photonics

American  

[foh-ton-iks] / foʊˈtɒn ɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the study and technology of the use of light for the transmission of information.

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photonics British  

/ fəʊˈtɒnɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the study and design of devices and systems, such as optical fibres, that depend on the transmission, modulation, or amplification of streams of photons

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photonics Scientific  

/ fō-tŏn′ĭks /

1. The scientific study or application of electromagnetic energy whose basic unit is the photon, incorporating optics, laser technology, electrical engineering, materials science, and information storage and processing.

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Etymology

Origin of photonics

1950–55; see photonic, -ics; perhaps on the model of electronics

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

photonics

They add that UMC has accelerated its push into silicon photonics, but that will likely take years to materialize even if the chip manufacturer succeeds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Tower will ramp up production of silicon photonics and silicon germanium chips in response to long-term customer demand, the company said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

"For more than twenty years, a high-pulse-energy femtosecond laser on chip was widely regarded as a holy grail of integrated photonics," says Kippenberg.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2026

The company has signaled its intentions to scale its presence in quantum communications and photonics through recent acquisitions of Luminar Semiconductor and NuCrypt.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

Along with “large conglomerates that are materially involved” in optics and photonics, there are also “peer plays” held by the fund, he noted.

From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026