The 25th Congress of the International Commission for Optics (ICO)


International Program Committee Chair of ICO-25Wolfgang Osten
Honorary ChairGert von Bally
General ChairJuergen Czarske
Fundraising Committee ChairMichael Pfeffer

Covered field of optics, photonics and more


Progress of Society with Light (ICO-A)

  • Optics for a Sustainable World, Environmental Protection, Cimiate Change, Food and Water Monitoring, Monitoring Microplastics in Marine Ecosystems
  • Human Health Care, Optics and Photonics in Biomedicine of Developing Countries, Deep Learning in Image Processing for Cancer Classification, Superresolution Microscopy in Cancer Research (Nobel Prize 2014), Optical Tweezers for Stem Cell Treatment (Nobel Prize 2018), Femtosecond Lasers in Ophthalmic Surgery (Nobel Prize 2018)
  • Large Volume Optics, Digital Cameras (Nobel Prize 2009), Optics for Smart Phones, Consumer Optics, Green Photonics, Global Energy, Solar Energy, Organic Solar Films, Emissive Displays (LED, OLED), Blue Laser Diode (Nobel Prize 2014), Lighting and Illumination, Laser Projection Techniques
  • Industry 4.0, Lasers in Manufacturing, 3D Metrology for Machine Vision and Factory Automation, 3D Printed Optics, Lithography for Nanoelectronics
  • Glass Fibers as Internet Backbone (Nobel Prize 2009), Energy Efficient Silicon Photonics, Optical Sensors for Internet of Things (IoT)
  • Manipulation of Quantum Systems (Nobel Prize 2012), Quantum Microscopy, AI-based Information Technique, Machine Learning, Neural Networks
  • Space Optical Systems, Adaptive Optics for Ground-Based Telescopes, Phased Array Techniques for Breakthrough Starshot
  • Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (Nobel Prize 2017), Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, Einstein Telescope

Optical Engineering, Materialprocessing, Design and Lithography (ICO-B)

  • Optical Systems for Lithography, Novel Patterning Technologies, Extreme Ultraviolet Techniques, Photomask Technology, Inspection, Freeform Optics, Micro Optics, Additive Manufacturing, Rapid Prototyping, Laser Cutting, Laser Welding, 3D Printing, Thin Films, Optical Coatings, Damage Thresholds
  • Optical Design, Optical Materials, Optics Simulation, Modeling, Diffractive Optics, Multispectral and Hyperspectral Imaging

Display and Vision (ICO-B)

  • Quality Assessment of Imaging Processes and Displays, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Micro Display, Advances in Optics of Backlit and Front-Illuminated Displays, Flexible Displays and Transparent Displays, Speckle Issues, Screen Technology, Holographic and Light-Field Displays, Three-Dimensional Display, Low-Cost Light Sources with High Luminous Flux
  • Perception, Light Measurement and Vision Systems, Novel Detectors, Reproduction of Material Appearance, Aberration Theory

Optical MEMS and Micro-Optics (ICO-B)

  • Spatial Light Modulators, Deformable Mirrors, MEMS-based Mirror Matrix, Micro and Nano Actuators for Optical Devices, Tolerancing, Manufacturing
  • Tunable Micro Optics, Adaptive Lenses, Optofluidics
  • Free-Space Optical Components and Systems, Light Fidelity

Laser Sensing (ICO-C)

  • Time and Frequency Dissemination, Frequency-Comb Applications, Optical to Microwave Frequency Conversion, Astronomical Instruments
  • Remote Sensing, Time, Frequency, Temperature, Distance and Velocity Metrology, Micro and Nano Fluidics, BioMEMS, Hydrogel Sensing, Optofluidic Sensing, Fiber Sensors for Harsh Environments, Atmospheric and Oceanic Light Propagation, LIDAR, Non-Intrusive Sound and Combustion Diagnostics

Computational Metrology (ICO-C)

  • Computational Image Processing, Structured Light, Scatterometry, Ellipsometry, Metasurface Holograms, Speckle Metrology, Turbulence Metrology, 3D-Particle Image Velocimetry
  • Interferometry, Spectroscopy, 3D Camera Metrology, In Process Measurements, Traceability to SI Units, Confocal Sensing, Novel Lasers for Metrology, Phase Retrieval, Computational Shear Interferometry, Deflectometry, Optomechatronics

Optical Information Processing and Imaging (ICO-C)

  • Digital Optics, Optical Computing, Information Photonics, Volumetric Displays, Holographic Data Storage, Lightfield Camera, Integral Imaging, Single-Pixel Camera
  • Unconventional Optical Imaging, Random-Phase Encryption, Propagation in Random Media, Mesoscopic Channels, Computational Adaptive Optics, Wavefront Shaping, Digital Optical Phase Conjugation
  • Coherence and Statistical Optics, Nanophotonic Information System, Computational Imaging Devices, Compressive Imaging, Ptychography

Quantum and Nonlinear Optics (ICO-D)

  • Nonlinear Photonics, Micro Solid-State Photonics, Nonlinear Materials and Structured Material, Wavelength Conversion and Frequency Mixing
  • Quantum Technology, Entanglement, Schrödinger’s Cat States, Single-Photon Qubit, Quantum Computer, Quantum Information Processing, Quantum Sensing, Quantum Cryptography, Quantum Teleportation, Ghost Imaging
  • Single Photon Sources and Detectors, Cold Atoms and Trapped Ions, Quantum Dots and Vacancy Defects, Nanodiamonds, Optomechanics

Ultrafast Phenomena and Ultrafast Optics (ICO-D)

  • Ultrafast Lasers and Pulse Measurements, Nonlinear Frequency Conversion, Ultrafast THz Sources, Pulse Shaping and Coherent Control, Ultrafast Nonlinear Optics, Supercontinuum Sources, Materials Processing by Femtosecond-Lasers 
  • Ultrafast Plasmonics, Carrier Dynamics and Coherent Phonons, Ultrafast Nano-Optics, Femtochemistry and Femtobiology, Vibrational and Conformational Dynamics, Solvation Dynamics,  Electro-Optical Sampling, Micro-Machining, Table-Top Attosecond Laser Systems, Zeptosecond-Scale Pulses, Spectral Phase Interferometry for Direct Electric-Field Reconstruction, Optical Oscilloscopes, Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating

High Power Lasers and Applications (ICO-D)

  • High Power and High Brightness Lasers, Petawatt Lasers, Laser Particle Acceleration for Cancer Therapy
  • Laser-Plasma Interaction, Processing using High Power Lasers, Laser-Based Inertial Confinement Fusion, Super-Intense Lasers for Creation of Matter

X-Ray and High-Energy Optics (ICO-D)

  • Optics for EUV, X-Rays, and Gamma-Rays, Microscopes, Telescopes, Interferometers 
  • New Sources for EUV, Optical Elements and Devices, Ultrafast X-Ray Holography, Quantum Optics with X-Rays

Nano-Optics, Resonant Nanophotonics and Metamaterials (ICO-E)

  • Nearfield Optics and Microscopy, Plasmonics, Metamaterials, Transformation Optics, Nanolasers, Metasurfaces, Photonic Topological Insulators 
  • Nanophotonics for Solar Energy, Surface Plasmon Resonance, Spin Wave Dynamics, On-Chip Electronic-Plasmonic Transducer, Characterization of Films, Nanofabrication, Nanoimaging, Nanosensing, Nanospectroscopy, Superlenses

Photonic Crystals, Nano Structures and Functions (ICO-E)

  • Photonic Crystals, Photonic Nanostructures
  • Nanowires, Nanomaterials, Nano Functional Devices, Nano Photonic Circuits,  Ferroelectric Systems, Integrated Nanophotonics

Fiber Optics (ICO-F)

  • Fiber Lasers and Amplifiers, Physics of Linear and Nonlinear Propagation in Fibers
  • Design, Fabrication, Characterization of Fibers, Nanostructured Fibers, Optical Tapered Fibers
  • Photonic Crystal Fibers, Multi-Core Fibers, Fiber Devices, Distributed Fiber Sensors

Optical Communications and Photonic Network (ICO-F)

  • Optical Telecommunication Systems and Related Technologies, Space Division Multiplexing 
  • Optical Encryption and Processing, Physical Layer Security, Fiber Distribution Hubs, Data Center Technology
  • Free-Space Communication, Deep Space Communication, Optical Switching and Signal Processing Technologies, Optical Interconnection and Advanced Modulation, Node/Network Architecture, Control and Management

Optoelectronics, Terahertz Photonics and Silicon Photonics (ICO-F)

  • Semiconductor Lasers, VCSELs, Solid-State Lighting Devices, Organic Light-Emitting Devices, Environmental Photonics, Photovoltaic Devices
  • Optical Amplifiers, Optical Modulators and Switches, Optical Waveguides, Light Controlling Devices, High-Speed Photodetectors
  • Photonic Integrated Circuits, Photonic Integration, Guided-Wave Optics, Emerging Concepts in Silicon Photonics, Graphene–Silicon Modulators, Heterogeneous Integration
  • THz MEMS, RF Photonics, Signal Generation, Signal Detection, Signal Control
  • Communications, Sensing, Spectroscopy, Thermal Infrared Sensors
  • Imaging, Related Integrated devices, Circuits and Systems