternate Minister for Greek Research and Innovation from January 2015 till July 2019. During this time, he designed and implemented Research and Innovation policies in Greece and participated in the EU Research Ministers Council.  

Title: Manufacturing large arrays of high-power semiconductor lasers – maximising performance, yield, and reliabilit  

Speaker: John H. MARSH 

Abstract: Parallel arrays of semiconductor lasers have many important applications, including printing, material processing, imaging, and optical range finding. For some applications, every element in the array is required to deliver a high-quality beam (operate in a single transverse mode) and be addressable individually, while in others the elements can be driven in parallel and the beam quality may not be critical. The integration of passive waveguides in the laser facet regions leads to a step improvement in performance and manufacturability of all these devices. Passive waveguides eliminate optical absorption at the facet, meaning lasers can be operated reliably at higher powers. By removing heat and carrier infection close to the facets, the beam pointing stability is improved which is essential in applications requiring outstanding beam control. The yield at chip level is improved because the tolerances of the cavity length are relaxed – precision cleaving is not required. Finally, because heat dissipated in the passive waveguide sections in negligible, the devices can overhang the metal carrier, simplifying packaging and improving yield in back-end processing. The structure of the semiconductor laser also impacts performance. Designing for high power means using longer devices, as this simplifies heat removal. It is also desirable to use layer designs in which the spot size is increased and the optical overlap with the gain region is reduced. Results for GaAs/AlGaAs lasers and laser arrays will be presented which combine high-power layer design with integrated passive waveguides. These include wide arrays of single mode lasers delivering 200 mW per element with FIT rates as low as 100 in 109 hours, broad area lasers delivering roll-over powers of 29 W, and bars and stacks delivering pulses of up to 3 kW.  

Biography: Professor John H. Marsh is full Professor of Optoelectronic Systems, University of Glasgow, as well as the Dean of Transnational Education responsible for the University of Glasgow UESTC partnership. His formal education took place at the Universities of Cambridge (BA), Liverpool (MEng) and Sheffield (PhD). He moved to the University of Glasgow in 1986, where he established an internationally leading research group addressing linear and nonlinear integrated optoelectronic systems. After cofounding Intense Ltd in 2000, he was seconded to the Company until 2009 and served as a Board Director until 2011. During this time, Intense developed the world’s most advanced integrated laser systems, bringing monolithic laser arrays together with electronic ASICs and optics for precise energy delivery in a range of applications from printing to material processing. He returned to the University of Glasgow full-time in 2009. He was Head of the School of Engineering from 2010-2016, leading the unification of the four departments of the former Faculty of Engineering into a single School. Professor John H. Marsh has been active in professional societies, particularly the IEEE. After serving as a member of the Board of Governors of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society (including two terms as a Vice-President), he was elected President in 2008 and 2009. During this period the Society changed its name to the IEEE Photonics Society. He has served on numerous other IEEE committees, including the Board of Governors of the IEEE Technology Management Council in 2012 and 2013. Professor John H. Marsh is Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE), Optical Society of America (FOSA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (FIEEE), Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET), Institute of Physics (FInstP), and Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). His work has included research into the fundamental electrical and optical properties of semiconductors, development of novel optoelectronic devices, processes for creating photonic integrated circuits, integrated mode-locked lasers for ultra-short pulse generation, and the development and manufacturing of high-power laser array products. He has published or presented around 500 papers (including more than 70 invited papers) in international journals and conferences. He holds 16 granted patents.

Title: Hybrid laser precision engineering of functional structures on transparent hard substrates 

Speaker: Minghui HONG 

Abstract: Laser precision engineering has unique advantages as a non-contact process for advanced manufacturing of high-quality microstructures. In the past decades, we have witnessed its extensive applications from fundamental research to various industrial applications. In this talk, dynamic laser materials interaction will be reviewed. How to minimize the laser processing induced micro-damages is a key challenge for high-quality laser precision engineering, especially in the processing of transparent hard substrates as the direct absorption of laser energy by these substrates is very low. Attributed to nonlinear optical absorption, femtosecond laser direct ablation can achieve the cold processing of these hard transparent substrates. While nanosecond pulse laser’s pocketing scanning is an effective way to make high-quality edges on glass substrates though it takes a long time. Laser-induced backside wet etching (LIBWE) can make high-quality microstructures based on laser enhanced chemical etching to remove the transparent substrate materials. Laser-induced plasma assisted ablation (LIPAA) is another feasible means to increase the laser energy absorption for highquality processing at a high speed. I will also report our recent research results on: 1) CW laser assisted LIPAA to enhance transparent substrate processing speed; 2) Hybrid femtosecond laser LIPAA for high aspect ratio (>10:1) microstructures fabrication and 3) Dual-beam LIPAA fabrication of smooth surface (roughness <30 nm) on sapphire surfaces, which can be used to make functional micro-optics. 

Biography: Prof. Minghui HONG specializes in laser microprocessing & nanofabrication. He has co-authored 15 book chapters, 40+ patents granted (4 commercialized), 500+ scientific papers, and given 100+ plenary/keynote/invited talks. He is invited to serve as an Editor of Light:Science and Applications, Engineering, Science China G, Physics and Laser Micro/nanoengineering, and Executive Editor-in-chief of Opto-Electronic Advances. Prof. Hong is Fellow of Academy of Engineering, Singapore (FSEng), Fellow of Optical Society of America (OSA), Fellow of International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), Fellow of International Academy of Photonics and Laser Engineering (IAPLE) and Fellow of Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES). He is currently a Full Professor, Director of Advanced Research and Technology Innovation Centre (ARTIC) and Director of Optical Science and Engineering Centre (OSEC), National University of Singapore. He spun off Phaos Technology Pte. Ltd. and Opto Science Pte. Ltd. from NUS in 2017 and 2021.