Foreword
After several meetings with Ashley Gasque, my mentor at CRC Press, I was asked to edit a new series on Emerging Technologies in Optical Engineering and to author the first book in that series. Having authored a text in the Marcel Dekker series on Optical Engineering in 1990 (Marcel Dekker publisher was subsequently acquired by CRC Press), and enjoying great success with that book, I heartily agreed to both requests. Ashley suggested the book address the growing convergence of multidisciplinary fields in optical engineering, in particular nanotechnology, MEMS (microelectromechanical machined structures), and optical MEMS (MOEMS), as well as biotechnology—another strong personal interest and the subject of much of my research.
The aim and scope of the CRC series are to provide timely subject matter for practicing scientists and engineers working in the cross-disciplinary fields of optics, biotechnology, applied materials and devices, integrated optics, fiber-optic sensors, electro-optics, opto-mechanics, lasers, optical computing and signal processing, image analysis, and test and evaluation, and to expand upon the growing convergences of optical engineering and related disciplines. Material is presented in a manner immediately accessible to the practicing scientist or engineer. Science, engineering, and technology continue to exhibit exponential growth in materials, applications, and crossdisciplinary relevance. This new series on Emerging Technologies in Optical Engineering serves to further amplify the growth and progress of the discipline. The first book of the series is the textbook titled Optical Engineering: Nano, MOEMS, and Biotechnology.
This book covers a broad range of topics encountered during my 30 years working in the field of optical engineering. Suitable as both a reference tool for the practicing scientist or engineer and as a college or university text, it provides a broad overview of the multidisciplinary fields involving optics. Timely chapters include the discussion of convergent technologies, such as MEMS, MOEMS, nanotechnology, biotechnology, fiber-optic sensing, acousto-optics (AO), electro-optics (EO), optical computing and signal processing, integrated optics, as well as specialized military applications.
Fundamental relationships, design examples, system applications, and numerous useful references are provided. This book serves as a valuable reference for industrial practitioners, researchers, academics, and students in various disciplines (including electrical, mechanical, aerospace, and materials), and for optical engineers and applied physicists and biologists interested in the interrelationships of emerging technologies and cross-disciplinary opportunities in their respective fields.
Organizations that will benefit from this book include
Optical instrumentation and diagnostic equipment manufacturers
Medical imaging organizations
Biotechnology firms
Colleges and universities
Research laboratories and institutions
Computer companies
Military and the Department of Defense
This book also serves as a useful reference for venture capital technologists exploring new opportunities, investors, entrepreneurs, and those simply interested in the latest emerging technologies and applications in the marketplace. A host of application examples, fabrication and manufacturing techniques, and testing methodologies are included as additional useful material. This book is a valuable addition to the emerging fields of knowledge-driven technology in a number of scientific arenas.