optics report 8-13-2012WASHINGTON -- Calling optics and photonics technologies critical to the future ofthe nation, the National Research Council today recommended a seriesof aggressive, coordinated initiatives to improve manufacturing,invention, materials development and applications to maintain globalleadership in the area.
The report--"
Optics and Photonics: Essential Technologies for OurNation"--was issued by the National Research Council 15 years afterits seminal optics report: "Harnessing Light: Optical Science andEngineering for the 21st Century."
The report and its recommendations come
amid growing concern that the U.S.has fallen behind in photonics and optics technologydevelopment in the past decade.
"...It is critical that the United States take advantage of theseemerging optical technologies for creating new industries andgenerating job growth," the report's authors wrote.
The
report can be downloaded here.
Among the report's recommendations, based on five grand questionswith which committee members wrestled:
- Advanced Manufacturing: The report acknowledges the importanceof photonics and optics manufacturing capabilities: "While thereare issues concerning the ability of the United States tocompete successfully in high-volume, low-cost manufacturing, itis likely that the United States can continue to be a strongcompetitor in lower-volume, high-end manufacturing." The report recommends the development of new manufacturingtechnology and implementation, such as soft x-rays for lithographyand other optically-based manufacturing.
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