AI is boosting digital optical photonics
In our interview, Bernard Kress and Prof. Jürgen Czarske, conference organizers at Digital Optical Technologies, express their sense of optimism. This year's conference is larger than ever and will address one of the most dynamic fields of innovation in photonics, where physical limitations are increasingly being overcome.
Dr. Bernard C. Kress, Head of Optical Technologies—AR Hardware at Google, Mountain View, California, USA
Prof. Juergen W. Czarske, Director of BIOLAS—Biomedical Computational Laser Systems Center and the Institute for Circuits and Systems at the Technical University of Dresden, Germany and Adjunct Professor of Optical Sciences, Tucson, USA
What are the main topics that SPIE Digital Optical Technologies will focus on in 2025?
Czarske: First of all, the conference has grown significantly. We have far more presentations than last time and three full conference days...
Kress: ...with a very broad technological focus. I regard our conference as a platform for a wide variety of approaches and applications from the field of digital optical technologies. This ranges from digital and optical hardware components such as integrated waveguides, micro-optics, holograms, digital circuits or miniaturized light sources to applications in augmented, virtual, and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR) or digital optical measurement technology and medical imaging. The technology platform is digital in three respects: First, it utilizes digital methods in system design and product development; here we see a strong trend towards artificial intelligence (AI). Second, the use of digital manufacturing processes is increasing, primarily microlithography for integrated circuits. And third, operation is digital because these systems are digitally switched and controlled, because software is making an increasingly important contribution to system intelligence, and because systems are becoming increasingly digitally integrated, especially in silicon photonics. This leads to the thematic breadth of our program. At the same time, tremendous momentum can be observed. Technologies for which our community has laid the groundwork over the past two decades are now converging and unleashing their huge potential.
From the outside, it seems as if intelligence and precision are increasingly shifting from optical hardware to software. Is this impression correct?
Kress: There is definitely some truth to that. Today's sensors no longer need to deliver razor-sharp images and signals. They provide data from which software extracts the specific information needed at any given moment – be it position, direction, speed, or whatever else is required. In many cases, advanced (AI) algorithms allow less complex and therefore less expensive optics to be used. Computational imaging and sensing are a promising approach.
Czarske: That's right. At the same time, digital optical technologies are enabling applications that were unthinkable ten years ago. Among other things, we are seeing a new generation of optical computers that are digital-by-design and enable completely new functions thanks to the use of AI. Aydogan Ozcan, a pioneer in this field, will give the plenary lecture. He will talk about how programmed light diffraction is used for information processing and computational imaging. This primarily requires intelligent optics: intricately designed miniaturized diffractive elements that are integrated into spatially conceived meta-surfaces in multiple layers with the help of AI, thus forming a physical neural network. These highly complex optics show that your impression is only partially correct. Very special, highly intelligent optics are also used in AR/VR/MR. Also in biomedicine, digital optical processes are triggering breakthroughs. Think of gene editing, miniaturized endoscopes, or marker-free live imaging of living cells. It is, as Bernard just put it: the technologies of the three pillars of digital design, digital manufacturing at the nanoscale, and digital operations are converging and—driven by AI—unleashing huge potential. The social benefits are not only great in medicine: the Internet of Things, wireless 6G networks, AR/VR/MR in remote service and collaborative engineering, effective quality controls that are advancing into the sub-nanometer range in semiconductor manufacturing or controlling processes in real time on production lines, to name just a few. The Digital Optical Technologies Conference 2025 brings together developments that are currently leading to a sustainable paradigm shift across industries and applications. It’s not just passing fads. We are seeing a comprehensive technological transformation.
Kress: Well said! I’d like to add that, until 20 years ago, we in optical engineering assumed that optical processes were limited by physical laws like the second law of thermodynamics, including enthropy, the conservation of étendue (extension), or the diffraction limit (resolution limit of optical systems due to the diffraction of light waves). It was considered impossible to further miniaturize optics or to realize optical systems with even higher resolutions. That was true for traditional approaches to optics. But with digital optics, these limitations are obsolete. We can circumvent these laws in both the temporal and spatial domains. So we are bringing light into dark, inaccessible places, thereby creating rapid growth in knowledge in many areas. That's what makes our conference so exciting. There is tremendous momentum to be observed. Our community is now reaping the rewards of long, hard work.
The question of exciting technology trends in your segment of photonics does not arise – digital optical photonics itself seems to be the exciting trend...
Czarske: Please understand that we can circumvent the laws of physics! They remain valid but lose their effectiveness. Thus, processes such as digital holography, which have long been considered the playground of academic research, are finding their way onto the market. This trend is also driven by photonics, which enables the necessary computing power, data transfer rates, and resolutions. This is opening a truly exciting variety of applications. Anyone who wants to be inspired and gain an overview of this dynamic field is in the right place at our conference. Especially since pioneers and players from all three pillars will be giving presentations in our sessions—including leading global experts from industry and science. Our Conference is characterized by a spirit of cooperation, discussion, and open exchange.
Kress: It is important to mention that we can only circumvent the laws of physics because we have developed a deep understanding of systems. Algorithms help us to shed light on previously obscure areas based on this knowledge. Even super-resolution microscopy does not change the diffraction limit but cleverly circumvents it. Algorithms make it possible to switch between the temporal and spatial domains and, in conjunction with existing system knowledge, extrapolate what remains hidden to us using purely optical methods. Today, we can leverage synergies and sample the building blocks of different fields of application in ever new ways. We do not see a boom in our field, but rather a steady growth curve that is becoming increasingly steep.
What does that mean for young professionals, whom your conference addresses?
Czarske: You can't go wrong with digital optical technologies. It's worth following the technological developments since the invention of the CD player, learning the basics of AR/VR/MR, or exploring how 6G, current imaging approaches in medicine, or measurement methods in the semiconductor industry work. This is because the basis in each case is a combination of digital and optical solutions. This will become increasingly important in the coming years and decades. This is also because we need integrated photonics and optical data processing to manage the power requirements of AI data centers, but also for novel endomicroscopes or waveguides in AR glasses. Incidentally, Bernard once introduced me to digital photonics with the conference. At the time, I realized that the designs in AR/VR/MR are very similar to our designs for optical medical instruments – and that there are certainly exciting synergies here.
Kress: It's not a new trend. In the 1990s, optical computing was all the rage. It was assumed that processors would reach a frequency limit. Today, even smartphone processors operate at frequencies far higher than the 500 MHz postulated at the time. But the optical computer concepts of that era are now becoming highly relevant. This is because the ITC industry can only achieve its zero-emission goal with optical solutions. Their big advantage is that the building blocks for this have matured over the last two decades. When talented people ask me if they have a future in our field of technology, I can only say yes. There are so many ideas, so much demand, such an urgent need for solutions that I must encourage them to jump on our digital optical platform.
Which conference highlights would you like to draw the attention of the LASER community to?
Kress: We have a wonderful soirée at the Augustiner Stammhaus, to which we cordially invite you. It's a nice setting to get into conversation right at the start of the conference. Our beer and pretzel events and, not to forget, the poster sessions also offer opportunities for personal discussions. Our community thrives on this! It is the personal encounters, the unfiltered exchange of ideas and experiences, and the pooling of knowledge that make it so valuable for me personally. Our course program is also interesting in this context. It not only offers a technical introduction but also helps to build networks. It is also very valuable that the LASER, the World of Quantum, and the automatica take place at the same time and right next door. There is a lively exchange between the conference audience and the trade fair participants. The manufacturers and developers of the building blocks on which our technology platform is based will come together to Munich in June.
Czarske: I also expect a technical highlight from our joint session with the Optical Metrology Conference. Metrology is an indispensable complement to digital optical technologies. It was no coincidence that Wolfgang Osten was a driving force in founding our conference ten years ago. He recognized the gap as he anticipated the dynamics of digital optical technologies. It cannot be emphasized enough what Wolfgang has done for the development of metrology and photonics. He will open the joint session with a plenary lecture in which he will talk about the broad spectrum of optical metrology and review its history. I‘m really looking forward to it.
Kress: In fact, our conference would not exist without Wolfgang's initiative. He approached me, encouraged me to set up the Digital Optical Technologies Conference, and supported us greatly. But I would like to draw attention to the joint session’s second plenary talk: Alberto Diaspo will talk about 'The intelligent microscope at the nanoscale: multimodal microscopy from fluorescence to label-free'—and that is sure to be another highlight!
Click here for the program of SPIE Digital Optical Technologies 2025.