Frontiers in Nanoscience and Technology in the 21st Century and New Models for Research and Education at the Intersection of Basic Research and Technology

摘要

Over the last 50 years, solid state physics and technology have blossomed through the application of modern quantum mechanics to the real world. The intimate relationship between basic research and application has been highlighted ever since the invention of the transistor in 1947, the laser in 1958 and the subsequent spawning of the computer and communications revolution which has so changed our lives. The awarding of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics to Alferov, Kroemer and Kilby is another important recognition of the unique interplay between basic science and technology. Such advances and discoveries were made in major industrial research laboratories - Bell Labs, IBM, RCA and others. Today many of these industrial laboratories are in decline due to changes in the regulatory environment and global economic competition.rnIn this talk I will examine some of the frontiers in technology and emerging policy issues. My talk will be colored by my own experiences at Bell Labs and subsequently at a major U.S. national laboratory (Sandia) and at universities (University of California at Santa Barbara and Harvard). I will draw on experiences from my role as the Chair of the National Research Council (NRC) panel on the Future of Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (1999) and as a reviewer of the 2001 NRC report, Physics in a New Era.rnThe growth rates of silicon and optical technologies will ultimately flatten as physical and economic limits are reached. If history is any guide, entirely new technologies will be created. Current research in nanoscience and nanotechnology is already leading to new relationships between fields as diverse as chemistry, biology, applied physics, electrical and mechanical engineering. Materials science is becoming even more interdisciplinary than in the past. Different fields of engineering are coming together. The interfaces between engineering and biology are emerging as another frontier.