Additive manufacturing of complex microoptics is opening up a rapidly growing research field at the interface of photonics, materials science, and nanotechnology. 3D-printed optical systems on the micro- and millimeter scale enable innovative lens designs with high numerical apertures and excellent imaging properties. Combining different materials, diffractive elements, and precise nanostructuring can enable micro-optical achromats and even apochromatic, aplanatic microlens systems.

In his lecture, Prof. Giessen will present current developments and applications in nanophotonics and address several key questions: How can complex lens systems be printed directly onto optical fiber tips? What opportunities do micro-optical achromats and apochromats offer for miniaturized imaging systems? And how can holographic elements, metasurfaces, or antireflection coatings be integrated, for example by means of atomic layer deposition?

About the speaker
Prof. Harald Giessen holds the Chair of Ultrafast Nanooptics at the 4th Physics Institute of the University of Stuttgart and is Director of the Stuttgart Research Center of Photonics Engineering (SCoPE). After studying physics and computer science at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, he obtained his Ph.D. in optical sciences from the University of Arizona, USA. He conducted research at several institutions, including the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart. Following a professorship at the University of Bonn, he joined the University of Stuttgart in 2005.

His research focuses on ultrafast nanooptics, plasmonics, and metamaterials, as well as the development of innovative 3D-printed micro- and nano-optics. Together with his research group, he combines fundamental research in photonics with technological applications, for example in biomedical imaging, sensing, microscopy, and quantum optics.

Prof. Giessen is the author and co-author of numerous scientific publications and is among the most highly cited researchers worldwide in the field of nanophotonics. He has received many awards for his work, including the Robert Wichard Pohl Prize from the German Physical Society (DPG).

Optics is an important branch of physics that studies the behavior and properties of light and its interactions with matter. Although optics is often viewed as merely an offshoot of electrodynamics, its history actually dates back to ancient Greece. Alongside mechanics, optics is therefore the oldest subfield of physics. The modern physical theories of the 20th century, such as quantum mechanics or the theory of relativity, would not have been possible without optics. Today, numerous optical applications have a significant influence on our daily lives and on technological advancement. In our digital age, our ability to observe the world and interact with it is highly dependent on light and therefore on optics.

In his lecture, Michael Kaschke will shed light on some of the most important stages in the evolution of optics and demonstrate how they have made major contributions to humanity over time. He will also discuss how optics has evolved into a fundamental science that has influenced and significantly advanced other areas of physics as well as science and technology in a more general sense. He will attempt to illustrate possible relevant future applications of optics and make a few predictions on how this will continue to shape our understanding of the universe and enable technological progress.

Michael Kaschke completed his degree in physics at the University of Jena in 1983 and went on to also earn his doctorate in physics there. He is currently Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), a shareholder of Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG and President of the Stifterverband, a joint initiative by German businesses to promote education, science and innovation. Michael Kaschke worked at the ZEISS Group for just under 30 years. More than 20 of these years were spent as a member of the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG and as its President and CEO from 2011 to 2020. He lectures on optical medical technology and innovation management at KIT. He received an honorary doctorate from Friedrich Schiller University in Jena in 2018 and he was elected a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2021. 

The use of surgical robotics has only recently become established in ophthalmology. For a long time, the development of suitable surgical devices has been hampered due to the particular challenges involved such as working with highly sensitive tissues and the high demand for precision and accuracy made progress difficult. In recent years, however, performing ophthalmologic tasks on models and patients using robots has been proved to be safe. Some studies indicate that robot-assisted surgery can increase safety and efficiency during procedures. In most types of surgery, robots have warranted their high development and implementation costs by simply helping to enhance the surgeon's own skill or by acting as assistants. In ophthalmology, by contrast, how effective robotics is can be better understood within the context of a comprehensive system where humans and robots work closely together to maintain or improve vision. Achieving this goal requires careful coordination between biotic and abiotic components which necessitates incorporating different disciplines concurrently and not being limited to the standard development model for surgical instruments.

During his lecture, Prof. Dr. Marc D. de Smet, one of the pioneers of ophthalmological robotics, will discuss the use of robots in ophthalmology and focus on the future and further development of robotics in ophthalmology.

Prof. Marc D. de Smet is a world-renowned expert in ophthalmology and a specialist in the fields of vitreoretinal surgery and inflammatory processes. De Smet completed his medical studies at McGill University, Canada and then earned his doctorate at the University of Amsterdam. Over the course of his career, he has worked at various leading eye clinics and research centers worldwide, including in the United Staes and in Canada, the Netherlands and Switzerland. His research focuses on the development and application of innovative therapies and surgical techniques. De Smet has made a significant contribution to the further development of vitreoretinal surgery through his research and innovative approaches.