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| Current State, Development Prospects and Integration Potential of Optoelectronics and Microoptoelectronincs in Bulgaria: Analysis |
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ARC Fund organized and carried out, together with the Faculty of Communications and Communication Technologies at the Technical University - Sofia, a national survey to identify the Bulgarian organizations and research units working in the field of optoelectronics and microoptoelectronics; establish their interests, assets and opportunities, the efficiency of already established partnerships - domestic and international, and the need for building such. The research was widely accepted and actively supported by the industrial community in the country.
The systematisation and co-arrangement of the data collected and their analysis show that research work, educational and company activities in the field of optoelectronics (in view of their scope, volume, quality and efficiency) are at a relatively high general level. The integration opportunities are very good, too. The necessity and usefulness of both functioning and new internal and international partnerships are beyond any doubt. The importance of these general conclusions gets increased by the fact that optoelectronics and microoptoelectronics contain and unite a significant part of the greatest scientific and technological achievements of science and technology in general and define to a great extent the image and the development of the contemporary culture in the broadest sense.
The analysis presentation can be organised according three relatively well-formed directions.
1. Research work
The organisations deal with topical priority science problems and obtain original results having great and versatile potential for technological implementation and practical applications. Unfortunately, there are limited opportunities for the implementation of this potential with own resources because these Bulgarian organisations (mainly units of the Bulgarian Academy of Science) do not have enough financial resources for this purpose in spite of individual participations in the Framework Programme and in other programmes. There is no doubt, however, that many of the scientific results obtained in Bulgaria (in view of their essence and level) are of interest for the European optoelectronics. That is why, in case of intensive dissemination and exchange of properly structured information it can be relied on true European integration of mutual benefit.
Some of the more important and perspective scientific research works and their results could be specified, emphasising on:
- building and development of new types of metal vapour lasers, namely CuBr lasers;
- physical investigations of the active medium that led to the invention of a new highly effective mixture (hydrogen) in the copper vapours;
- development of the corresponding measuring devices;
- building of optoelectronic devices to register and interpret bio-signals from tissues and organs through optical emission that is reflected by them of passed through them;
- investigation of the bio-physical processes in the cells by means of digital images which can be applied in the autoimmune diseases diagnostics;
- building of laboratory models and prototypes of laser location systems of high quality indicators at world level, intended for remote investigation and ecological monitoring of the atmosphere;
- designing of original and highly efficient methods for gathering and processing of laser-location data, namely, based on the method of the "time variables" to measure the vector speed of the movement of statistically uniform and non-uniform random fields in the atmosphere;
- finding new effects related to the increase of the "signal-to-noise" ratio and to the development of unified mathematical models of remote radiometric investigation of media and objects in the infrared and visible optical ranges;
- creating new laser diagnostics and therapy methods in medicine; development of specialized laser systems;
- designing methods and building devices for spectrometry of the sun (and especially UV) radiation;
- development of methods and devices for spectral radiometric control on the agricultural crops development (including the registration of eventual stress conditions);
- development of optoelectronic elements - photo resistors, photo diodes, photo detectors with positional sensitivity, infrared LEDs (light emitting diodes).
2. Education
The scientific structure, methodology and organisation of higher education system in Bulgaria in the field of optoelectronics are at a very high level. Moreover, in many respects this level is higher than the levels of the corresponding higher education systems in some Western European countries having indisputable authority of their university traditions. The professional erudition, teaching skills and experience of lecturers' staff in the field of optoelectronics greatly contributed to this. On this basis, a wide and economically efficient participation of Bulgaria in the European branch integration could be organised and developed. Of course there are interests that have not been identified yet, and real conditions and opportunities for mutual interrelation (for example exchange of lecturers, university students, graduate students, PhD students, teaching tools, and educational means).
There have already been established some contacts and relations but as a rule, these are local and private events, i.e. they are not coordinated. Some directions in the higher education related to optoelectronics in Bulgaria can be specified. These are emphasised in accordance with the concept of contemporary co-arrangement of priorities:
1.basic knowledge in optoelectronics;
2.optical fibre communication systems;
3.optoelectronic communication systems with open transmission media;
4.optical communication networks;
5.laser location systems;
6.optical radiometric systems;
7.measuring optoelectronic systems, optoelectronic metrology;
8.tuneable laser devices;
9.optoelectronic and integral optoelectronic elements;
10.optical processors.
It has to be noted that Bulgarian higher education in optoelectronics is directed mainly to the scientific and technical problems, to the contemporary engineering solutions and practical applications. In this sense, this subject is taught mainly in the technical universities and most of all in the Technical University of Sofia and its Plovdiv Branch.
3. Companies' activities
In Bulgaria companies' activities in the field of optoelectronics have been developing more and more, independently of the serious difficulties of diverse nature. It is easy to understand the successful presence both at home and international markets of these Bulgarian companies which activity is based on original own (invented, designed, developed and produced in Bulgaria) product of high quality indicators that are at and above world level.
The following generalised fields of companies' activities can be specified:
- design and production of CuBr lasers (original product based on Bulgarian inventions in the physical mechanism of the laser generation);
- development and production of the corresponding laser systems for medicine, industry, show business, etc., widely present at the world market;
- adapting specialised optoelectronic devices to NATO standards;
development of night vision devices, laser rangefinders and production cooperation with European companies;
- development and production of diagnostic and therapeutical optoelectronic systems to be introduced in the clinical practice;
- development of laser systems for industrial technologies;
- development of the regulation for building optical lines, development of metrological methodologies;
- precise measurement of optical fibre parameters and passive optoelectronic components.
In the end, once again the necessities have to be mentioned, the opportunities and favourable perspectives for European integration of the Bulgarian optoelectronics and microoptoelectronics and strong efforts and support in this direction have to be recommended. It has to be taken into consideration however, that the progress in our European integration will be rendered very difficult (and hardly possible) in case there is no perfect and overall coordination of all activities in the field of optoelectronics in the country. Unfortunately, at present this coordination is far from the necessary one.
That is why, a proposal is formed with the convinced support of all the participants in this research, for building and developing (based on former relations and cooperation) of a National Research and Educational Centre for coordination, integration, informing, creative initiatives, for developing and introduction of innovations, for competent and active support of the work on all optoelectronic and microoptoelectronic related scientific, educational and company problems.
This idea has been precisely discussed in detail with Academician N. Sabotinov (who actively participated in the present research) dealing with the establishment of a Branch Union on laser physics and technology in Bulgaria.
Discussed is also the opportunity to unite both efforts, where, the National Centre shall take the main part of the scientific, applied and engineering activities. The main role of this centre will be to coordinate the national activities the field of optoelectronics and microoptoelectronics development, implementation and introduction in industrial production, establish contacts with the organisations within the EUROPRACTICE network and get involved in European MOEMS projects and initiatives.
As it is supposed, in this National Centre many Bulgarian graduate and PhD students in the field of optoelectronics and microoptoelectronics will work (why not also such from other European countries). It would be relevant that this centre is build and developed near the greatest areas of education in this field - in Sofia or Plovdiv. The Faculty of Communications and Communication Technologies of the TU- Sofia and the Faculty of Optoelectronics and Laser Technology of the Technical University’s Plovdiv Branch confirmed their involvement in the provision and initial equipment of the corresponding basis.
More resources:
http://www.arcfund.net/artShow.php?id=1247
http://www.europractice.com
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