ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences (

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

:Institut de Ciències Fotòniques) (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: Instituto de Ciencias Fotónicas) is a research center devoted to the

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

and

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

of light. Located in Castelldefels (

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

), ICFO was created in 2002 by the

Government of Catalonia The Executive Council of Catalonia ( ca, Consell Executiu) or the Executive Government of Catalonia (Catalan: ) is the Executive (government), executive branch of the Generalitat of Catalonia. It is responsible for the political action, regul ...

and the

Technical University of Catalonia The Technical University of Catalonia ( ca, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, , es, link=no, Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña; UPC), currently referred to as BarcelonaTech, is the largest engineering university in Catalonia, Spa ...

. The Institute carries out research in a very transversal range of topics, that span from theoretical quantum physics to applied medical optics. Part of its mission is to train new scientists and technologists. ICFO currently hosts more than 400 researchers in 26 research groups working in over 60 laboratories. The research that the center carries out is possible thanks to the different facilities within the institute: Nanophotonics Fabrication lab, Super-Resolution Light Microscopy & Nanoscopy Lab, an Advanced Engineering Lab, among others.

Research

Research at ICFO encompasses four broad thematic areas: nonlinear photonics, quantum photonics,

nanophotonics Nanophotonics or nano-optics is the study of the behavior of light on the nanometer scale, and of the interaction of nanometer-scale objects with light. It is a branch of optics, optical engineering, electrical engineering, and nanotechnology. It ...

, and

biophotonics The term biophotonics denotes a combination of biology and photonics, with photonics being the science and technology of generation, manipulation, and detection of photons, quantum units of light. Photonics is related to electronics and photons. P ...

. Researchers work in a great variety of fields, including quantum information technologies, nanophotonic devices, remote sensors, optoelectronics, integrated optics, ultrafast optics, biophotonics, and biomedical optics. Projects are run as part of both medium- and long-term programs.

Research areas

The research at ICFO focuses on the science and technology based on light for applications in Health,

Renewable Energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

, and Information Technologies.

Health

The Super-resolution Light Microscopy & Nanoscopy (SLN) facility at ICFO is a Euro‐BioImaging (EuBI) specialized imaging facility node, providing biological and medical imaging services for life scientists world-wide. Available techniques include super resolution STORM and STED, Lattice light sheet, Light sheet fluorescence, Raman and SERS, Fluorescence (Confocal, Multispectral Confocal, FRET, FRAP, etc.), Multiphoton (TPEF, THG, SHG), Optical Tweezers and Femtosecond nanosurgery. ICFO's SLN facility is part of the European CORBEL and LaserLab research infrastructures. Research is being conducted in the field of medical optics, and several programs and initiatives have been established with local hospitals, healthcare centers, biomedical research centers, universities, among others to integrate photonic based technologies in healthcare services.

Energy

Photonics is at the core of light-harvesting concepts and technologies like

photovoltaics Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially us ...

and

solar cells A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physics, physical and Chemical substance, chemical phenomenon.Erasmus Mundus The European Union's Erasmus Mundus programme (named after Erasmus, the Renaissance scholar) aims to enhance quality in higher education through scholarships and academic co-operation between the EU and the rest of the world. The three main objecti ...

Master Course (EMMC) EUROPHOTONICS. # PhD Program offered by UPC (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) and ICFO. # Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate in Photonics Engineering, Nanophotonics and Biophotonics.

Industrial collaborations and spin-offs companies

ICFO maintains a range of industrial collaborations and has to date helped to generate six spin-off companies: Radiantis (2005), Cosingo- Imagine Optics Spain S.L. (2008), Signadyne (now part of Keysight Technologies (2011), ProCareLight (2013), HemoPhotonics (2013), and QuSide (2017). The institute is member of the European Photonics Industry Consortium and takes part in the European Technology Platforms Photonics21 (cf. its national equivalent Fotónica21) and ETP Nanomedicine. It participates in the Southern European cluster in Photonics and Optic SECPhO.

Awards

In 2021, ICFO received the Optica Diversity & Inclusion Advocacy Recognition for "''their deliberate and intentional work to integrate equitable, transparent and inclusive policies and programs throughout their institution’s hiring, mentoring and programmatic programming."''

References

{{morecat, date=June 2021 Education in Catalonia Research institutes in Catalonia Photonics