Cardiff, UK - 23 February 2022

Organised in partnership with Holland Semiconductors, High Tech NL, and supported by the Welsh Government the ‘Semiconductors 4 Photonics’ webinar on 8 March 2022 will explore the future potential of the Semiconductor enabled Photonics markets, and focus on building, and strengthening existing relationships, between the United Kingdom and Netherlands. More information at Events 2022 – CSconnected.

Photonics is an underpinning technology with applications spanning a wide range of end-use markets including connectivity, healthcare, sensing and net zero. Whilst being hidden, it’s embedded into everyday technologies. Take your smartphone for example, your device is using photonics to enable 3D sensing and facial recognition, and to transmit information faster by powering high speed, 5G telecommunication and data-communication fibre-optic networks.

Photonics innovations drive economic growth across the world. According to a recent report analysis from the UK Photonics Leadership Group, companies manufacturing and delivering services based on photonics technology in the UK produced £14.5 billion in output in 2020 and contributed £6.5 billion of gross added value to the UK economy annually, employing 76,700 people in the UK at a productivity of £85,000 per employee. It is comparable to the pharmaceutical and fintech industries, making it one of the most important sectors for the UK economy.

Compound semiconductor materials play an important part in driving photonics applications of today and tomorrow. They have been at the forefront of the revolution in image sensing and will continue to support exciting innovations in photonics applications. Two of the biggest future developments for photonics applications enabled by compound semiconductor materials are in healthcare wearable devices to monitor diseases and infections including glucose levels and coronaviruses and in remote sensing technology used for accurate dimensional measuring, object scanning for replication by 3D printing and the virtual placement of objects for augmented reality apps such as shopping and gaming.

About CSconnected

CSconnected represents the world's first compound semiconductor community based in and around South Wales in the UK. The CSconnected community integrates world-class research excellence, innovation and prototyping facilities with a unique regional supply chain in compound semiconductor manufacturing. In 2020, CSconnected received government funding provided through UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places Fund (SIPF). CSconnected SIPF is a 55-month project with a total value of £43 million, supported by £25 million of government funding provided through UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places Fund.