In a study on the photonics industry, the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) has come to a conclusion: four countries - China, the United States, Germany and Japan, the production of nearly 75% of the world's photonic components. And Canada, with its deep base of research and industrial capabilities, continues to compete for global market share in this area.
With a geographic area of 9,984,670 square kilometers, Canada is second only to Russia and Antarctica. In contrast to Lithuania, which is known for its "small but beautiful" ultrafast laser technology industry, Canada appears to be strong in a variety of photonics fields - both in terms of research capabilities and infrastructure, as well as industry-academic cluster activity.
According to the Canadian Photonics Society (CPC), the country boasts more than 400 companies in this field, employing more than 20,000 people in total and generating roughly $4.6 billion in annual revenue for the country. It has an average growth rate of 10% in this field and exports 65% of the products it develops to the global market. It is no slouch when it comes to research capabilities, with more than a dozen research institutions focused on participating in photonics research.
The industry of photonics has a long tradition in this country and presents a very active entrepreneurial scene.
According to statistics compiled from past data, Canada has been playing a pioneering role in the global photonics field for the past 60 years. For example, Bell Northern Research installed the first fiber optic network in 1976, thus making significant progress based on a decade of research into optical fibers. This research later spawned a legendary spin-off company that quickly evolved into a global player in the telecommunications industry: the Nortel Networks Corporation.
Nortel Networks is a Canadian "national treasure" - although it was dissolved in a lengthy bankruptcy process that began in 2009, its technological legacy and mindset continue to have a profound impact on the ecology of Canada's optoelectronics industry: today, in the Canadian optoelectronics industry, it's possible to find a company that has a significant impact on the industry. Canada's optoelectronics industry can be found in a number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have their roots in the Nortel era.
In addition to these SMEs, the photonics field in Canada is supported by a full ecosystem of universities, research institutions, domestic and international suppliers and partner companies. This ecosystem is particularly active between Quebec and Ottawa and provides strong support for photonics research and development in Canada.
Ontario is known for biophotonics, while Quebec is known for sensing. The Ottawa region, traditionally the center of Ontario's photonics industry, is home to well-known communications companies such as Nortel, JDS Uniphase, Cisco and Alcatel-Lucent Canada. The photonics industry in Quebec is dominated by small and medium-sized companies that are very diverse and cover many application areas.
A Vibrant Science and Entrepreneurial Scene
No matter what angle or level you look at it from, one thing is clear - the Canadian photonics industry not only has a long tradition, it also has a strong focus on the future.
In fact, Canadians have long associated lasers with optical fibers. Since the late 1960s, Canadian research and industry have made significant contributions to the fiber- and laser-based telecommunications revolution. It is worth noting that the world's first CO2 laser, also originated in Quebec, Canada. in the late 1960s, Jacques A. Beaulieu invented the high-power gas laser, or CO2 TEA laser, for short, which excites horizontally at atmospheric pressure. This invention not only demonstrated Canada's leadership in laser technology, but also provided an important tool and platform for subsequent photonics research.
In Québec, photonics research is widely followed and supported: it is carried out at the National Institute of Optics of Canada (INO), the Centre d'Optique, de Photonique et de Lumière (COPL) at Université Laval, the Centre de Recherche et de Développement de la Défense (DRDC), and at eight other universities located in the Québec region.
These institutes are not only training the next generation of scientists, they are also pushing the boundaries of research and giving rise to numerous startups - one-third of the 220 companies involved in the photonics industry in Quebec are less than 10 years old. These 220+ companies, in turn, account for 50% of the photonics industry in Canada, each providing photonic applications in 3-4 different industries.
Some of Canada's leading photonics companies
In March 2022, the Canadian government invested 240 million Canadian dollars ($187 million) to boost the country's semiconductor and photonics sector, hoping to improve its position in the global market. This became a key development point in the development of its photonics.
Today, in the field of photonics in Canada, in addition to photonics systems, integrated photonic components, and specialty fibers, mid-infrared laser technology is one of the technologies that is getting a lot of attention. Startups like LumIR Lasers, founded in 2019 with clear and ambitious goals, are dedicated to the democratization of mid-infrared technology, as well as to bringing about a new laser revolution in all industrial sectors.
Femtum, on the other hand, a company spun out of Laval University's Center for Optics, Photonics and Lasers in 2017, is also planning to develop mid-infrared fiber lasers in the wavelength range of 2.8-3.5 microns, with pulsed lasers capable of new precision machining of non-metallic materials, such as thin film patterning or polymer and semiconductor machining, to improve the manufacturing of high-tech manufacturing industries such as semiconductors throughput and return on investment.
OPTONIQUE Cluster
In a country with such a vast geographic space, the formation of industry clusters is a natural progression.
The Pavilion of Optics and Photonics (POP), which opened in 2006 at Laval University in Quebec City, is home to the Centre for Optics, Photonics and Lasers and serves as the administrative office of the Canadian Institute for Photonic Innovation.
The Quebec Photonics Network (QPN), a non-profit photonics advancement organization, serves as a network and information hub dedicated to bringing together companies, government departments and organizations involved in the photonics industry in the region.
The Centre for Optics, Photonics and Lasers (COPL) is Canada's largest university research center in optics/photonics.
The OPTONIQUE Quebec cluster, established in 2017, has also become a key node in the development of the photonics industry in Canada. The cluster brings together participants from different fields including startups, SMEs, multinationals, research institutions and universities, and constructs a support network for startups to move from academia to the market. Many young companies have successfully transitioned from the start-up phase to the scale-up phase and have established themselves in the international market.
On average, two-thirds of the sales of member companies of the OPTONIQUE cluster come from exports. Quebec and Canada have an impressive network of trade offices around the world, such as in Munich and Berlin, Germany.
The OPTONIQUE cluster regularly exhibits its products at trade fairs such as LASER World of PHOTONICS in Munich, Germany, with a special section dedicated to Canada. For international startups, there are even programs that allow them to integrate with academic-related incubators, such as incubators and gas pedals focused exclusively on photonic and quantum technologies - like Quantino.
Canadian Photonics Fabrication Center (CPFC)
CPFC is a pure III-V semiconductor foundry, operated by the National Research Council of Canada, with state-of-the-art manufacturing and measurement technologies.
Responding to the Government of Canada's Semiconductor Challenge Callout and the CPFC Revitalization Program, CPFC provides expertise and infrastructure to companies and research institutions, and regularly undertakes international collaborative projects.
The CPFC team, the only publicly operated pure-play compound semiconductor foundry in North America, specializes in the design and fabrication of devices made from Indium Phosphide (InP), Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), Gallium Nitride (GaN) and other materials. Its services also include the design and fabrication of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and discrete photonic devices, including lasers (DFBs/BHETs), detectors, amplifiers, and modulators. cPFC maintains a library of validated reference designs, including fabricated implementations, from which new process chains can be tapped.
Canadian Photonics Industry Consortium (CPIC)
The Canadian Photonics Industry Consortium (CPIC) is a business-driven photonics exchange organization covering the entire value chain from researchers to photonics companies and end users. Its mission is to provide a network of end-users, photonics industries, universities and institutions with the goal of accelerating the growth of Canadian industry through photonics.
The Government of Canada is currently supporting the development of three innovation centers focusing on (1) quantum technologies for communications, sensor technologies or computing, (2) semiconductors and digital technologies, and (3) batteries and clean technologies. In all these areas, start-ups, SMEs and large corporations are actively promoting and positioning photonic solutions. These centers facilitate financing and venture capital for startups active in the above fields.
With more than 400 photonics companies, how can Canada "grow the ecosystem"?
(Source: Canadian Photonics Consortium; Graphic: Wikipedia-Laser)
Optics education and skills training in Canada
Many Canadian universities have photonics groups or centers. Algonquin College in Ottawa offers diploma and bachelor's degree programs, while students at Laval University can earn a master's degree in biophotonics. McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, has a bachelor's degree in applied engineering in photonics, and the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, offers educational certificates for photonics professionals. Brock College in St. Catharines, Ontario even offers a graduate certificate in lasers.
Globally, photonics is a field that has been generally plagued by a lack of trained engineers and technicians.The CPC says the same is true in Canada: "There is not much exposure to photonics for elementary and secondary school students, other than university education."
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