The main objective of the COST Action is to advance the application of ultrafast nanophotonics to provide high capacity photonic communication infrastructures, as well as to bring forward advanced research on novel topics such as advanced optical signal processing and optical logic, microwave photonics and exploratory technologies (based on nanophotonics) such as quantum communication.
A co-ordinated effort on wavelength scale photonics in telecommunication is expected to enable an increased system performance. This is due to a higher level of hardware integration being possible, the devices being compact with low power consumption, and an increased device functionality due to a more optimal use of optical waveguiding/mode and material gain properties of devices.
At present, many university and industrial labs are conducting research in national or European projects such as IST projects. However, the fabrication and process technology for nanophotonics still require a large research infrastructure, and far from all university labs in Europe have the possibility to conduct experimental research in the field. In particular this is true for laboratories having no close industrial partner within the country doing research on optoelectronics.
A secondary objective of the Action, therefore, is to provide resources for a pan-European effort, so that small laboratories lacking facilities are able to collaborate with other groups to design, model, realise and characterise novel prototype devices that can be tested in an application context. This effort will therefore also serve to spread the technology know-how in the field to all participating areas in Europe.
