ALBANY — As a photonics program that is now a part of NY CREATES turns 5 years previous, it’s also getting some nationwide TV publicity.

AIM Photonics was launched in 2015 with a $110 million grant from the Division of Protection that helped to create the $610 million photonics consortium with operations in Albany and Rochester. NY CREATES is the entity that controls actual property and financial improvement at SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

Photonics are units that run on gentle, and AIM Photonics and its member firms are engaged on making chips which have a number of units on them reminiscent of lasers and optical sensors that use gentle as an alternative of electrons to function.

Beginning subsequent week, AIM Photonics can be featured on Laurence Fishburne’s expertise present, Data Matrix, which broadcasts on 200 completely different public tv stations.

The phase was filmed at AIM Photonics’ Rochester facility, the place the consortium checks and packages its photonics chips which might be made at SUNY Poly’s clear room amenities in Albany.

“They got here to us final yr,” mentioned Frank Tolic, AIM Photonics’ chief advertising and marketing officer. “They reached out to us, they usually search for thrilling or cool applied sciences. It is a good approach to present what we’ve got finished.”

There may be loads for AIM Photonics to point out off. Final yr it helped the Air Drive Analysis Lab make the world’s first quantum photonics wafer that can be used to see how photonics is likely to be utilized in quantum computing.

AIM Photonics (AIM stands for the American Institute for Manufacturing) has additionally been working with its analysis companions on a COVIID-19 take a look at that will additionally use highly effective photonic sensors. It has 120-plus members.

AIM has a program the place firms can have their prototype photonics chips made on a wafer in Albany in cooperation with different firms, which makes it less expensive than paying for a whole wafer to be produced.

“Immediately, as New York continues its management function in photonics, energy electronics, and semiconductors, it’s important to share that story with the nation,” Tolic mentioned. “As AIM celebrates our fifth anniversary, we’re thrilled to inform the world about how this trade and funding is altering the world through which we dwell.”