Out of the Economic Slowdown

Abstract Without doubt, photonics is one of the key industries of the future for the German economy. This is despite the fact that the importance of photonics is not widely acknowledged by the general public. Irrespective of this, photonics products can be found in nearly all spheres of life and the photonics industry remains highly innovative, experiences above average growth rates and employs more than 110,000 people. The photonics industry lacks public recognition because its technologies are spread across a wide spectrum of discrete industries. Whether it is a tiny component or more complex machinery, photonic technologies are traditionally apportioned to the corresponding areas of application. Without photonics, however, there would be no semiconductor production, no solar energy harvesting, no digital cameras and no flat screen TVs.