Subject: PARC Forum, Thursday, February 16, 4pm, Jan-Gustav Werthen, Ph.D; JDSU Photonic Power Group, "Generating Electricity from Light"

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2006 16:23:54 PST

"Generating Electricity from Light"

Jan-Gustav Werthen, Ph.D; JDSU Photonic Power Group

Thursday, 16 February 2006, 4 PM, George E. Pake Auditorium, Palo Alto,
CA.

This forum is OPEN to the public.

ABSTRACT

Led by Dr. Jan-Gustav Werthen, JDSU is pioneering the development of
Photonic Power for the delivery of electricity over fiber optic cable.
Photonic Power is an inventive power delivery system whereby light from
a laser source illuminates a highly efficient photovoltaic power
converter to produce electrical power. Photonic Power can power
electronic circuitry in a wide variety of industries without the need
for copper or coaxial cable, batteries, transformers or solar panels,
paving the way for remote power delivery with 100 percent electrical
isolation. Photonic Power delivers isolated power that is immune to RF,
EMI, high voltage and lightning. Photonic Power technology can be
leveraged across multiple markets, including medical, wireless
communications, electrical power, industrial sensor, and aerospace
applications. More than 10,000 units have been deployed to date, serving
more than 50 customers, including Siemens, Raytheon, ETS Lindgren, and
NEC.

Dr. Werthen will give an overview of this technology and offer insights
into potential uses. Dr. Werthen has shepherded Photonic Power from a
nascent idea to a potentially disruptive innovation that is now backed
by the strength of a billion dollar company. His talk will include a
look back at that process, including steps leading up to the acquisition
of his company by JDSU in June, 2005.

BIOGRAPHY: 

Jan Werthen is Director of Engineering for JDSU's Photonic Power
business. Werthen is recognized as a leader in the design of
photovoltaic power devices with more than 20 years of optoelectronic
design experience. Werthen began his professional career at Xerox's
famed Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in the laser diode group that
later became SDL. At Varian Associates, Werthen established a
world-renowned semiconductor device group. Over six years, he grew this
group into a potent and well-recognized solar cell team, setting
numerous world records in solar cell conversion efficiency. In 1991,
Werthen helped engineer the sale of this group to Kopin Corporation. In
association with this transaction, Werthen acquired a small piece of
technology around the so-called photovoltaic power converter, a core
device in optically powered applications. Beginning in 1992, Werthen
grew his start-up company, Photonic Power Systems, Inc., into a
world-recognized entity serving a variety of applications in the
medical, electric power, sensor and wireless markets. Photonic Power
Systems was acquired by JDSU in 2005 and is, at present, the only
commercial provider of power over optical fiber. Werthen is author or
co-author of more than 50 technical papers on photovoltaic devices.

Werthen earned his M.S. degree in Applied Physics from Chalmers
Institute of Technology in Goteborg, Sweden, and a second M.S. degree
and a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Stanford University.

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