Photonics Engineers
"Hey, four-eyes, how many of us are there, haha" — that phrase still echoes in my head as if I'd heard it yesterday and not 15 years ago. When I first started wearing glasses, I was bullied by some of my classmates. Sure, they were saying it as a joke, but it still stung. I also never felt comfortable wearing glasses, and I waited until I turned 25 to get rid of them, when I had LASIK surgery about a year ago — I no longer have any vision problems. LASIK is a precise surgery performed using a number of medical devices that use laser beams to correct any defects in the cornea, and it's only done on adults. But did you know that this surgery, which has helped millions of people around the world regain their vision through their own eyes without needing glasses or contact lenses, didn't even exist thirty years ago? The world owes its knowledge of LASIK surgery to a group of experts called "photonics engineers" — these are the engineers who invented and developed the laser devices and techniques that different types of vision-correction surgery rely on. A photonics engineer is a specialist in the science of light — a photon being the unit used to measure the amount of light. Broadly speaking, photonics science and engineering covers all the applications and products that rely on light rays to function, such as the laser techniques used in precise surgical procedures, found in weapons and in machines designed for cutting metal, on top of medical diagnostic equipment that relies on imaging, light sensors found in cars, digital cameras, and smartphones, and solar cells used to generate electricity. Fiber optics, one of the newest technologies used in the world of telecommunications and the internet, is also one of the most prominent practical applications of photonics. Based on all this, it's clear that the photonics engineer is the one responsible for manufacturing and developing all the products, devices, and equipment that rely on light technology.
Meet the Writer: Waleed Abo Omiraa
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- Analyze, fabricate, or test fiber-optic links.
- Design electro-optical sensing or imaging systems.
- Determine commercial, industrial, scientific, or other uses for electro-optical applications or devices.
- Conduct research on new photonics technologies.
- Design, integrate, or test photonics systems or components.
- Analyze system performance or operational requirements.
- Conduct testing to determine functionality or optimization or to establish limits of photonics systems or components.
- Design gas lasers, solid state lasers, infrared, or other light emitting or light sensitive devices.
- Determine applications of photonics appropriate to meet product objectives or features.
- Develop or test photonic prototypes or models.
- Develop optical or imaging systems, such as optical imaging products, optical components, image processes, signal process technologies, or optical systems.
- Assist in the transition of photonic prototypes to production.
- Create or maintain photonic design histories.
- Oversee or provide expertise on manufacturing, assembly, or fabrication processes.
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, continue education, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in the field.
- Train operators, engineers, or other personnel.
- Design photonics products, such as light sources, displays, or photovoltaics, to achieve increased energy efficiency.
- Write reports or proposals related to photonics research or development projects.
- Document photonics system or component design processes, including objectives, issues, or outcomes.