09-25-08

Watt's Up

College of Optical Sciences News for September 25, 2008

Employment Fairs, Expos, Interviews | Optics Employment | Subscribe

Phyllis J. Miller: 1935 - 2008

Phyllis Miller, Admin to Bill Wolfe and Eustace Dereniak during the late 1970's, passed away September 6, 2008 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

She is preceded in death by her parents, brother, a sister, and by her husband, Bruce Miller. She is survived by her sister, Mildred Wasson of Montana; children, Jeri Miller of Texas, Mike Miller (Barbara) of Montana, Toni Miller of Texas, Michael Smith (Heidi) of Alaska, Debra Staskunas of Arizona and Chad Miller (Tiffany) of North Carolina. She is survived by 17 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

At Phyllis's request, no services will be held. The family will be spreading her and Bruce's ashes in Show Low, Arizona at a later date. If you would like more information about attending the spreading of her ashes, please call Shannon at 480-612-2390.

Today's Colloquium: 3:30 p.m. Meinel 307

Murray Sargent, a former OSC faculty member now with Microsoft, will present The Physics of Willis E. Lamb, Jr. Stanley Pau is the host.

Abstract: Willis E. Lamb, Jr., one of the foremost physicists of the 20th century, won the Nobel prize in physics for the Lamb shift, which provides a key verification of quantum elctrodynamics. In addition he developed the theory of the Mössbauer effect 19 years before Mössbauer observed it and he developed a theory of lasers, notably predicting the Lamb dip. This talk overviews Lamb’s contributions to these three fascinating areas of physics.

IEEE-ACM Best Student Paper

A paper by three OSC authors won Best Student Paper Award at the 2008 IEEE and ACM International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR). The Symposium, the major conference in the area of augmented reality and virtual reality, was held in Cambridge UK from September 15 to 18.

An Optical See-Through Head-Mounted Display With Addressable Focal Planes by Sheng Liu, Dewen Cheng, and Hong Hua, is published in the Proceedings of the 2008 IEEE and ACM International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2008). The authors have been invited to publish a revision in IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics.

Two comments by members of the Awards Committee:

"I like the novelty- it is a breakthrough of sorts given that HMD progress seems very slow and the accommodation issue is rarely addressed. This strikes me as a memorable and important step forward for HMD technology. It is likely that people will be citing this for many years and that makes it a winner for me."

"I consider this work as superior to the other papers. It is solid and could have great impact on the future HMDs."

Reprinted from UANews on September 18

http://uanews.org/node/21588

UA Gets $18.5M NSF Grant to Create Engineering Research Center

A National Science Foundation grant will allow the UA to establish a research center.

By University Communications

The National Science Foundation has awarded a five-year, $18.5 million grant to establish an engineering research center based at The University of Arizona.

The center, or ERC, will focus on removing one of the last bottlenecks in the Internet by developing optoelectronic technologies for high-bandwidth, low-cost, widespread access networks.

The UA and nine partner universities will collaborate as the Center for Integrated Access Networks, or CIAN, to create an advanced optical access network capable of delivering data more than a thousand times faster to users at lower cost than they now pay to connect to information data bases and communication networks.

Nasser "NSF is pleased to welcome The University of Arizona and its partner universities into the ERC program,” said Lynn Preston, NSF deputy division director and leader of the Engineering Research Center program.

Photo: Doctoral degree candidate Aytekin Ozdemir describes a 40Gbps all-optical clock recovery subsystem, a critical function for next generation ultrahigh bit rate networks, to CIAN Director Nasser Peyghambarian.

“As the world increasingly relies on communications networks, we anticipate that CIAN will contribute the understanding and innovations needed to extend the reach and expand the capabilities of these networks. We expect this area of research to interest many pre-college students in the program and in engineering, and we look forward to CIAN graduates becoming leaders and innovators in the creation of future communications systems," Preston said.

"I am very enthusiastic about this ERC," said Leslie P. Tolbert, UA vice president for research, graduate studies and economic development. "The University is proud to be the lead institution in this important collaborative endeavor that is aimed at generating the edge network of the future."

Partner universities in CIAN include the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Stanford University, the University of Southern California (USC), University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), University of California at Berkeley, Columbia University, Norfolk State University and Tuskegee University.

The new center brings together leading researchers and world-class educators who will work to create "truly transformative systems that are of critical importance to the foundation of our national information infrastructure," said CIAN director Nasser Peyghambarian, UA professor of optical sciences and of materials science and engineering.

National Science Foundation funding for the new UA-based center is timely, Peyghambarian added, citing a recent study. Analysts at Nemertes Research, an Illinois-based firm that specializes in information technologies research, predict that demand for Internet access, especially in North America, will exceed existing Internet capacity within the next three to five years.

Failing to invest in new access infrastructure won't cause the Internet to collapse, the analysts said, but it will throttle innovation and "painlessly and invisibly leach competitiveness out of the economy."

"Our vision is to create the 'PC' equivalent of the optical access network," Peyghambarian said.

His analogy refers to the revolution in electronic computing.

Forty years ago, the first commercially successful supercomputer was the size of a room, cost more than a million dollars and performed five hundred million operations per second. Today's personal computers sit on desk tops, typically cost about a thousand dollars each and process more than a billion operations per second.

CIAN's goal over the next decade is to devise and adapt chip-scale optoelectronic integration technologies for an advanced optical access network capable of delivering data at 10 gigabits, or 10 billion operations per second, to single users "anywhere, at anytime," and at lower cost, Shaya Fainman, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UCSD and CIAN deputy director, said. The current data transfer rate is about 10 megabits, or 10 million operations per second.

In a unique approach, CIAN vertically integrates research from developing nanostructured photonic devices to demonstrating advanced network services.

USC Professor Alan Willner and Columbia Professor Keren Bergman will lead the system and networking research thrust of CIAN. Caltech Professor Axel Scherer and Berkeley Profesor Ming Wu will lead the subsystem integration research thrust. Berkeley Professor Connie Chang-Hasnain and UA College of Optical Sciences Professor Hyatt Gibbs will lead the photonic material and device research thrust.

UCSD Professor Joseph Ford and UA optical sciences Professor Franko Kueppers will lead the CIAN’s “Grand Challenge Testbed,” the center’s system integration and network demonstration platform. UA mathematics/optical sciences Professor Jerry Moloney will develop modeling and design tools for the integrated optoelectronic chips.

CIAN will serve industry through innovative systems research. Multi-billion-dollar communications, commerce, entertainment and health care industries will benefit. UA optical sciences Professor Robert Norwood will head CIAN's industrial collaboration and technology transfer program. This part of the program gives industry a voice in various functions of CIAN including guiding the selection of research projects, enabling technology transfer and participating in student education.

The center will educate students from diverse backgrounds by piloting novel, multi-level "super courses" and student recruitment and retention programs. "Education is a significant part of our NSF engineering research center," Peyghambarian said. "These students will be the skilled workforce who will lead the next-generation communications industry."

UA College of Engineering faculty members Kelly Potter, Joseph Simmons and Supapan Seraphin and Meredith Whitaker of UA optical sciences will lead the education and outreach activities of CIAN, while Kimberly Sierra-Cajas of UA optical sciences and Professor Arlene Maclin from Norfolk State University will lead the diversity enhancement program. The CIAN team will partner with minority-serving institutions such as Pima Community College, Norfolk State University and Tuskegee University and Native American tribes in Arizona, including the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, in student education and outreach programs.

Outreach programs will include middle schools, high schools, undergraduate and graduate programs. CIAN student training also will go beyond the United States.

"Students need to realize that they're not on an isolated island. Understanding how research is done in other cultures is very, very important to our field," Peyghambarian said. "So each student funded through the center will have at least one international research experience before graduation."

Research exchange programs are being arranged with universities and companies in Germany, Japan, Israel, Finland and elsewhere.

Faculty News

Dick Powell Joins SFAz Solar Tech Institute

Photo: Professor Richard Powell Dick Powell recently accepted a position as one of two co-directors of Science Foundation Arizona's new Solar Energy Technology Institute. SFAz's goals are (1) to catalyze scientific and engineering research in the key areas of greatest strategic value to Arizona's long-term global competitiveness, (2) to stimulate innovation and research collaboration at Arizona’s research performing institutions that fosters new commercial opportunities and greater economic diversity and (3) to support education that builds a highly skilled Arizona work- force as the foundation for the 21st century knowledge-based economy. In support of those goals, SFAz is committed to spurring innovation in sustainable systems, including solar.

Dick served as OSC's Director from 1992 to 1998 and then as UA's Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies from 1999 to 2005. Although officially retired, he continues to teach -- most recently, two short courses: Solid State Lasers 1: Fundamental Physics and Solid State Lasers 2: Specific Systems.

For more information about AFAz's commitment to solar energy initiatives, please visit www.sfaz.org/our-investments/solarinitiatives.aspx

Watt's Happening

Happy Birthday and Best Wishes for a Wonderful Year

OSC Calendar

September 25

Colloquium. 3:30 p.m. Meinel 307.

September 25

OSC Soccer. 5:30 p.m. UA Mall just south of the tennis courts.

October 2

Colloquium. 3:30 p.m. Meinel 307.

October 3

Women in Optics Meeting. 3:30 p.m. Meinel 701.

October 3

Sports Friday. 5:30 p.m.

October 3

OSC Community Speakers. Noon. Meinel 410.

October 8

PhD Final Oral Defense1:00 p.m. Meinel 701. Nathan Leisso will present Vicarious Calibration of a High-View Angle Sensor Using In-Situ Automated Ground-Viewing Radiometers.

October 8 and 9
Industrial Affiliates Fall Workshop.

October 9

Colloquium. 3:30 p.m. Meinel 307.

On Campus

September 25

AME Seminar. 4:00 p.m. AME lecture Hall, Room S212. Ronald G. Cottrell, Aerospace Engineer, Retired, will present How the U.S. Went to the moon Without PowerPoint and Matlab.

September 26

Physics Colloquium. 2:15 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. PAS 224. Grad student Walter Freeman will present How to Weigh a Proton and Professor Douglas Natelson will present Single-Molecule Transistors: Tools for Physics and Physical Chemistry.

October 1

Mathematical Physics Seminar. 1:00 p.m. Math 402. John Kerl will present Quadrupling the Three-Dimensional Lattice.

Employment Fairs, Expos, and Interview Sessions

KLA-Tencor Information Session at OSC. October 1. 6:00 p.m. The room number is TBD, so keep an eye on your e-mail. There will be a raffle for an iphone at the end of the session. To sign up for the information session, contact Allison MacPherson at allison@optics.arizona.edu or 626-6737. KLA-Tencor has full-time and summer intern openings for engineering and sciences majors, so bring your resume.

Applications Engineer. KLA-Tencor. Company Description: Ranked among the world's top ten semiconductor equipment manufacturers, KLA-Tencor offers a broad spectrum of products and services that are used by every major semiconductor manufacturer in the world, including Intel, Samsung, AMD, Texas Instruments, and Sony. Job Description: Responsible for supporting KLA-Tencor's wafer inspection products. Includes projects related to new product introduction: characterization, alpha testing, beta testing and pilot tools in the ramp phase. Manage in-house customer demonstrations and head-to-head (H2H) activities at customer facilities. Generate best known method documents and other training material and transferring product knowledge to K-T's worldwide Field Applications team. Work with customers to publish papers at industry symposiums or in technical journals. Work closely with many organizations including engineering, sales and marketing within K-T and with customer engineers outside K-T. Worldwide travel (on average 30%) is required to support inspection products at customer fabs. Qualifications: MS, or PHD in Optics, Engineering, Physics, Material Science or related fields -Background in IC processing/Semiconductor equipment is a plus. Must have excellent communication, organizational, analytical, leadership, and interpersonal skills. Must be self-driven, yet a strong team player. If you are interested in interviewing on-campus for this position, please apply through UA's Career Center's Wildcat Joblink. The deadline to apply is October 1st.

Please visit the KLA-Tencor Web site at www.kla-tencor.com/college

KLA-Tencor

is an OSC Industrial Affiliate at the Leadership Partners Level

Edmund Optics Career Opportunity Information Session at OSC. You are invited to join Edmund Optics on October 7 at 5:00 p.m. in Meinel 721 to learn about opportunities for you to join the Edmund Optics team. Signup sheets for interviews will be available. Edmund Optics will be interviewing senior undergraduates for full time post-graduation (May and December grads) positions on Thursday, October 9. They will be interviewing sophomores and juniors for part time internships in their Tucson office on Friday, October 10. Stop by and discover the spectrum of career possibilities at Edmund Optics!

Please visit the Edmund Optics Web site at www.edmundoptics.com/US/

Edmund Optics

is an OSC Industrial Affiliate at the Principal Partners Level

Hutchinson Technology Interviews at OSC. Hutchinson Technology will be at OSC October 8 and 9 for the Fall Workshop and will be conducting interviews on the 9th. Contact Allison MacPherson for more info and/or to sign up.

Optics Intern. Hutchinson Technology. Job #20602. Task statements: 1. Optimize and design optical and electro-optical laboratory experiments. 2. Assist with the design and development of optical and electro-optical systems for measuring physiological parameters of tissue. 3. Verify and validate designs in accordance with requirements to ensure product performance. 4. Maintain engineering logbooks and documentation by following industry standards and HTI's procedures. Task competencies: 1. Ability to work in a team environment to optimize processes and equipment. 2. Ability to use complex problem solving skills utilizing knowledge of engineering principles. 3. Ability to handle multiple projects within budget and timeline constraints. 4. Ability to prepare and deliver oral presentations on technical subjects. 5. Ability to write technical reports, work instructions, procedures, and other technical documentation. Education/training: Must have completed at least the second year of Bachelor of Science or be enrolled in a Masters or PhD program for Optical Engineering or Electrical Engineering with an emphasis on optics. 2.8 minimum GPA.

Optics Employment

Senior Manager or Director of Optical Systems. Coherent. Requisition # 741. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Senior team member responsible for all optical systems designs and tolerancing. Expected to effectively interface with a team of engineers and external suppliers, including optical, mechanical, electronic, and software designers to develop custom industrial laser systems. Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must demonstrate knowledge of laser based optical systems designs and engineering, opto-mechanical hardware, control of optical systems, and a working knowledge of optical design software. Prior experience and a demonstrated track record of successful project management and optical designs are critical. Please apply to: http://www.coherent.com/hr/index.cfm?fuseaction=Show.MyCareer&locale=en-us&cpUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fcareers.peopleclick.com%2Fcareerscp%2Fclient_coherent%2Fexternal%2Fen-us%2Fgateway.do%3FfunctionName%3DviewFromLink%26jobPostId%3D898%26localeCode%3Den-us

Director IOS Engineering & Program Management. Coherent. Requisition # 742. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Build and supervise a team of engineers and external suppliers, including optical, mechanical, electronic, and software designers to develop custom industrial laser systems. Responsibility will extend to project managing each machine as it is built, with emphasis on build quality and on-time finish. Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must demonstrate knowledge of laser based optical systems engineering, opto-mechanical hardware, control of optical systems, and a working knowledge of optical design software. Prior experience and a demonstrated track record of successful project and team management are critical. Experience with laser based optical systems designs. Strong project and organizational management skills. Strong team management and motivational skills. Experience validating, qualifying and measuring EO and laser system performance . Strong background in theory and hands on hardware and lab experience. Experience interacting with end users ,3rd party designers and vendors. Practical experience in balancing and optimizing engineering process rigor with product delivery priorities. Passionate leader with a keen ability to identify potential technology risks and exposures for the business. Education and/or Experience: Bachelors or Masters Degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Optical Sciences, or related field and a minimum of >10 years of optical engineering or related experience and 5+ years of providing technical leadership or technical team lead experience. Please apply to: http://www.coherent.com/hr/index.cfm?fuseaction=Show.MyCareer&locale=en-us&cpUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fcareers.peopleclick.com%2Fcareerscp%2Fclient_coherent%2Fexternal%2Fen-us%2Fgateway.do%3FfunctionName%3DviewFromLink%26jobPostId%3D895%26localeCode%3Den-us

Senior Mechanical Engineer. Agency Listing. Senior mechanical design engineer responsible for design of opto-mechanical systems, precision mechanisms, and tooling for next generation optical wafer inspection systems. Will be responsible for complete design process, including requirements specification, feasibility studies, analysis and FEA modeling, conceptual and detailed design using ProE, detail drawings, procurement of prototype parts, prototype testing, system integration, and handoff to manufacturing. For the right candidate, this position offers growth into a lead and possibly management role. Qualifications/Education Desired: Must have solid experience with precision mechanics and mechanisms. Desirable to have experience in following areas: Thermal and structural analysis and modeling, design of semiconductor equipment or similar instruments, opto-mechanics, optics alignment, vibration, heat transfer, measurement instrumentation. Should have analytical skills to consider impact of designs at a system level, and communication skills to interact with other engineering groups. Must be proficient with solid CAD, preferably ProEngineer. Prior management experience or the ability to take on a lead role are desirable. Basic Qualifications: Bachelor's Level Degree with at least 7 years of experience. OR Master's Level Degree with at least 6 years of experience. OR Doctorate (Academic) with at least 5 years of experience. Contact: Jean Komette 805.446.1901 Engineering Connection Corp. jeankomette@engineering-connection.com

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Cathy Alexander

Information Specialist Coordinator

College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona

cathy.alexander@optics.arizona.edu

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