fotonikk

Fotonikk is the science and technology of devices and systems that operate with photons, or particles of light. In Norwegian and other Nordic contexts the term refers to the broader field of photonics, covering the generation, control, and detection of light across a wide range of wavelengths. The discipline overlaps with optics and electronics but emphasizes integrated control of light on micro- and nano-scale platforms and the use of light for information processing, sensing, and energy.

Core subfields include optical communications and data transmission, where fiber optics and silicon photonics support high-bandwidth networks; integrated photonics, which aims to realize photonic integrated circuits; optoelectronics, which interfaces electronic signals with light; and quantum photonics, which studies light states for quantum information. Technologies rely on materials such as silicon, indium phosphide, lithium niobate, and chalcogenide glasses, and on fabrication methods including lithography, thin-film processing, and wafer-scale integration.

Applications span telecommunications, sensing (biomedical, environmental, industrial), imaging and displays, lighting and solar-energy harvesting, LIDAR for navigation, and emerging quantum technologies. The field is multidisciplinary, combining physics, electrical engineering, materials science, and computer science, and includes both academic research and industry development. Education in fotonikk is offered at universities and research institutes, with growing programs in photonic integrated circuits and quantum photonics, and activity ranging from telecommunications hardware to consumer electronics.