NORTHBROOK, ILL. – The IPC announced the formation of the Photonics Manufacturers Association (PMA) Council, whose function will be to “organize and coordinate roadmapping, standardization, legislative, market research and education efforts” in the photonics industry. The IPC, like several other organizations, has seen potential benefits from coordinating the industry in a more formal way.

The PMA Council's first meeting was held at the Optical Fiber Conference (OFC) in March, and it is currently looking for members and leaders in three sub-committees: roadmapping, standards guidelines and specifications, and industry statistics. At the Strategies in Optical Manufacturing (SIOM) conference in April, Randy Heyler, the PMA Council steering committee chairman, cited trade shows as a fourth sub-committee topic.

Heyler, who is Newport's vice president of business development, also told the SIOM audience about the standards activities underway. The PMA Council will not be creating new standards, but it will be facilitating and working with the other organizations already doing this, including the National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI), Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA), and Japan Institute of Electronics Packaging (JIEP).

One standard already in the works is J-STD-040, “Optoelectronic Assembly and Packaging Technology,” which provides a roadmap for optoelectronics standards. Dieter Berg man of IPC is leading this effort, and the document identifies 23 areas for standardization, including fiber handling, testing, hermetic sealing and attachment.