Throwing light on photonics: The genealogy of a technological paradigm

Abstract

Photonic technologies are often advertised as capable of revolutionizing our lives in the near future. However, the exact meaning of the word “photonics” as well as the scope of the field remain unclear. The term was born in the 1970s in both France and the Netherlands where various scholarly communities began research into the phenomenon. Some resulting technologies started circulating in industry and academia and the concept of photonics became very successful in the late 1980s when photons were supposed to replace electrons in every‐day technologies. The failure of optical computing damaged the reputation of photonics in the 1990s but the term lived on as it merged with sister terms such as electro‐optics and optoelectronics. The key problem with photonics is the breadth of its scope. Some argue it is the science of light, others consider it an economic category. Generally, photonics covers lasers, optical fibers as well as solar energy and LEDs. It seems that the only conceptual tool capable of addressing this complexity is that of technological paradigms, which Ernest Sternberg applied to photonics in 1992. Sternberg's approach can help to clarify the epistemological boundaries of the name “photonics,” even when addressing this complex area from a 21st century stand point.

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