photonische

Photonische denotes the field of photonics, the science and technology of generating, controlling, and detecting photons. It encompasses both fundamental physics and engineering, aiming to manipulate light at scales from the macro to the nanoscale for communication, sensing, imaging, and computation. Key elements include light sources (lasers, LEDs), detectors (photodiodes, avalanche photodiodes), waveguides and optical fibers, modulators, and optical coatings. Integrated photonics, where optical circuits are fabricated on chip-scale platforms, and silicon photonics, which combines photonics with silicon microelectronics, are central to scalable technologies. Nanophotonics and nonlinear optics explore light-matter interactions at the nanoscale and at high field intensities to enable new functionalities.

Applications span telecommunications, where fiber-optic links carry vast data; data centers and high-performance computing with on-chip photonics; sensing and imaging in medicine, industry, and environmental monitoring; and autonomous systems with optical sensing such as LiDAR. In quantum photonics, researchers study single-photon sources, quantum interference, and photonic chips for quantum information processing. Materials science and fabrication advances, including compound semiconductors, lithium niobate, and heterogeneous integration, underpin progress, as do advances in packaging and system integration.

The field intersects physics, electrical engineering, and materials science, and continues to evolve with ongoing research in quantum technologies, nanofabrication, and nonlinear optical processes. The term photonische is used in several languages to describe this broad and rapidly developing field.