Demands by the communications industry for greater and greater bandwidth push the capability of conventional wireless technology. Optical systems and networks offer a far greater bandwidth. This means new devices and systems have to be developed.

Semiconductor Light Emitting Diode (LED) is considered to be the future primary lighting source for buildings, automobiles spacecraft and aircrafts. LED provides higher energy efficiency compared to incandescent and fluorescent light sources and it will play a major role in the global reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, as a consequence of the significant energy savings. Lasers are also under investigation for similar applications. These core devices have the potential to revolutionise how we use light, including not only for illumination, but as well; for communications, sensing, navigation, positioning, surveillance, and imaging. This presentation covers the evolutionary path of the field.

Dr. Mohsen Kavehrad, is the W. L. Weiss Professor of Electrical Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. He is the founding director of the Center for Information and Communications Technology Research. His prior work experience includes working for Fairchild Industries, GTE (Satellite Corp. and Labs.) and Bell Laboratories before joining the Department of Electrical Engineering at University of Ottawa in 1989 as a Professor and Director of Photonic Networks and Systems Thrust in the Communications and Information Technology Ontario (CITO). During 1997-1998 he was also the CTO and a Vice President at Tele-Beam Inc., State College, PA. He has been a senior consultant to NTT, Nortel and AT&T Shannon Research Labs and consultant to a score of other major corporations and government agencies. He is a Fellow of the IEEE. His works have been published in over 350 refereed journal and conference papers, several books and book chapters, and he holds several key issued patents in his work areas.

This event is co-organized by the IEEE Benelux Communications and Vehicular Technology (COM/VT) Chapter as part of its Distinguished Lecture Tour: