This past January, II-VI was on hand for the largest Photonics West show in the exhibition’s 11-year history. The show has become North America’s biggest commercial exhibit for optics, lasers, and related technologies. Held in San Jose, California, the strength of the show’s attendance is seen as an indicator of the strength of the industrial sector it covers. Planners estimated that attendance increased by 8 percent over last year, with approximately 16,000 registered delegates.

The exhibition included four international symposia: BiOS 2006 (Biomedical Optics), OPTO 2006 (Integrated Optoelectronic Devices), LASE 2006 (Lasers and Applications in Science and Technology), and MOEMS-MEMS 2006 (Micro and Nanofabrication). Program Chair for the Laser Source Engineering portion of LASE 2006 was VLOC’s Gregory Quarles.

According to Herman Reedy, Executive Vice President of II-VI, "The Photonics West 2006 Exhibition is the place where one can see and learn about new and emerging optical and laser technologies." The short courses and technical talks about fiber lasers "are key to staying abreast of new developing technologies," he explained, adding, "Photonics West is a show II-VI must attend."

For more information on what took place at the show, visit http://spie.org/Conferences/programs/06/pw/updates/.