Wednesday, December 13, 2006.

The Annual Christmas Lunch in the CRC Dining Room.

Following the Christmas lunch at CRC a talk will be given by CRC friend Dr Kenneth Marshall on his recent visit to China where his itinerary included visits to Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, the Great Wall and the Three Gorges. To do justice to Ken’s photographic records, we plan to take advantage of the projection equipment in the CRC Auditorium where we shall reconvene after lunch. Old timers may recall that Ken worked in DRTE Human Resources in the early 1960’s before leaving to pursue graduate studies and a career in neurophysiology.

CRC Today:

Optoelectronic Materials and Components Group:

Broadband Network Technologies Research Branch

One of the main obstacles that has slowed the widespread expansion of broadband optical and hybrid optical/wireless networks to the home and office, both in Canada and around the world, has been the very high cost of the components required to implement the various optical and electronic functions within the network. While the high costs of advanced broadband laser diode transmitters, reconfigurable optical add-drop wavelength division (WDM) multiplexers, optical repeaters and high speed, optical switches can be distributed relatively easily among the many tens or hundreds of thousands of users on a high capacity, broadband, backbone interconnecting major cities, countries or continents, the high cost of these components or networks, if implemented at the metropolitan or local area level, would restrict the delivery of broadband services, via fiber, to only a very small fraction of the population. As a result, service providers have been slow to roll-out broadband optical networks, and market penetration of true broadband services, such as high definition video-on-demand, real-time gaming, video conferencing and distance learning has been extremely limited.The development of reliable, low cost photonic components, such as advanced GaAs optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs) and polymer/dielectric planar lightwave circuits (PLCs) will significantly reduce the cost and complexity of metropolitan and local area networks and will help extend the reach of these optical networks to virtually all Canadian homes and offices. This will allow all Canadians access to the wide variety of new applications and services currently being developed for the next generation of high performance broadband networks.The research of the Optoelectronic Materials and Components Group is divided into three main areas: semiconductor optoelectronics, advanced photonics and microelectronic fabrication and packaging.Research within the Semiconductor Optoelectronics project is aimed primarily at the development of novel, compound semiconductor-based optoelectronic materials, devices and circuits that can be used in a variety of applications including network restoration/reconfiguration, high speed switching, signal routing and network monitoring. Research topics include the development of techniques that can be used to design and fabricate low cost, optoelectronic/photonic integrated circuits that combine complex electronic and optical functions onto a single semiconductor chip. This activity includes the growth (by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition) and characterisation of novel long wavelength, semiconductor materials such as GaAs, InGaAs, InP and InGaNAs and multilayer epitaxial structures that can be used to fabricate advanced metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors, receivers and electro-optic switches, which can be readily integrated with GaAs electronic circuitry, to produce a new generation of advanced optoelectronic/photonic integrated circuits with improved performance, higher functionality, smaller size, lower cost and improved manufacturability.The research program of the Advanced Photonics Group is focussed on the design, fabrication and optimization of PLC components such as monolithic optical splitters, combiners, taps, wavelength filters and wavelength multiplexers/demultiplexers. These PLCs are being fabricated using novel dielectric and polymer materials and structures that provide enhanced device performance, novel device functionalities, lower unit cost and improved reliability. In-house capability for the growth and patterning of well-controlled silicon dioxide, silicon nitride and Ge-doped silica allows the fabrication of high-quality passive photonic devices, as well as the hybrid integration of low loss silica waveguide technologies with silicon and/or GaAs signal processing electronics. In addition to on-going research on passive devices, work is underway to included the incorporation of novel, non-linear materials and 3D structures within silica waveguide-based PLCs to fabricate a variety of interesting active photonic devices such as electro-optic switches and high speed modulators. As well, recent innovations in the design and fabrication of buried silica microchannels have led to new research directions focused on the design of novel structures that combine microfluidics and photonics on a single, integrated chip. Photonic devices and sensors based on the linear and nonlinear optical properties of a range of novel liquids and nanoparticle mixtures, are now being actively investigated. One of the major trends in communications is the convergence of analog, digital and optical component technologies, including the miniaturisation of electronic, optical and optoelectronic circuitry. Currently the research program of the Optoelectronic Packaging and Microelectronic Fabrication Technologies Group is focussing on the development of microelectronic fabrication techniques that permit a high degree of integration of microwave, optical, analog, digital and antenna functions within a small area. Increased integration can lead to significant reductions in the size, cost and weight of components while improving their performance and reliability. On-going work includes development of techniques that permit increased integration and miniaturisation of higher levels of signal processing functionality, with an emphasis on those components that relate to wireless and optical communications. Of particular interest to CRC are planar lightwave circuits, miniature hybrid microwave integrated circuits (MHMICs), miniature antennas, optical and optoelectronic devices and integrated circuits, and the associated analysis and testing techniques. The Group’s Microelectronics Facility also supports a wide variety of CRC research projects and external clients by maintaining processes and capabilities to fabricate prototype PLCs, MICs, MHMICs and other optical and optoelectronic components including OEICs. The Facility also addresses the requirement to integrate these components into prototype electronic and optoelectronic subsystems for system testing.

Submitted by Julian Noad, CRC.

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Friends of CRC Badges:

Andre Kennedy is the Badge Co-ordinator for Friends of CRC and has developed a procedure with CRC Security for getting updated and new badges. CRC Security has re-organized which resulted in the design and issuing of new badges. Friends who now have a badge which needs to be updated or if you do not have a badge and wish to have one please contact Andre and he will tell you how to get one. Andre can be reached at: e-mail aek@mondenet.com or phone at 613-829-9697.

E-mails Received:

Received from Bill Treurniet on October 22, 2006.

Hi Don,

I'm doing some research on Wilbert B. Smith who used to work at the Dept. of Transport in the 1950s. He had some far-out interests in ufos, their propulsion systems, and what the "people from elsewhere" were doing here. I believe he was foremost a scientist in his approach to this issue, and his contributions may be important and should be recognized.

I've delved into his archives at the U of Ottawa and put together a web site to show the contents of his letters. See http://www.treurniet.ca/Smith/. I've organized the information in his letters according to topic, which should make it easier for people to tell if there are useful insights there.

I recently obtained some photos that Wilbert took of his lab equipment from his son James. James says that Wilbert had good reason to take each picture, but the three attached pictures don't mean much to us. The equipment may be a bit before your time too, but I thought you might recognize some of it. Would you mind taking a look and telling me all you can about each picture - what the equipment is and what might have been going on?

Also, Wilbert made a bit of a splash in the newspapers with a ufo monitoring station he had set up at Shirley's Bay. I would love to find the equipment he used for that! A museum might find this a great attraction. Have you any idea where one would look for that? He had good contacts at NRC so maybe I should inquire there. It's probably too much to expect that this stuff is still in storage somewhere. Please forward this to anyone else you think might be able to help me. Would it be appropriate to put my query in the newsletter? The problem might be including the attached pictures. Thanks for any help,

Bill Treurniet
wtreuniet@rogers.com

Editor’s Note: Don Ross said he will forward the photographs by e-mail if you are interested in replying to Bill or have information which may assist him.

Deaths:

ADEY, Isobel Marion Founder of the International Club of Ottawa Passed away peacefully at home on November 3, 2006. Mrs. Isobel Adey, daughter of the late Godfrey Benning (Ben) Peterkin and Mary H. (Birdie) Peterkin (nee Farquharson); step-daughter of the late Arthur Pridmore, sister of the late H. Jean Peterkin, wife of the late Keith P. Moffat, L.L.B. and the late Albert (Al) W. Adey, Ph.D, P.Eng. Founding member of Kingsway United Church. Member of McLeod-Stewarton United Church. Worked as a British Security Coordinator during WWII, stationed in Washington, headed by Sir William Stephenson. Also served with the British Army Staff and worked in the Personnel Department of the Defense Research Board. Listed in "Who's Who in Canada". Recipient of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal from Queen Elizabeth II in May 2003 for founding the International Club of Ottawa (1970) and her work with the International community. Patron of the Ottawa Little Theatre and a Life Member of Beta Sigma Phi. Funeral Service will be held at the Central Chapel of Hulse, Playfair & McGarry, 315 McLeod Street on Saturday, November 11th at 4:00 p.m. Reception to follow in the McGarry Family Reception Centre. Private interment at Pinecrest Cemetery. For those wishing, donations to the Hospice at May Court, 114 Cameron Avenue, Ottawa K1S 0X1 would be appreciated.

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Until next time,

Jim Sawtell

iq4u@storm.ca

613-836-5795