Birendra (Raj) Dutt, PhD
Chairman & CEO of APIC Corp. and PhotonIC Corp.
Dr. Raj Dutt has built an outstanding reputation in the defense and intelligence communities for his ability to take on exceedingly difficult technical problems and suggest novel solutions. Currently, he is on the leading edge of technology entrepreneurs who are key to keeping the United States at the forefront of the emerging field of photonics. His contributions in the areas of theoretical and experimental applied physics, fluid mechanics, image understanding, robotics, and artificial intelligence have lent him invaluable insight into the vital role that optical networks play in adding significant advantages to avionics multiprocessors, including reduced weight, improved resistance to EMI, and significant cost savings for operation and maintenance.
Dr. Dutt originally developed his proprietary technology for military applications via APIC Corporation. As the technology matured, however, it rapidly entered the commercial realm, offering unlimited potential for use across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. “Our experience lies in designing and producing cost-saving, lightweight components for rugged, durable, advanced integrated electro-photonic components for the Department of Defense,” says Dr. Dutt. “This innovative technology has given us a considerable lead in producing state-of-the-art photonics for a potentially huge commercial marketplace.”
Dr. Dutt graduated with honors from the Indian Institute of Technology in 1971. Recognizing that his skills and training would find better application in the United States, he emigrated to Los Angeles, where he studied the nonlinear physics of solitons at the University of Southern California (USC). This was followed by a doctorate in experimental fluid mechanics from USC, with thesis work undertaken at the California Institute of Technology. He also earned a master’s degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Dr. Dutt began his entrepreneurial career by founding Research & Development Laboratories (RDL), a high-technology research-and-development firm specializing in advanced proprietary radar technologies. RDL opened its doors in 1984 with a staff of 16 scientists and six consultants, including Dr. Julian Schwinger, a Nobel laureate in physics, and within weeks had been awarded $1.5 million in government contracts.
In 1999, Dr. Dutt founded APIC Corporation with the goal of inventing pioneering technology in the then-embryonic photonics industry. This has encompassed work in the areas of microelectronics, photonics, and optoelectronic integration. Products include highly integrated photonic circuits that incorporate a variety of functional components through use of silicon-on-insulator technology.
Under the leadership of Dr. Dutt, APIC has continued to grow throughout the first decade of the new millennium, providing technological expertise to the U.S. military for the development of Networks Enabled by Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (WDM). WDM is a technology that multiplexes a number of optical carrier signals onto a single optical fiber by using different wavelengths (colors) of laser light, allowing for the multiplication of capacity. WDM Highly Integrated Photonics is Network-Enabled WDM, known as NEW-HIP. NEW-HIP is jointly funded and managed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR).
Dr. Dutt founded PhotonIC Corp. in 2007 with the goal of commercializing the technology developed under defense contracts by APIC Corporation. All intellectual property, technology, and know-how were licensed/transferred to PhotonIC. Dr. Dutt has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors since the establishment of PhotonIC.
Over the past few decades, Dr. Dutt has developed, and currently holds, several significant patents in the fields of radar, applied physics, and photonics.