STATEMENT OF DR. LAWRENCE S. GOLDBERG, DIRECTOR, QUANTUM ELECTRONICS, WAVES AND BEAMS PROGRAM, DIVISION OF ELECTRICAL, COMMUNICATIONS AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING, NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Dr. GOLDBERG. Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and Congressman Ritter, and thank you for the opportunity to testify today concerning photonics research at the National Science Foundation. In the nearly three decades since its development, the laser's use in science and technology has grown enormously, spawning new industries and opportunities for future technology advances. From these origins, photonics, or "lightwave technology," has developed into a field which now covers a broad spectrum of applicationsdrive areas that are being pursued aggressively worldwide. These include areas such as optical communications, as we have heard, optical signal processing, optical switching and computing to name a few. Optical fiber communication links that now span the country and indeed the ocean-are a familiar first example. As our societies become increasingly information-oriented, the need for advanced capabilities in sending and manipulating information continues to grow rapidly. Photonics, in which light or photons, rather than electrons, is used to carry and process information, offers enormous potential increase in bandwidth or carrying capacity, in speed, and in totally new functions compared to conventional electronic based systems. The changes will not occur overnight, nor will electronics be even substantially replaced in the near term, the emergence of a hybrid photonics/electronics technology being most likely. However, the implications of this technology for our nation's future economic vitality are clear. We face a major challenge in photonics from our trading partners in the Far East as well as in Europe. They are committed to success and their investments in research, development and manufacturing-from industry and from Government-are both substantial and long-term. The United States has been a leader in much of this technology, but our leadership position, particularly in the commercial sector, is frankly, in my opinion, slipping away. Witness the ubiquity of Japan's digital compact disc player in the home, with its state-of-the-art laser diode source. In this field as in others, technology innovation, and its concomitant underlying structure of basic research knowledge, will be a crucial ingredient to maintaining a competitive edge. The National Science Foundation, through its support of fundamental research in science and engineering, has invested considerably of its resources, in past years and currently, in activities that are both related to and potentially useful for photonic systems. The funding support-to individual investigators, groups and centersis spread through several Directorates, Divisions and Programs at the NSF, and spans research from basic physical concepts, through materials science, component research, device physics, fabrication technology, and systems concepts and integration. The principal support for photonics research at NSF comes from programs within the Engineering Directorate. Nearly 3 years ago, the Lightwave Technology Program was established, based on recommendations by an NSF workshop held to identify research op portunities in the field. The spotlighting of this research area, by focusing within a new program the laser and information systemsrelated components from other programs, indicated the importance that was placed by the Engineering Directorate in what were to be called "emerging technologies." The current program budget of approximately $3.1 million supports research by individual investigators and groups on such topics as optical waveguiding, high-speed communications, optical computing, switching and logic functions, optical sensing, integrated optoelectronic systems, and semiconductor laser systems technology. The Quantum Electronics, Waves and Beams Program within the Division of Electrical Communications and Systems Engineering funds approximately $2.2 million, about half of its budget, in photonics-related research. This program, which was a progenitor of the Lightwave Technology Program, supports research on modern optical and laser-related technologies, including new coherent sources and concepts, ultrashort pulse technology, nonlinear and coherent phenomena, and associated laser devices and techniques. The program also supports research on free electron lasers as well as on microwave and millimeter wave technologies, some of which now utilize techniques of optical control and probing. The Solid State and Microstructures Program, which is also within the Division of Electrical Communications and Systems Engineering, focuses on component research, device physics, fabrication technologies, and integration of electronic components and elements of prospective optoelectronic integrated circuits. This latter goal of a fully integrated optoelectronic circuit on a chip has major future technological implications. The research is primarily oriented toward work on compound semiconductor materials. It includes work on multi-quantum-well photon detectors and laser sources as well as high-speed electronic switching devices. About $2.7 million from this program is spent in support of photonics-related activities. The advent of the Engineering Research Centers program has provided NSF a new mechanism to focus research funds into technologically important areas. Of the 14 Engineering Research Centers-or ERCs-that are currently funded, three of these are in areas directly or partly supportive of photonics research, namely the Center of Optoelectronic Computing Systems, at the University of Colorado-Boulder and Colorado State University; the Center for Compound Semiconductor Microelectronics at the University of Illinois; and the Center for Telecommunications Research at Columbia University. The current funding level of these three Centers is approximately $6.3 million, approximately $3.6 million of that being in photonics activities. In addition, the Engineering Directorate has a program on Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers aimed at stimulating industrial support of university research, and in a number of these Centers there are research activities relating to photonics. In the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, the Division of Materials Research, which supports, incidentally, superconductivity work, also supports fundamental research on materials that are crucial to future advances in future advances and devices and components for photonics technologies. With the Ceramic and Electronic Materials Program, for example, approximately $1 million is spent in photonics-related areas, approximately 13 percent of that program's budget. Additional supportive materials research efforts are contained in other programs throughout the Division, such as Solid State Physics, Solid State Chemistry, and in Materials Research Laboratories and Materials Research Groups. Furthermore, the National Science Foundation is currently reviewing a number of proposals for the new Science and Technology Centers Program, and these are some of these are advanced materials areas which will also have importance to future photonic systems. As you requested, Mr. Chairman, I have provided a brief overview of NSF's activities in support of photonics research. Through its diversity of support of forefront academic research in science and engineering, and most importantly by its commitment to the training of future generations of researchers, the National Science Foundation continues its essential role in helping to maintain the Nation's technological leadership position. Now, let me address a few personal comments, Mr. Chairman. The important question then, is this sufficient? In my view, the answer is, that it is not. The National Science Foundation, with its available limited resources, provides only one ingredient to the overall investment picture, although a unique and essential one in its support of the academic infrastructure. Other government agencies, such as the Department of Defense, NASA, Departments of Energy and Commerce, have their own specific mission interests. What then should the role of government be in terms of overall coordination to help provide a balance, a focus and an integrated systems objective? What efforts are we as a nation making to implement our basic research discoveries into manufacturable competitive systems and products? Are activities in the Defense Department's sector reconciled to the prospects of important potential contributions in the civilian sector? In this light, are some of our best high-tech firms, comfortable as they may be in the restricted and familiar world of contract research, are they able and interested to compete in the commercial marketplace? Can our industries regain the necessary long-term perspective to research and investment? And a final thought, have we abrogated technical leadership in an area such as telecommunications by having fragmented a national resource, the AT&T Bell System, which had a capability to provide full integration of the technology? This concludes my remarks, Mr. Chairman. I would be pleased to answer any questions that you may have at this time. [The prepared statement of Dr. Goldberg follows:] TESTIMONY Dr. Lawrence S. Goldberg, Director Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Bethlehem, Pennsylvania : "Photonics Research at the National Science Foundation" Good morning, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for the opportunity to testify today concerning photonics research at the National Science Foundation. In the nearly three decades since its development, the laser's use in science and technology has grown enormously, spawning new industries and opportunities for future technological advances. From these origins, photonics, or lightwave technology, has developed into a field which now covers a broad spectrum of applications-driven areas that are being pursued aggressively world wide. These include areas such as optical communications, optical signal processing, optical switching and computing, to name a few. Optical-fiber communication links that now span the country are a familiar first example. As our societies become increasingly information oriented, the need for advanced capabilities in sending and manipulating information continues to grow rapidly. Photonics, in which light or photons rather than electrons is used to carry and process information, offers enormous potential increases in bandwidth or carrying capacity, in speed, and in totally new functions compared to conventional electronic based systems. The changes will not occur overnight, nor will electronics be even substantially replaced in the near term the emergence of a hybrid photonics/electronics technology being most likely. However, the implications of this technology for our Nation's future economic vitality are clear. We face a major challenge in photonics from our trading partners in the Far East as well as in Europe. They are committed to success, and their investments in research, development, and manufacturing - from industry and from government - are both substantial and long term. The United States has been a leader in much of this technology, but our leadership position, particularly in the commercial sector, may be difficult to maintain. Witness the ubiquity of Japan's digital compact disc player in the home, with its state-of-the-art laser diode source. In this field as in others, technology innovation, and its concomitant underlying structure of basic research knowledge, will be a crucial ingredient to maintaining a competitive edge. The National Science Foundation, through its support of fundamental research in science and engineering, has invested considerable of its resources, in past years and currently, in -1 activities that are both related to and potentially useful for photonic systems. The funding support - to individual investigators, groups, and centers - is spread through several Directorates, Divisions, and Programs at NSF, and spans research from basic physical concepts, through materials science, component research, device physics, fabrication technologies, and systems concepts and integration. The principal support for photonics research at NSF comes from programs within the Engineering Directorate. Nearly three years ago, the Lightwave Technology Program was established, based on recommendations by an NSF workshop held to identify research opportunities in the field. The spotlighting of this research area, by focusing within a new program the laser and information systems related components from other programs, indicated the importance placed by the Engineering Directorate in what were to be called emerging technologies. The current program budget of approximately $3.1M supports research by individual investigators and groups on such topics as optical waveguiding and high speed communications, optical computing, switching, and logic functions, optical sensing, integrated opto-electronic systems, and semiconductor laser/systems technology. The Quantum Electronics, Waves, and Beams Program within the Division of Electrical, Communications, and Systems Engineering funds approximately $2.2M, about 50% of its budget, in photonics related research. This program, which was a progenitor of the Lightwave Technology Program, supports research on modern optical and laser-related technologies, including new coherent sources and concepts, ultrashort pulse technology, nonlinear and coherent phenomena, and associated laser devices and techniques. The program also supports research on free-electron lasers, as well as on microwave and millimeter wave technologies, some of which now utilize techniques of optical control and probing. The Solid State and Microstructures Program, also within the Division of Electrical, Communications, and Systems Engineering, focuses on component research, device physics, fabrication technologies, and integration of electronic component elements for prospective opto-electronic integrated circuits. This latter goal of a fully integrated opto-electronic circuit on a chip has major future technological implications. The research is primarily oriented toward work on compound semiconductor materials, as well as gallium arsenide on silicon, and includes work on multi-quantum-well photon detectors and laser sources as well as high speed electronic switching devices. Approximately $2.7M, about 38% of its program budget, is spent in support of photonics related activities. The advent of the Engineering Research Centers Program has provided NSF a new mechanism to focus research funds into technologically important areas. Of the 14 Engineering Research Centers currently funded, three of these are in areas directly or partly supportive of photonics research, namely: the Center for Optoelectronic Computing Systems, at the University of Colorado/Boulder and Colorado State University; the Center for Compound Semiconductor Microelectronics, at the University of Illinois; and the Center for Telecommunications Research, at Columbia University. The current funding level of these three Centers is approximately $6.3M, approximately $3.6M of which are in photonics activities. In addition, the Engineering Directorate has a program on Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers aimed at stimulating industrial support of university research, and in a number of these Centers there are research activities relating to photonics. In the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, the Division of Materials Research supports fundamental research on materials which are crucial to future advances in devices and components for photonics technologies. The Ceramic and Electronic Materials Program, -2 |