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Optical Materials Center of Economic Excellence
Inception: About the Center: This Center, part of Clemson University’s Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies (COMSET), will focus on the design, fabrication, and testing of optical fibers for use in (a) directed energy systems critical to federal defense efforts, (b)
communication systems for automobiles and information technologies, and (c) light-based
biomedical therapies. The Optical Materials Center of Economic Excellence Chair will lead research in
organic and inorganic materials for optical fiber and related photonic technologies. Two consortia have been created to advance the development of new optical materials, devices and components in support of the existing photonics industry as well as the creation of new ventures in the Carolinas. The Carolina MicroOptics Triangle (CMOT) is a regional optics cluster among Clemson, UNC Charlotte, and Western Carolina University. CMOT added industrial affiliates in 2007 and is recognized as one of only four university photonics clusters in the nation. In 2008, Clemson partnered with Duke University and North Carolina State University to establish the Carolinas Photonics Consortium.
This Center has received major funding from the J.E. Sirrine Textile Foundation. COMSET provides a centralized infrastructure for faculty collaborating to develop advanced materials that exhibit a value-added interaction with light. COMSET operates the premier academic optical fiber fabrication laboratory in the United States. In 2005, the U.S. Department of Defense’s High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office awarded Clemson a $2.7 million research grant. Funding level: SmartState Endowed Chair:
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