Tech Connect - Optics by ⌘ ⇧ ⌥

A r i z o n a’ s

Technology Magazine

optics Issue The

Inside

0 10 Natural Energy Engine SUM MER 2008

0 14 We’re NO. 1 0 16 Optics ABCs

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0 21 HEAD OF THE CLASS 0 24 Flexible Future 1

EXPO

BUSINESS + INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PRESENTED BY: ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL

Arizonaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3rd Annual Business + Information Technology Expo AND 2009 Arizona CIO of the Year Awards April 14, 2009 | 7:30 AM â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5:00 PM | Tucson Convention Center | Tucson, AZ Business + Technology Solutions for: s 7IRELESS .ETWORKING )NFRASTRUCTURE s "ACK OFlCE %MAIL 3ERVERS s $ATA 3TORAGE )NFORMATION 3ECURITY s 7EB 3ITE 3OFTWARE $EVELOPMENT

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&OR MORE INFORMATION GO TO WWW AZTECHCOUNCIL ORG

Joining Together Tradition and History

When something closes, it’s not usually a cause for celebration, but on February 1, 2008, one historic event led to another and Avnet

“It was an honor to ring the bell on our turf for the state’s first time, joined by our governor, 14 excellent companies on the Big Board, the Cardinals, and representing Avnet’s employees around the world.” – Roy Vallee

www.avnet.com Super Bowl® is a trademark of the NFL

was proud to be a significant part of both. Avnet Chairman and CEO Roy Vallee rang the Closing Bell for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) from the University of Phoenix Stadium, marking the first time this event has taken place in the state of Arizona, and helping kick off the Super Bowl XLII weekend. The NYSE and Avnet, two organizations coming together to make history for the State of Arizona.

What’s Inside

A r i z o n a’ s

Technology Magazine

CloseUp

010 POWER ON

New Engine Does the Job–Naturally

+ Features 016 more than fiber

Innovation Goes Far Beyond Strands of Glass.

InnerView

020 Bob Breault

He Offers A Global Model of Success.

021 Jim Mayo

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Meet UofA’s First Optics Graduate.

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The Focus

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024 Flexible Display Center World Is Watching What ASU Facility Creates.

Feature

Follow the Leader

On the Cover :: The Optics Issue Photo by Photodisc/Alamy

Arizona Lights The Way When It Comes to Optics.

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In Every Issue 004 President’s Letter 006 Editor’s Letter 008 Events 018 Capitol Watch 026 Science Foundation Arizona 028 University of Arizona 029 Arizona State University 030 Northern Arizona University

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President’s Letter

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here can’t be any doubt in t anyone’s mind that we are living in interesting times. With a U.S. financial meltdown that has spread into a global recession, horrendous state budget deficits and rising unemployment, one might think there is little to be optimistic about. Quite the contrary, nothing could be farther from the truth. While we surely have pain and tough challenges to face, there is much to be excited about. Regardless of what political flag you fly, we have a new president with a clean slate and a fresh start. Now that he is our president, we must all wish him well. Many good signs are already noticeable. Whether you like the stimulus package concept or not, it is going to happen. For the technology industry, there is much to appreciate in the package, including the commitment it represents for science and technology, especially research and development. It’s supportive of additional funding

for the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation as well as for extramural programs like the Manufacturing Extension Program and the Technology Innovation Program. The new president is also relaxing the restrictions on stem cell research that is so critical to the life sciences community. And finally, he and Congress plan to invest heavily in renewable energy as a way of addressing one of America’s biggest challenges to our competitiveness -- energy self-sufficiency.

We also have a new state legislature and a new governor, albeit they are dealing with the worst budget crisis in Arizona’s history. But in the end, these tough times will help to create a leaner, more agile state government out of necessity. It represents a sort of cleansing opportunity, almost a kind of budgetary or governmental enema. We can only hope it doesn’t go too far in creating even more challenges for our K through 12 education system. Crisis forges our character as a person, as a company, as a state and as a nation. Most of us will be better off on the other side for having endured and learned from this crisis. Lots of bad behavior got us all into this mess. We must all now grit our teeth as we try to tolerate the hard times that have emerged as a result. And there are many silver linings in the dark clouds. Many types of companies including Arizona-based firms such as JCurve Technologies, iLinc Communications and Apollo Group actually benefit from the downturn because their products and services are now in more demand. And the pressure that this difficult economy puts on companies forces them to become leaner, more effective and more productive. In these times, the cream often rises to the top. We will see new leaders arrive and emerge, individuals, companies and even politicians, look for them; they are optimistic about the future. Anything is possible. Hey, the Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl. Case closed.

Steven G. Zylstra

President & CEO, Arizona Technology Council

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Editor’s Letter

Publisher Steven G. Zylstra Editor Don Rodriguez ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tina May Art Director Jim Nissen, Switch Studio

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It’s No Illusion see. Sometimes it takes awhile before there’s that moment of discovery, the “I See.” Admittedly, when we decided to produce this edition about optics, my only point of reference was my annual trek to the ophthalmologist to get a new prescription for glasses—always thicker and stronger— when I was a kid. You know, optics. But after working on this issue of TechConnect, I came to realize there is so much more.

Contributing Writers Gremlyn Bradley-Waddell Randy Crabtree Christopher DiVirgilio Kara Fort Debra N. Fossum Molly Gilbert William C. Harris Terry Koch Heather Lacey Jim Mayo Lisa Nelson Kate Nolan Angela Rabago-Mussi Bruce A. Wright Trademark // General Counsel Quinn Williams Distribution Partners The Phoenix Business Journal Tucson Chamber of Commerce

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Designers Jaclyn Threadgill Erin Loukili Kris Olmon

You see, Arizona is one of the quiet success stories in the field of international optics when you look at the numbers alone. As you’ll learn inside, the industry is credited with bringing in more than $2.3 billion in revenue annually while employing 25,000. About two-thirds of those workers are in southern Arizona, so this is one of those times the Phoenix metro area cannot claim to be No. 1. (Go Wildcats!) Many of our stories cannot be told without mentioning The University of Arizona and its College of Optical Sciences. Its first graduate shares with us a behind-the-scenes look at how the landmark decisions were made to start the school and how he credits a wind sprint with making him an academic pioneer. You’ll also meet a later grad whose creation of the Arizona Optics Industry

Association led to successes the industry continues to enjoy At Arizona State University’s Flexible Display Center, researchers are working to give consumers new display screens that trade in bulk for portability. Some even will remind users—especially the younger ones—about the strange material that grandpa used to talk about: paper. (OK, that’s an exaggeration but not by much, especially for kids.) If you’re still wondering about the extent of optics development in Arizona after reading these stories, we also offer a primer of sorts. From biomedical applications to solar collection and conversion, get more details about what the industry is up to. In the rest of TechConnect, you’ll learn how one inventor’s investment of his own energy has led to the creation of a new

type of energy generated by an engine that has little to no fuel costs and creates no pollution. Also, get advice on how to use these trying times in our economy as an opportunity to take advantage of research and development tax credits that often go untouched. I invite you to explore our pages and learn more about the state of technology and science. No doubt you’ll hear yourself saying two little words as you read: I see.

Don Rodriguez

Editor, TechConnect Magazine

E-mail editor@techconnectmag.com advertising@techconnectmag.com For queries or customer service, call 602-343-8324 or go to techconnectmag.com. For high-quality article reprints, contact The Reprint Dept., 717-481-8500. TechConnect is published by the Arizona Technology Council, One Renaissance Square, 2 N. Central Ave., Suite 750, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

Entire contents copyright 2008, Arizona Technology Council. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Products named in these pages are trade names or trademarks of their respective companies. TechConnect is a trademark of the Arizona Technology Council. All rights reserved. Publication of TechConnect is supported by privatesector businesses, and is not financed by state-appropriated funds.

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Events

March 24 Photo: The University of Arizona

“I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.”

Jay F. Nunamaker Jr. receives last year’s Technology Innovation Award from Leslie Tolbert, UofA’s vice president for research, graduate studies, and economic development.

Sixth Annual Innovation Day

The University of Arizona Student Union, Main Campus, Tucson

Innovation Day at The University of Arizona celebrates technology development and commercialization by highlighting the research achievements of students, staff and faculty. Technology Innovation Awards will be presented at a luncheon to recognize UofA researchers for achievements in translating original ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace. Student awards also are given. For registration and other information, visit www.innovation.arizona.edu/index.html. March 2-3 2009 Western States Health-e Connection Summit & Trade Show Phoenix Convention Center, 100 N. Third St., Phoenix

Higher Degree of Geek. Master of Science in Technology. Experience accelerated and customizable programs that will ignite the vision that burns in your dreams. You’re already in the game. Now, prepare to join technology’s elite. www.uat.edu/graduate or 877.UAT.GEEK 877.828.4335

Summit topics include: regional efforts in HIT and HIE; new CCHIT personal health record certification program; a national health it policy perspective; Medicare’s NEW PHR choice program in Arizona and Utah; and EMR and E-prescribing updates. Trade show highlights include an expanded, stand-alone exhibit hall; more than 40 health care and information technology vendors; and networking with key regional healthcare professionals. For registration and other information, visit www. azhec.org or call (602) 288-5130.

March 6 2009 PDMA Conference: Green Business Models and Technologies SkySong, 1475 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Arizona Technology Council is a proud “Luncheon Sponsor” of this annual event of Product Development and Management Association, which features influential public and private company speakers from around the state who will educate attendees on the benefits of incorporating sustainable business solutions into daily operations and product development. Cost: $50, Students; $99, PDMA members; $149, others. For registration and other information, visit www.aztechcouncil.org.

Advancing Computer Science > Artificial Life Programming > Digital Media Digital Video > Game Art & Animation > Game Design > Game Programming Network Engineering > Network Security > Robotics & Embedded Systems Technology Forensics > Technology Management > Virtual Modeling & Design Web & Social Media Technologies

March 8-11 Drug Development Summit Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa, 300 Wigwam Blvd., Litchfield Park R&D Directions’ sixth annual Drug Development Summit provides a forum for senior-level research-

and-development executives to share insights, compare strategies and make connections with key opinion leaders. Built around the Top 10 Pipelines issue of R&D Directions, the summit provides a strategic approach to tackling R&D’s critical issues in 2009. For registration and other information, visit www.developmentsummit.com.

March 9 Legislative Luncheon State Capitol House & Senate Lawn, 1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Arizona Technology Council invites members to showcase their innovations, technologies and products at the second annual Legislative Luncheon. This is an excellent opportunity to show the Legislature the impact on job and economic output that the technology business community has in our state, and to garner their support for the technology industry. Booth space is $150 ($175 if electricity is required) and includes four tickets to the event; individual tickets can be purchased for $100 each. For registration and other information, visit www.aztechcouncil.org. Sponsorship packages are available.

March 26 KTAR After 5: Presented by i/o Data Centers i/o Data Centers, 8521 E. Princess Drive, Suite 100, Scottsdale The Arizona Technology Council, KTAR 92.3 and i/o Data Centers will host this networking event with food and drinks for a chance to make lasting impressions. i/o Data Centers is a completely integrated data center services firm that designs, builds and operates world-class raised-floor data centers, including data center space, conditioned uninterruptible power, network neutral telecommunications access and internet bandwidth. For registration or other information, visit http://www.iodatacenters.com.

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Fossil-Fuel Free Writing by :: Christopher Di Virgilio

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Close+up : A Collection of Briefings Focusing on Significant Topics Affecting Technology.

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Natural Energy Engine emits no pollution rian Hageman’s latest endeavor might just change how energy is generated. Hageman, president and CEO of Deluge Inc. in Scottsdale, invented the Natural Energy Engine, a thermal hydraulic engine that creates power by using the expansion of heated fluids to move a piston. He boasts that his engine has low or no fuel costs, no internal fuel combustion, and emits no pollution so it has a low carbon footprint. As with many life-altering discoveries, Hageman unintentionally conceived the idea early in his career while performing pipeline pressure tests in Saudi Arabia. As part of an operational certification procedure, Hageman’s job was to test newly installed sections of pipeline for leaks. That required the line to be pressurized and monitored for a set amount of time. Hageman soon discovered that not only were the pressure readings holding, but they were increasing from the heat of the desert sun. Basic physics played a role and Hageman was on the brink of a new technology. “I realized that there was a source of energy that could be put to work,” Hageman says.

Hageman built the first prototype in his garage. The three-cylinder model operated off of his home water heater and he later developed it at the University of Arizona as an independent researcher. Hageman has received patents for his technology in the United States, China, Japan, Mexico and Israel, and patents are pending in 23 other countries. “Receiving these patents was a milestone,” Hageman says. “It was very gratifying to be recognized as an innovator while not yet having earned my college degree.” The Natural Energy Engine operates in a three-step process. Heated water is collected where it enters a heat exchanger. From there, the heat from the water is transferred to the working fluid, typically liquefied CO2 for its high coefficient of expansion. The working fluid expands and pushes a piston in the engine’s cylinder. Cooling water then enters the heat exchanger causing the working fluid to contract and preparing the piston for another revolution. The piston motion is then harnessed to operate a motor or perform other work. Hageman has built and operated Natural Energy Engines ranging from two cylinders to 32 cylinders for varying applications. The transformation

The engine creates power by using the expansion of heated fluids to move a piston.

of power is performed through two chambers in between the pistons. These chambers can compress gas, pressurize water or pump hydraulic fluid through a hydraulic motor to turn a shaft. This is a typical configuration for electric generator applications. Hageman and his team of engineers now are putting the Natural Energy Engine to work in Hawaii. The first of two 250-kW engines are nearing completion

at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) state-owned facility near Kona. The generators will supply electricity to the Kona electric grid. The second unit for this project has just been configured at Deluge’s manufacturing center in Phoenix, and will be shipped to Kona for installation. The two units, each comprised of 16 dual-piston engine cylinders, will receive their heat source from solar thermal collectors constructed by Sopogy Inc. of Hawaii. The Deluge engines will convert that heat to hydraulic pressure, which will drive powerful generators and supply clean electricity for Kona. The cooling for the engines will be accomplished using cold seawater from NELHA’s deep ocean facility. The team of Deluge and Sopogy hope to build solar electric plants around the world. Hageman is excited by the possibilities of his engine. “The engine is essentially a green technology and can be configured to operate without the consumption of fossil fuels,” he says.

Q&A What is the most revolutionary technology to date? “The automobile has to be the best technology of the past century. It provided freedom and a quality of life for an entire population.” What is the one piece of technology that you can’t live without? “I would have to say the Blackberry. This device keeps me informed and connected. I can work from anywhere.” Hageman’s affiliations: • Chairman of the American Environmental Technology Industries Cluster • Board member of the Arizona Association of Industries • Former board member of the Arizona Technology Council • Former committee member of the Sustainable Systems Technology Partnership with the state of Arizona

Close+up

On a screen near you

Writing By :: Heather Lacey

High-definition monitors display ads, other info at grocery and convenience stores

igital out-of-home advertising is a growing trend in major cities nationwide, and now this nontraditional marketing phenomenon has arrived in the Valley. Digital Consumer Solutions Inc. (DCSI) has been installing high-definition video monitors in convenience and grocery stores across the country since January 2008. This out-of-home advertising system targets mobile-media savvy consumers, including the tough-to-crack “Millennial” and “Echo Boomer” age demographics. Programming includes trivia, weather forecasts, public service programming and productspecific shopping tips. Plans also are in the works to team up with local TV news stations for news and traffic broadcasts. Satellitecontrolled programming allows the advertiser customization options based on store location and buyer demographics. DCSI also offers programming content specific to the convenience store and grocery store audiences.

The high-definition, 42-inch, flat-screen LCD display panels can be found perched above checkout stations or above coolers and specialty displays. The installation location is decided by store management, and generally is in the heart of the store where buying decisions are made. Interactive marketing techniques are quickly becoming one of the most effective methods of advertising. DCSI has installed screens in the Fresno, Los Angeles, Portland, and Washington, D.C, markets. DCSI has contracts with more than 600 locations in the Phoenix metro area. Since Jan. 1, 50 screens have been installed in the Valley, with the rest expected to be completed in several months. Installations began in the East Valley, starting with Tempe, Mesa and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport area. Plans are to migrate north into Central Phoenix and the West Valley by the end of the year.

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Do you need to secure venture capital, protect or license intellectual

the optics issue

WE’RE PLUGGED INTO ARIZONA’S TECH SECTOR

Close+up

Teaching the Next Generation New program trains educators to teach science, engineering and technology

Writing by :: Angela Rabago-Mussi

Biosphere 2

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and math.) The non-profit Philecology Foundation, based in Fort Worth, Texas, is matching the grant. In February, the new teacher resource and training center held the first of three weekendlong short courses planned this year. Each short course features a different theme, and a monthlong summer institute also will give teachers hands-on research experience and help them translate it into content for their classes, says Matt Adamson, B2’s senior program coordinator for education and outreach. In 2007, UofA took over management of Biosphere 2 in Oracle for use as a

working laboratory that’s also open to the public. “We are at a Sputnik moment in this field,” Adamson says. “We know we’ve got these challenges that we have to address as a nation and yet we’re hobbled a bit by the fact that we’re not producing enough thinkers in these areas. The need for STEM educators is critical.” Programs will be “teacherdriven and teacher-developed” by a committee of six highly ranked veteran K-12 teachers. Experts from the state universities will make presentations in their fields. Teachers from throughout the state may apply for the programs,

which are free, and include room and board at Biosphere2, professional development hours, and stipends for travel and payments for substitutes while the teachers participate. Each course will accept about 50 teachers; the month-long summer institute will have room for about 150 teachers. A center website will provide STEM teachers with opportunities for networking and mentoring. “This is long overdue,” Adamson says, noting that the STEM center has been well-received by state educators. “It’s an encouraging model for professional development for teachers in the future.”

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he call has come from business leaders, educators, politicians and even the new president: More qualified elementary and high school math and science teachers are needed to develop the next generation of science, engineering and technology professionals. A new institute to help train and support these K-12 teachers may help answer that call. In December, Science Foundation Arizona awarded a three-year, $1.5 million grant to The University of Arizona’s B2 Institute, located at Biosphere 2, to create the Arizona Center for STEM Teachers. (STEM stands for science, technology, engineering

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Close+up

Now’s The Time Economic downturn offers chance to take advantage of R&D tax credits Writing by :: randy crabtree

During lean economic times, manufacturing and other technologyoriented businesses may find themselves with underutilized employees and spare capacity due to falling order volumes and production decreases. This may be the optimal time for businesses to think about putting these assets to work by starting new development or improvement projects so they can emerge stronger and better positioned when the economy does start growing again. And both the federal and Arizona state governments may help with this through benefits of Research and Development tax credits. R&D tax credits are frequently misunderstood, and many companies mistakenly believe that they do not qualify.

However, any business, in any industry, that engages in “qualified activities” can take advantage of the credit. Examples of activities that can both strengthen a business and typically qualify for R&D tax credits include designing or developing automation equipment, improving product quality, experimenting with use of cheaper raw materials or materials that may be easier to process, and increasing production throughput or decreasing labor costs. Basically, this translates into projects that try to do things “better, faster or cheaper.” Whether you are considering product development or process improvement initiatives, you must meet all four of the following criteria to qualify for the credit activities:

+ Permitted Purpose: The project must be intended to be useful in the development of a new or improved business component for the taxpayer. A business component may include a product, process, technique, formula, invention, or software.

+ Process of Experimentation: The project must evaluate one or more alternative solutions through the development, refinement and testing of different options. Further, technical risk must be present, which means that there is a chance the project will not be successful.

+ Technological in Nature: The project must be undertaken for the purpose of discovering information that is technical in nature. Thus, the activity must rely on the principles of physical sciences such as engineering, biology or computer science.

One last important note to keep in mind if you are considering taking advantage of the R&D tax credit, or if you already are taking the credit: Recent court cases have reinforced the importance of properly documenting and supporting any credits claimed. At a minimum, companies should be able to provide documentation that shows projects were qualified and be able to link qualified expenses back to those qualified projects.

+ Elimination of Uncertainty: The project must be intended to eliminate uncertainty related to the development or improvement of a business component. Uncertainty can relate to the components capability, development method or optimal design.

Randy Crabtree, CPA, is a partner with TriMerit, LLC. He has over 20 years of public accounting experience and has focused on the R&D Tax Credit for the past three years. He can be contacted at rcrabtree@tri-merit.net.

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Feature

FOLLOW THE

LEADER

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In Arizona, the future is bright for optics :: by kate nolan

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aybe it’s a no-brainer that the sunniest state in the union should be a leader in optics, an industry based on light. In Arizona, 25,000 people work at 309 optics firms, with 68 percent in and around Tucson and 28 percent in the Phoenix area. Even more optics employees are found in companies related to optics, such as biomedical firms, or in the state’s $9 billion aerospace business, which absorbs optical technology like a sponge. The state’s optics industry has become a global model for growth, having swelled annual revenues from $230 million in 1996 to current estimates of $2.3 billion. Canon, the copier and imaging behemoth, recently committed to a major investment in Tucson that could last for years. Now, as it perches on the cutting edge of U.S. nanotechnology, the Arizona optics industry faces a slackening economy and the recent exit of a governor who routinely championed optics growth. Still, many insiders say the future of optics looks appropriately bright in the state. A major boost to their thinking is Arizona’s renown as the global leader in several key areas: optics research and academics, telescopes, optical engineering software, metrology and stray light analysis. The University of Arizona’s College of Optical Science in Tucson is the acknowledged driver. The world’s largest optics school, it also is widely viewed as the world’s best, according to Battelle, a technology development firm with global reach. The school, tied closely to UofA’s engineering and physics programs, specializes in applied sciences and is credited with developing hundreds of patents, from telescopes to the biosciences. It vies with the University of Rochester and the University of Central Florida for top graduate students, but lands the lion’s share,

says its dean, James C. Wyant, the former president of SPIE, the international society for optics science and next year’s president of the Optical Society of America. Partnering with industry has boosted the school’s productivity, Wyant says. Through its Industrial Affiliates Program, companies pay to share in privileged research knowledge and get an early jump on hiring talented graduate students. “The program is mostly self-supporting. The school’s annual budget is $27 million, but only 13 percent of it comes from the state,” Wyant says. To the north in Tempe, Arizona State University’s engineering program has developed a growing focus on optics with emphasis on fuel cells, solar energy and biomedicine. Industry experts believe academic synergy with industry will secure future growth. The latest hope is a deal between Canon USA Inc. that establishes a researchand-development center at the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park, already the address for General Dynamics, IBM and Raytheon projects. The deal sets up a research collaboration between Canon and the College of Optical Sciences and represents several million dollars each from Canon and the university. “They searched for a partner around the world and selected us,” Wyant says, predicting the deal will continue for another 20 years. Wyant discloses that the Canon project has attracted an unnamed Japanese company

that is negotiating a similar agreement. The research agreements will give the firms the right to license the patents and take new products to market, a link to success that has not yet been adequately provided, says Bob Breault, chairman of Breault Research Organization and co-chair and founder of the Arizona Optics Industry Association, or AOIA.

The optics cluster Breault often is credited with launching Arizona’s global reputation as an optics capital because of his dogged outreach in the state and around the world. In the past year alone Breault traveled to five continents – twice for each. He says Arizona’s standing already was obvious when he established the state optics group in 1992. Perhaps ironically, it wasn’t the sunny days but the starry nights that did the trick. Because of its clear, arid skies, Arizona long had been a magnet for astronomers, and an optical instruments industry arose around UofA’s observatories. But famed Arizona astronomer Aden Meinel, who created Kitt Peak Observatory, saw the need for an optics program. Sensing mutual interests, he approached the U.S. Air Force, which in 1964 provided teachers and funds establishing UofA’s Optical Sciences Center, home of the college formed almost four years ago. The center now probes far beyond telescopes, delving deeply into photons, the electromagnetic particles that define light. Breault, a former Air Force pilot who earned

Industry experts believe academic synergy with industry will secure future growth.

A UofA optical sciences student works in a lab.

patrons. Korea may want to build an entire Arizona hotel after Breault’s help in reversing a losing investment. Koreans had laid out $400 million in laboratories and buildings with little to show for it. In 20042008, a program by Breault brought together scientists, investors and fledgling companies, and now Korea boasts 297 small firms. Breault says smaller companies are the backbone of Arizona’s wealth, too. They are more facile and can change with rapidly evolving technology. “We need the Raytheons, but small companies can be crazy enough to do things a manager at a big company can’t risk doing,” he says.

Looking ahead For the future, Breault predicts more “nose-to-nose sweat equity,” dealing with the economic turndown, cuts to university budgets and trying to maintain networks the industry has created with government and funding angels. Sony for the first time suffered huge losses in the past year. But individuals familiar with the consumer electronics industry, a huge client base for optics technology,

say research and development money will continue to be spent to keep companies competitive when the economy comes back. A strong voice for optics left the state recently when Gov. Janet Napolitano was named secretary of Homeland Security in the new Obama administration. “It will hurt from the educational point of view. That lady stood her ground,” Breault says. But he suggests that her new job may help Arizona’s optics firms, which produce much of the technology that could be used to police the border remotely. “She knows what is needed. She won’t be supporting any 17-foot wall,” he says. UofA’s Wyant intends to respond to state budget cuts by increasing his school’s revenue, rather than cutting activities. “We are in an area where we can do that. It’s working,” he says. He also sees support from another Obama cabinet appointee, Steven Chu, the Berkeley Nobelist who was named energy secretary. “He’s an optics guy. Half the faculty here knows him. His voice will help us in many ways,” Wyant says. “He knows what we’re doing.”

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a doctorate in optical sciences at UofA, started AOIA in 1992, as the state tried to generate economic development in technology. Actually, the state had identified eight technology areas, but had omitted optics. Breault and others had the industry added to the master plan and went to work starting an optics “cluster,” a group of companies, scientists and investors with mutual interests. AOIA is the organizational tool, with other tiers involving educational outreach and economic development, which includes governments as well as “Desert Angels,” a group of financiers. Since then, the industry has grown tenfold financially, but success hasn’t been because of cash outlays by AOIA. “We grew the industry on $10,000 a year. Nobody’s ever been paid. The budget covers monthly meetings and some marketing and networking,” Breault says. He credits the success to brainstorming as equals and demanding results. One result has been increased communication and networking among the small and mediumsized companies that form the base of the membership. By partnering, they have grown faster. Now Arizona is exporting its cluster strategy. An optics center in Wales created an Arizona Suite to honor its American

the optics issue

Poul Jessen, a UofA professor of optical sciences, shoots a video during a test.

Feature

More Than

Fiber

Arizona’s optics industry plays a key role in industry, everyday lives :: by kate nolan

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s co-chair of the Arizona Optics Industry Association, Suzanne Gerdes spent the past 12 years bringing the state’s optics companies together. Her efforts have borne fruit: the Tucson-based group’s membership has soared from 72 to more than 350. Even so, optics remains something of an industrial secret in Arizona. “People think of fiber optics or of optical lenses. Other than that, the optics industry is not that well known. It’s because we take so much for granted,” says Gerdes, who also is president of Optical Electronics Inc. in Tucson. She’s probably right. Optical technology plays a role in many of the products people benefit from every day, such as communications equipment, automobile lights, lasers, protective paint coatings and even CDs and DVDs. Yet, ironically, most optical technology isn’t seen. In general, optics involves using light to solve problems. More specifically, that means manipulating electromagnetic radiation in various ways, whether through lenses or electricity. Optical technologies are used widely in medicine and aerospace applications, in addition to their numerous but seemingly invisible consumer uses. Visible or not, optics companies account for more than one percent of Arizona’s business revenues, according to a study by the University of Arizona. And that study doesn’t even count considerable earnings from U.S. military and aerospace contracts. Already a world leader in several optical technologies, Arizona has hit critical mass in many more. Here’s a roundup of what’s going on in optics.

Key Arizona optics technologies: Fiber optics

It’s what connects us to the world through communications electronics and data transmission. Litton Electro-Optical Systems in Tempe is an industry leader with about 500 employees, but the state boasts many up and comers, too.

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Microscopes and telescopes

These are the lenses that launched Arizona’s leadership in optics. Long known to astronomers as an optimal site for star-gazing, Arizona established University of Arizona’s Optical Sciences Center in 1964 with funds from the U.S. Air Force. Back then, it took many years to grind the parabolic mirrors used in telescopes, but the optics center scientists revolutionized the process. Now, improved mirrors are made in about one-fifth the time. Commercial companies in the state, such as Composite Mirror Co., make lightweight

mirrors that are used in space. In 2008, a camera developed by a University of Arizona-led team for the Hubble Space Telescope produced the first sharp infrared picture of the center of the Milky Way.

Semiconductors

Optics products are essential to produce semiconductors, the silicon components that provide memory, logic and other intelligence functions in modern electronics. They are created in silicon layers, and optics technology involves etching the layers with information via lasers and creating 3-D patterns. Optical processes also are used to test the products.

Biomedical applications

In addition to laser tools for surgery, other optical products use light to identify specific cells and the presence of contamination or other cell changes.

Metrology instrumentation

Here, light is used to measure industrial processes, including those used in making semiconductors. Metrology also is used in most manufacturing processes that involve high-tech coatings. It is applied, for example, to ensure that DVD and CD discs meet the specs to accurately record information.

High-volume plastic optics

Low-cost, throw-away cameras have become ubiquitous at weddings and graduation parties. Inside each one is a throw-away lens that meets rigorous quality demands. According to industry experts, Arizona produces millions of the plastic lenses daily. Other plastic optics produced in the state include cell phone camera lenses and covers.

Modeling software

Arizona is the world industry leader in optical software design. The broad area involves everything from microscope and telescope design to the design of virtually every light on a car, from high beams to tail lights, and includes dashboard lights. Optical engineers can use design for optimal reflection or decreasing stray light.

Optics research

Arizona optics research leads the world, especially through programs at its universities. Scientists at the University of Arizonaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College of Optical Sciences are studying light in virtually every field of science and modern industry. Arizonans already produce the best telescopes in the world and are poised to revolutionize solar power. Arizona State Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Engineering Research Center has an optics research group that focuses on developing optical refrigeration, optical communications and applications for optics in chemistry and medicine.

Positioning equipment

This technology makes possible precision processes such as automated manufacturing and the targeting of X-ray beams. It provides the crosshairs of light a radiologist uses to direct an X-ray machine or therapeutic device to hit just the right tissue. It also is used to guide machinery that cuts metal or other substances.

Photonics and opto-electronics

This is a significant area, involving 41 Arizona companies. According to one industry group, taken together these companies have estimated annual sales of $48 million and employ an estimated 600 people. Photonics involves harnessing photons, the basic units of electromagnetism. Optoelectronics usually focuses on the electronic devices that create, detect and control light. It generally is considered a sub-field of photonics. The light involved here usually includes invisible types of radiation such as gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet and infrared, in addition to visible light. Opto-electronic devices use electricity, rather than lenses, to harness light. The term electro-optics sometimes is used interchangeably in error, but in fact refers to a branch of physics that deals with all interactions between light and electric fields, whether or not they form part of an electronic device. Optoelectronics is limited to the quantum mechanical effects of light on semiconducting. A big Arizona winner is Tucsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SpectraPhysics Semiconductor Lasers, which makes semiconductor laser technology for offset printing and medical applications worldwide. Applied Photonics Inc. of Scottsdale develops innovations for flat-panel displays and semiconductors; NP Photonics of Tucson is developing new kinds of fiber-optic lasers; and Universal Photonics in Tucson is a world leader in surfacing and polishing technology for lenses and other surfaces.

Solar collection and conversion

Scientists at UofA and ASU are using optics to concentrate solar energy, to make solar collection more efficient. Applying optics to solar power is a growth industry here, with new firms and products popping up regularly. Global Solar of Tucson, for example, developed a blanket solar collector that can be used in remote areas or by the military to recharge cell phones.

Image processing

This broad area can include imaging the 3-D graphics used in a CAT scan, analyzing Mars reconnaissance images or developing technology for copy machines.

Thin film coatings

Coatings have wide use, from window screens that block ultraviolet light to rear-view mirrors that automatically dim when bright light hits them. Coatings on the metal that cars are made of make them last longer. Arizona manufacturers produce all these products.

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Arizona talent will be king—or queen, if you’d rather—in the 21st century

Writing By :: Gov. Jan brewer

t’s amazing when you stop and consider the breadth of technological advances we’ve witnessed in our state. From biotechnology to nanotechnology, the pace of innovative discoveries seems to be going faster and faster. These are key reasons that in my recent inaugural address I said Arizona talent will be king—or queen, if you’d rather—in the 21st century. Our state offers a high-quality workforce. Already, global business leaders are recognizing Arizona as a prime location for their facilities and workers. To become even stronger and more competitive, we must continue to support the research and development necessary to meet the demands of technology and science. As you’ll discover in this issue of TechConnect, Arizona’s optics industry is especially strong. In this era of our watching the bottom line even closer, it has provided an exceptional return on investment. The industry is world-renowned, with more than 200 optics companies in our state. It also impacts other sectors as large as aerospace and as small as entrepreneurial start-ups.

As consumers, we already enjoy its benefits. In healthcare, medical imaging and laser surgery are made possible—and saving lives— with optics designed and manufactured in Arizona. At home, new creations in digital displays keep us entertained. Much of the talent that makes all of this possible is found in southern Arizona and Tucson, which often is referred to as “Optics Valley” due to its high concentration of opticsrelated companies and the research strength of The University of Arizona. In fact, the UofA’s College of Optical Sciences is ranked No. 1 in the United States. You’ll find many of its graduates working as leaders in the optics industry around the world. The future of optics—from eyeglasses to telescopes to laser systems—is redefined daily with engineering and software developed in Arizona. This no doubt will lead to successes that will greatly impact local economies through creation of top-quality, high-wage jobs as well as expanding tax bases for cities, counties and the state. Join me in keeping an eye on an industry that should continue to be a shining star in Arizona for years to come.

+ Get Connected www.azgoverner.org

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People in optics throughout the world now know of Arizona

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– James C. Wyant, dean of the University of Arizona’s optics program.

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Embracing the Light

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Bob Breault is synonymous with the optics industry

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writing by :: Kate Nolan

ob Breault saw the light in the mid-1970s. That’s when, as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, he applied to The University of Arizona’s graduate astronomy program in Tucson and discovered that optics, the science of light, was where that decade’s proverbial “action” really was. “Then, most people, including me, didn’t know what optics meant,” says Breault, whose name has since become synonymous with the optics industry in Arizona. Breault couldn’t get into the crowded world-class astronomy program but was invited to enter the university’s new optics program. He got the word one day at 9 a.m., did a quick study on the emerging new field, and by 3 p.m., the Yale math major said, “Optical Science Center, here I come,” Breault recalls. The idea of designing telescopes, instead of looking through them, instantly hit Breault’s sweet spot and launched him into a career orbit that sent him around the

world many times and sent his theoretical work into space. Since earning his doctorate in 1979, Breault has become a recognized world expert in the area of stray light analysis and suppression. In manufacturing, the work of his Tucson firm, the Breault Research Organization, has influenced the makers of coated surfaces, paints, glass and mirrored surfaces all over the world. But it is his work as a statewide cheerleader and organizer that may be his most significant legacy--at least in Arizona. “People in optics throughout the world now know of Arizona. Arizona people are always among the leaders of the major industry groups,” says James C. Wyant, dean of UofA’s optics program, assessing the state’s current reach in the field. History links those results to Breault’s creation of the Arizona Optics Industry Association in 1992 after the state started an initiative to grow a technology economy. By 2006, the number of Arizona optics firms had grown from 112 to 309.

Breault credits the growth to Robert Gonzales, of the Greater Tucson Economic Council, for his ability to get disparate groups to work together. “We started these foundations – the rudiments are still there,” Breault says. He cites the strong interest of the state, using an analogy of a goldfish bowl: If a goldfish gets out of the bowl it dies; but if the state creates a bowl, the small fish can thrive and grow. Building an investor base also has been key. “The first stage is friends, families and fools. Then come the Desert Angels,” Breault says, describing a network that meets monthly to review funding proposals. And finally come the venture capitalists, such as Tucson’s Solstice Venture Capital, something of an angel to the state’s optics startups. Now, Breault’s organizational expertise is being tapped globally. He has been directly involved in starting 26 similar optics clusters around the world and has been involved in even more to a lesser degree. The World Bank has provided a stamp of approval, having adopted the Arizona model as a template for development around the world. Breault enjoys the acclaim, but his pride explodes when he describes the young doctoral candidates and researchers around the world whose careers he has augmented. “Imagine that,” he says of a young woman whose interest in technology began with a used computer and led her to be one of Europe’s leading optical science experts.

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The First Graduate Story behind today’s College of Optical Sciences was life-changing for one man and one nation writing by :: jim mayo

onslaughts of 1967 and 1968. This in and of itself posed logistical problems since at that time there were no Optical Sciences Center buildings! It was one of the most exciting times of my life.

New Direction A small problem arose when I arrived at UofA in May 1967: The Center was not offering any summer courses in optics that year. I elected to take two graduate math courses that summer since I thought a good math background would be helpful as I entered the graduate optics course world. As the semester wound down in May 1968, I was searching feverishly for a Ph.D dissertation topic and hoped to begin my research and final topic selection that summer. The wheels were turning, however, on a series of events that would change all that in a hurry. I was still studying for spring finals when the call came in—a call that would change my plans, and to a great extent, my life forever. It was Meinel and he asked if I had plans for lunch. There was someone who wanted to talk to me and there was some urgency. This individual was f lying in from Los Angeles and he would be landing at Davis Monthan Air Force Base. Three USAF officers exited the plane. “Let’s have lunch at the club, Jim,” Col. Lew Allen Jr. said.

the optics issue

and organizational ability far beyond anything I had ever imagined. “Sir,” I said, “one of our pivotal issues here is how many Air Force students would you be willing to accept each year over the near term? How many can the Center in its early embryonic state handle”? Meinel’s answer was simple and spoke to his brilliance and management responsiveness. He replied, “Jim, we will accept as many as you can qualify.” That was exactly what the Air Force and AFIT wanted to hear. Lilly and I thanked Meinel, and the AFIT began its rapid response to the University of Arizona to include the infant Optical Sciences Center as officially approved under the AFIT Civilian Institutions Division for graduate study in optics for qualified Air Force students. Qualification requirements were in place within weeks and I was included in the list of the first formally qualified military attendees in early 1967. Ralph Zirkind of the Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency had suggested that the University of Arizona set up a special center for optics education. Strong support from the University of Arizona Foundation was an additional bonus. I was given the job of coordinating much of the behind-thescenes activity on the military side in 1966 and 1967 as the Center continued to build up its faculty and prepare for the student

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he document was on my desk at the Optics Lab of the Wright Patterson campus of Ohio State University, and it changed my life and the lives of hundreds and thousands of others forever. It was a copy of Aden Meinel’s “Proposal to Establish an Optical Sciences Center at the University of Arizona.” I knew who Meinel was. I knew of his international reputation in astronomy and atmospheric sciences, of his ground-breaking technical work and leadership positions at McDonald Observatory in Texas and Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, but we had never met nor talked. I sprinted down the hill to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) to the office of Harold Lilly, who was point man for our Optics Education Initiative. “I’ve got to talk to Dr. Meinel,” I excitedly told him. “I’ve reviewed his proposal to establish an Optical Sciences Center at the University of Arizona and it’s exactly what we need. Can we call him now?” “I suppose so,” Hal said. In a minute or two Aden was on the phone with Lilly and me. I was almost, but not quite, speechless. When I introduced myself I was amazed that he had heard of me, knew my name, and was well aware of our optics education dilemma. We chatted for a few minutes and I quickly realized that I was speaking with a man of true scientific genius, prodigious energy,

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It was one of the most exciting times of my life

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At the end of the lunch he sprang it on me. “Jim,” he said, “we have a job for you and it’s an opportunity of a lifetime. We need you and your considerable optics expertise desperately, and we need it now.” “But, sir,” I responded, “I won’t be out of here until June 1969, that’s over a year from now, and I’m even planning on formalizing my agreement with AFIT to extend to January 1970 to see if I can meet all the Ph.D requirements by then.” “I understand how you feel, Jim, but this is important on a national level. If you agree to report to Los Angeles by this September, I promise you the job and opportunity of a lifetime .... You will never regret your decision to join us.” I was accustomed to 12-15 hour workdays, but those would be nothing compared to what lay ahead. Luckily, I had already amassed enough course credits for a master’s degree ... It would all come down to the thesis. I had an idea how to do it, but it would require a minimum of two weeks back at my old optics lab at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. I needed to measure, test and reevaluate a series of reconnaissance lenses I had initially tested there back a few years earlier. I was about to enter the whirlwind that wouldn’t stop for an instant for the next three months.

Big Job, Little Time I walked into Building 622 at Wright Patterson two weeks later to find everyone there well aware of the urgency of my mission. The optical benches, test collimators, photographic processing labs, lenses, microscopes, film stores were

all available to me 24 hours a day and I wasted no time diving into my work. It was one of the most intense two weeks of my life, but it worked. By late June I had the data I needed. I might never have made it if the Center had not decided to publish my thesis as an OSC Technical Report. I also received my official military orders to report to Space and Missiles Systems Organization in Los Angeles in September. There was no turning back now. As August rolled around, we were coming down to the wire. I was exhausted and nervous when I reported for my orals. Some of the greatest and most highly esteemed pillars of American optics were there to quiz me and discuss my thesis and explore what I really knew about optics. I answered every question and explained every facet of my thesis to this illustrious team and all were satisfied—all that is, but one. Roland Shack thought that I should have tied my photographic resolution and image evaluation results and conclusions into a more expanded discussion of modulation transfer functions. Meinel and my advisor, Phil Slater, said that would be nice, but was not essential to my thesis. Finally, Meinel said, “Look, Roland, I’ll ask Jim to include a figure in his thesis tying his resolving power and image modulation contrast relationships and experimental results into an MTF and aerial image modulation (AIM) curve and that should suffice.” Shack agreed. Now I had to go home and figure out a way to do that overnight since I was at my submission deadline.

I did a few calculations, drew some curves on a sheet of paper, and came up with a single graph that seemed to me to explain the relationships adequately. I ran a copy by Shack the next day and he said, “OK.” I could tell by his tone that he would have liked additional discussion, but I had met the requirement given to me by Meinel and everyone else was satisfied. There was only one problem: I had to insert this new figure into the thesis which was not a trivial task in the preword processor world. I hand-drafted the curves, inserted them into the thesis, did the necessary rewording, and rushed off to the University to accomplish formal submittal. Three o’clock was the deadline and for a few minutes I thought I was going to miss it. I literally ran all the way from the parking area at full speed and burst into the submission room totally out of breath, almost unable to speak. A woman looked at her watch and the clock on the wall and said, “Well, Mr. Mayo, you cut it pretty close, didn’t you?” I could only shake my head blindly in agreement since I was too out of breath to speak. She got up, walked over to the door and locked it. Within seconds, someone was pounding at the door to be let in with a thesis in hand. “Come back next semester,” she said emotionlessly through the closed door. The pounding persisted along with a few unprintable epithets, but she would not open the door. It was that close. It was August 1968 and I had just become the Optical Sciences Center’s first graduate.

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Fathoming Flexibility

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W riting By :: Gremly n Bradley-Waddell

ASU center’s research and development is key to advent of affordable flexible, full-color portable displays magine a paper-less newspaper made from a thin plastic film so compact and pliable that you can roll it up and stash it in your blazer or Kate Spade bag. Or how about a rugged laptop-like computer – one flexible and lightweight enough to wear around one’s forearm – that the military can give its soldiers, providing them with real-time information in the field, such as the location of the enemy. Sound like far-fetched ideas, right? They’re not. In fact, such concepts are closer to reality than you might imagine. Along with the preponderance of glass screens on everything from computers to cell phones have come folks interested in finding ways to make those displays more portable, cheaper and convenient for all kinds of applications. And so it is that flexible, full-color displays are being touted as the shape of things to

come, thanks in great part to research and development taking place at the Flexible Display Center at Arizona State University. Indeed, the subject of flexible displays made Wired magazine’s “Top Ten Technology Breakthroughs of 2008” and the center was highlighted in an article in the Jan. 24-30 edition of The Economist. And as far as center director Nick Colaneri, can tell, the shape of things to come is coming pretty soon. He estimates that commercial-grade products could be in consumers’ hands in short order. “The market forces,” he says, “suggest three to five years.” Trying to speed commercialization This past December, the center and technology giant HP reported achieving a milestone: creation of a flexible display prototype that’s not just unbreakable, it’s affordable. Flexible displays – also known as OLEDs, or organic light-emitting diodes

– were printed on a DuPont-manufactured plastic film. Colaneri says it sounds simple, but it wasn’t. Without getting into too much of the technical process, he says researchers had to figure out how to handle the plastic substrate and adapt some of the processes to make them more gentle. That meant, in part, creating a step in which something akin to a Post-It note, with a custom-made glue, is applied to the plastic. All this and more is taking place in the ASU Research Park in south Tempe, where the FDC’s 250,000-square-foot headquarters is located. It’s the only such center in the country dedicated to the development of flexible display manufacturing, according to Colaneri, and staffs about 35 employees including engineers, technicians and professors. The building, constructed initially for Motorola’s flat-panel display R&D, features just more than 43,000 square feet of clean room space, as well as wet and dry laboratory space. The U.S. Army has funded the FDC since it was launched in 2004, and its interest in the center is fairly straightforward. “We’re trying to speed commercialization of the technology so we can buy it and give it to the solider,” says David Morton, of the Maryland-based U.S. Army Research Laboratory. He also serves as the Army’s program manager at the FDC, along with deputy program manager Eric Forsythe, also of the Army research lab. Of course, the main idea is that everybody – commercial, military and industrial interests – can benefit from the FDC’s research, Colaneri adds. ASU entered into a five-year cooperative agreement with the Army upon being selected as the winner of a year-long national competition, Morton says. The Army contributed $43.7 million at the start and, in late January, renewed its contract with ASU for another five years – plus an additional $50 million. That brings the military’s investment to almost $100 million. The center also has roughly two dozen other academic and industrial partners, including HP, General Dynamics, Boeing and California-based AKT America Inc., which Morton calls “a key partner” because it’s the largest maker of display-manufacturing tools in the world. “It’s a new model for academic and industrial collaboration,” Colaneri says of the FDC’s makeup. Noting that graduate students also get real-world experience by working at the center, he adds, “It also provides a unique educational environment.”

Of war… and washing Although Morton says there is no Army presence at the FDC on a daily basis, he says he visits the center every other week or so and takes part in monthly management-level meetings. As evidenced by their continued financial backing, Army officials like what they’re seeing at the FDC and Morton is no exception. Thus far, he says, the Army hopes to get an armband-like communications device, somewhat like the radio armbands worn by professional football players, out of the research. A soldier’s device would be similar, with a few important requirements. “It doesn’t use any power, it doesn’t break and it doesn’t cost much, so we can give it to every soldier,” Morton says. The hope is also that flexible displays won’t just be for use by foot soldiers but will be integrated into vehicles and used in mobile command centers. At least for now, the technology will not be embedded in the clothing, Morton says. Although there are minds at work, trying to figure out how to create a military-grade flexible display that can be worn on or inside one’s clothing presents a whole range of new challenges. “You have to wash clothes, and that’s

actually more harsh than the military environment,” he says. ‘You have to be flexible’ Many industry forecasters think flexible displays may not only revolutionize the way military combat is waged, they think it might change the way the flagging newspaper and magazine industries operate. The Sony Reader and Amazon’s Kindle are already on the market and have introduced the public at large to downloading books and other publications. Other similar devices are on their way to the market. Many of those in the know believe that a flexible display newspaper – one that feels perhaps more paper-like than a plastic-encased, glass-display reader that can be bulky and breakable – is on the horizon. Colaneri says he wouldn’t be surprised if it happened within the next five years. Nicholas K. Sheridon also wouldn’t be surprised by such a technological breakthrough. Considered by many to be the “father of e-paper,” he essentially invented a computer display designed to look like ink on paper some 37 years ago while working at Xerox Corp. in Palo Alto, Calif.

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“I was trying to come up with a display that would look good in a well-lit room,” explains the Los Altos, Calif., inventor and physicist who now runs his own consulting firm. He came up with an invention called Gyricon, but shortly thereafter was asked to return to working on printers. Many years later, in 1989, he says, he returned to working on displays when he realized there was going to be a big future need for e-paper. Now, he and many others working on the next generation of displays see color as the next big obstacle. “Right now, paper is basically one color; it’s monochrome, black and white or blue and white. But there’s a need for developing high-quality color,” Sheridon says. “That’s what’s next.” Colaneri, who says he’s been involved for two decades with moving technology from early-stage laboratory experiments to the commercial marketplace, surely would agree. But he also says that if there’s one thing he’s learned, it’s that the marketplace is always full of surprises. “You have to be prepared to be flexible,” Colaneri says. No pun intended.

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ScienceFoundation ::

A Path Must Be Chosen Current state of the economy requires new approaches to be competitive W riting By :: W illiam C. H arris

ne of my favorite philosophers, Yogi Berra, may have said it best: “When you come to a fork in the road…take it.” I believe we are at a fork in the road in this nation — that we are in more trouble than we want to admit and are inclined to simply hope that things will get better than to make the tough choices to change the situation. But hope is neither a plan nor a formula for a better future. Actions must be taken. A door of opportunity must open to help spur serious commitment to making smart and strategic research investments to promote and continue economic growth. Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) is one such catalyst of that opportunity in our state. SFAz focuses on competence and performance with clearly articulated goals creating a foundation for economic stimulus and success by pursuing wise, long-term and strategic policies. The process in America today is more ad hoc, with decisions at the state and federal levels geared to finding quick fixes for the budget crisis of the moment. The federal actions in late 2008 seem merely an exaggerated symptom of a problem that has entrenched itself among American leadership. Given the current policy climate, it is easy to forget that the United States has led the world in research and education for a long time. In the first decade of the 20th century, we had mandatory education through high school to support growth and cultivate the talent that industry needed. We had the GI Bill, we created the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and many other strategic tools after World War II and pre-Sputnik. Yet, despite such successes – borne out of sound government policies – we have stood by while our educated technical workforce declines. This may require U.S. companies to move research and development and manufacturing offshore to find the talent needed. Unfortunately, the same ad hoc approach to policy and strategic investment that seems to define federal actions is also evident in our states.

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While national security remains a critical federal research and development responsibility, it may be time to encourage or create appropriate incentives so state governments can begin a serious focus on R&D to enable the needed knowledge-based component of our economy to enhance our economic security. A strategic R&D focus at the state level will create an economic competitive advantage for existing and new industries and ensure greater benefit from the federal R&D investments now in our universities. The federal government has the prime responsibility for basic research and is the main beneficiary of its results. But in areas of sustainability, education, aerospace, biosciences and agriculture, some states – such as Texas, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and yes, Arizona – find it beneficial to invest state tax dollars in strategic areas of knowledge generation. In Arizona, for example, it is solar and wind energy, sustainable mining, personalized medicine, new materials and software related to our computer chip and aerospace sectors. Such investments, moreover, complement the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Defense and other federal R&D investments in Arizona. Science Foundation Arizona links discovery and is creating advantages for Arizona. The need for a more diverse economy in Arizona was central to the creation of Science Foundation Arizona. Arizona’s business and key legislative leaders wanted to demonstrate value-add from a new model — a novel 501(c)(3) entity to ensure Arizona’s ability to compete globally. Business leaders throughout the state are paying the operating costs, given the importance of SFAz to economic diversification. What best practices can Science Foundation Arizona implement to help spur innovation and economic development? This list establishes the essential framework: + Invest strategically in industryuniversity partnerships. The foundation must pursue projects that will create a competitive advantage for the state.

Researcher Trevor Thorton displays a new generation of silicon for advanced communications. The innovation has led to the spinoff company SJT Micropower.

+ Operate with speed and flexibility. The pace of competition requires that the foundation work far more quickly and opportunistically for Arizona. + Shape new federal-state partnerships. The impact of every dollar must be maximized, and the foundation stands at a special juncture between the two entities to catalyze innovation by bringing talent and resources from both together. + Be business friendly. To be a truly collaborative force, the foundation must listen to business and help make Arizona the country’s most technology-friendly state. + Focus on exceptional standards for K-12 education. The foundation must keep dialogue and pressure on the fact that proficient is no longer sufficient; world-class must become the standard. The days when the United States possessed a clear and present competitive advantage are over. Many of our global competitors have learned our old game and are now playing it better than we are. Perhaps current economic conditions create the kinds of pressures necessary to inspire new approaches, including state-level R&D entities that can operate as strategic arms of our national enterprise. I am encouraged that the leadership of Arizona sees the 21st century as the “endless frontier.” This vast landscape promises enormous opportunities for exploration and fresh design. But it will require bold experiments at every level if we are to expand our horizons and gain ground. We are at a fork in the road, and we should take it. William C. Harris is president and CEO of Science Foundation Arizona.

Qiang Hu inspects algae samples.

ScienceFoundation ::

W riting By :: Terry Koch

wo ASU professors who seek to replace petroleum-based jet fuel with algae have won $1.5 million from Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) to further their research. Qiang Hu and Milton Sommerfeld also got a matching $1.5 million grant from private equity investor Heliae Development LLC, which has partnered in the fuel project to use the abundant and environmentally sustainable algae. The project is dubbed Algae-to-Fuel and Hu and Sommerfeld, who co-direct

The benefit of algae is clear as there is no carbon emission and zero environmental footprint. - William C. Harris, Science Foundation Arizona president and CEO

ASU’s Laboratory for Algae Research and Biotechnology, see great opportunity in the green substance. Last fall, Time magazine recognized the pair’s research as No. 11 on their Top 50 list of Best Inventions in 2008. Jet fuel made from petroleum is used exclusively for airplanes, while other forms of alternative energy, including natural gas or electricity are not viable substitutes for planes. The two professors are working to further develop an algae-derived kerosene jet fuel that can propel planes as cheaply as possible. This is the second year SFAz has funded Hu and Sommerfeld, who also have employed algae in the production of commercially viable food-based pigments. SFAz, established in 2006 as a nonprofit, private/ public partnership, helps strengthen the state’s research infrastructure to spur new technology-sector growth. In the past year, the organization has made 59 grants and attracted $43.8 million in outside capital to Arizona. “Estimates show that fossil fuels are likely to run out in less than 40 years,” says Hu. “While conversion of algae to fuel is proven, the end-to-end process to create the energy as an affordable commodity utilizing cost-effective process technologies requires further innovation that we are pursuing with the SFAz grant.” “The benefit of algae is clear as there is

the optics issue

ASU professors win Science Foundation of Arizona award for algae-to-jet fuel technology

no carbon emission and zero environmental footprint,” adds William C. Harris, SFAz president and CEO. “We are supporting the scalable production process phase of this research to bring a commodity to market to benefit Arizona. Time magazine’s endorsement of the research shows others recognize the importance of this work.” Hu and Sommerfeld both have been involved with algae for more than 20 years. Turning green goo to green crude has not been easy. They have had to select from the more than 65,000 strains of algae to experiment extensively with a few hundred whose oil content was favorable and compatible for jet fuel. The research lab where they harvest multiple strains of algae is a kaleidoscope of color with batches of green and multicolored algae. The laboratory’s research activities in biofuels have attracted the interest and collaboration of numerous national and international companies and laboratories. While other entities worldwide are pursuing this market, Gary B. Greenburg, SFAz scientific program officer, says the pair’s research is some of the most advanced. “They address every major aspect of algae fuel production as a multidisciplinary effort – from algae selection to oil and chemical engineering to supply chain management,” Greenburg says. Both the SFAz grant and the Time magazine recognition come at time when President Obama is emphasizing the country’s need to move toward energy independence. Hu and Sommerfeld believe their years of research finally may pay off as green algae turns green crude to gold.

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Green Gold

Milton Sommerfeld in his research lab.

Eustace L. Dereniak is a professor of optical sciences.

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ptics is an enabling technology, embedded in thousands of different applications. The field of optics also continues to expand with applications in the fields of biotechnology, advanced materials and nanotechnology. Long known as “Optics Valley,” Tucson and Southern Arizona have been widely recognized as a leading region for optical sciences. This welldeserved reputation is in large part founded on the presence of the one of the world’s leading centers for research and training in optical sciences: The University of Arizona’s College of Optical Sciences. Optics is no longer a field just for telescopes and microscopes; it is a vital component of our daily lives. As documented by a recent study released by the UofA on behalf of the Arizona Optics Industry Association and Arizona Nanotechnology Cluster, the optics/nanotechnology industry cluster includes more than 100 companies statewide directly employing more than 25,000 workers. Annual industry revenues in 2007 exceeded $2 billion. The UofA Optical Sciences Center opened in 1964 with financial support from The University of Arizona Foundation. Its birth was championed by renowned scientist and astronomer Aden Meinel along with the backing of the Air Force Institute of Technology and the Optical Society of America.The center was created to address a critical shortage of trained optical scientists in the United States. The new center opened in rented space on the University of Arizona campus with a promise of future research contracts from the U.S. Air Force.

Worldwide Impact Today, the College of Optical Sciences

is regarded as a national leader in optics education. Graduates populate university faculties and industry research laboratories around the world. The College has grown to become the largest optical science program in the United States, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in optical science and engineering. Also, students can earn a professional graduate certificate and a business/optics master’s degree from the Eller College of Management. A distance learning program helps those already working in the industry. The research that takes place in the College is highly interdisciplinary. Nearly every faculty members holds a joint appointment in other departments across the UofA such as physics, astronomy, engineering and medicine. Research includes fields as diverse as fiber optics, lasers, advanced materials, medical optics, optical data storage, optoelectronics devices, remote sensing, telecommunications, and thin films. The Technology Research and Initiative Fund (TRIF) has allowed the College to stay at the forefront of optical sciences education and research. The fund was created after Arizona voters in 2000 passed Proposition 301, which increased the state sales tax to support education and technology development. In turn, the tax increase supports the TRIF at the three state universities. It also has led to the spin-off of several new companies using College developed technology. Partner With Canon USA From its beginning, the College has developed and maintained close relations with business and industry. Through it industrial affiliates program, more than 40 companies have

Eye Opening College of Optical Sciences at the heart of field’s education and evolution W riting by :: Bruce A. W right and molly gilbert

access to leading-edge technology and are introduced to soon-to-be College graduates. One of the latest is Canon USA, Inc., which is a partner in $3 million joint research collaboration announced in September. Phase One of the project is expected to take 18 to 24 months and encompass a variety of leading optical technologies ranging from optical materials and measurement to medical applications. This phase will involve nine proposed projects of which five are “major” projects. Fifteen leading UofA optical sciences faculty members and 15 graduate students will work on the project. In addition to the research, Canon USA entered into a lease for office and laboratory space at The University of Arizona Science and Technology Park. The partnership with Canon USA underscores the power of joint industryuniversity research and technology commercialization. These projects provide new research opportunities for faculty and students; inject new technologies and products into the marketplace; provide high-quality, high paying jobs for Arizonans; and expand our state’s high-tech economy. Such benefits clearly demonstrate the critical role universities and research parks play in the economic development of a region. These economic benefits are the direct result of the foundation laid by the UofA College of Optical Science. Bruce A. Wright is associate vice president for economic development and Molly Gilbert is assistant director of the Office of Economic Development at The University of Arizona.

Bucking tradition ASU researcher is working on an innovative solar cell that costs less, produces more energy W riting by :: Debra N. Fossum

Multijunction solar cells, made of low-cost materials such as glass or plastic, are a relatively new land-based solar energy technology.

the optics issue

and two $1 million grants from Science Foundation Arizona, Zhang’s research calls for an innovative multijunction solar cell design that uses lattice-matched II/ VI ZnCdMgSeTe and III/V AlGaAsSb semiconductors. The matching of lattice structures between two different semiconductor materials allows for a range of band gaps, permitting the solar panels to use various types of light from the sun, ranging from ultraviolet to infrared, which currently are used by traditional solar panels. Zhang’s solar panels will absorb a larger amount of sunlight and produce more energy in return. “The key innovation of this research,” Zhang notes, “is to build solar cells with many junctions to improve its conversion efficiency.” The design’s potential for an increased number of junctions (five or more) allows for an ultra-high conversion efficiency of 44 percent, a 42 percent improvement compared to the most stateof-the-art multijunction solar cell available in today’s market. Compared to the highest recorded efficiency of traditional silicon solar cells, 25 percent, these new multijunction solar cells could make a

large impact on sustainability efforts around the globe while having a much lower price tag. Zhang and his collaborator, Jacek Furdyna of the University of Notre Dame and world- renowned expert in II/VI semiconductors, will use molecular beam epitaxity (MBE) machines to create the materials and devices needed to develop the new solar cells. Some of the machines are housed in ASU’s MBE laboratory, part of the MBE Optoelectronics Group, where Zhang is lead researcher. The MBE laboratory is equipped with three solid-source MBE chambers for growing III-V semiconductor materials. The group is affiliated with ASU’s Center for Nanophotonics, where Zhang is director. “The goal of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar America Initiative is to make solar energy technologies cost-competitive by 2015, and the Arizona Corporation Commission has developed renewable energy standards that require 15 percent of all electric power in Arizona be derived from renewable resources by 2025,” says Zhang. “Our solar cell design is a potentially effective way to drastically reduce the cost of solar panels and make these goals a reality.” ASU leads the nation in renewable energy and semiconductor optoelectronics research.

TECHCONNECTmag.COM

n Arizona State University researcher and professor is developing an advanced solar cell with higher energy conversion efficiency for lowcost concentrator solar panels. The panels, also known as concentrator photovoltaics (CPV), use relatively inexpensive optics such as mirrors or lenses to “concentrate” or focus light from a relatively broad collection area onto a much smaller area of fewer solar cells. That significantly reduces the overall costs. “By 2011, the market for space and landbased solar panels is expected to grow to $30 billion,” says Yong-Hang Zhang, of ASU’s Department of Electrical Engineering, who is leading a group of researchers on the solar project. “But the land-based market is presently dominated by silicon-based solar panels and its growth is limited by the availability of silicon.” With a traditional solar panel, a large portion of sunlight energy is not converted into electricity because numerous light rays contain too little energy or are mismatched with the band gap of the semiconductor material. The band gap determines which of the sun’s rays the solar panel will absorb. Multijunction solar cells allow absorption of more sunlight to generate more electricity than traditional solar cells, making the CPV systems much more cost effective. Funded by a $1.5 million contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory

{ Update::ASU }

Yong-Hang Zhang with a molecular beam epitaxity machine used to create the materials and devices needed to develop the new solar cells.

{ Update::NAU } Photo by Jerry Foreman

DNA Dividend Anthrax probe yields valuable forensic science

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W riting by :: Lisa Nelson

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week after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the United States was victimized again — this time by a series of letters spiked with anthrax. The investigation into the deadly Sept. 18, 2001, mailings concluded last summer when the FBI’s prime suspect committed suicide. Letters had been sent to ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, the New York Post and the National Enquirer. Two other letters, dated Oct. 9, 2001, had gone to Democratic Sens. Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Patrick Leahy of Vermont. Northern Arizona University’s Paul Keim had helped investigators since the initial attacks and was one of the scientists whose work led to the suspect. Keim says the genomic analysis used to link the “anthrax letters” to a flask in a Maryland military laboratory has generated unprecedented forensic science. “The scientific advancement represents a large leap forward in our ability to attribute biothreat agents to their source,” Keim says. Keim is one of a handful of scientists in the United States who can now discuss the FBI’s investigation into Paul Ivins, an Army biodefense researcher at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases in Frederick, Md., where the source flask was found. Ivins committed suicide last July as federal agents prepared to charge him with carrying out the anthrax attacks, which killed five people and sickened 17. NAU was one of more than a dozen laboratories in the United States that participated in the scientific investigation coordinated by the FBI. “New forensic science was developed through this coordinated effort on a scale that had not been achieved previously in any

Paul Keim, Northern Arizona University professor of biology and the Cowden Endowed Chair in Microbiology, works in the Keim Genetics Lab on the Flagstaff campus.

other investigation,” Keim says. “This led to the most comprehensive description of a pathogen’s genetic material in the history of science. It was crucial in bringing this case near to closure.” The FBI had subpoenaed 1,070 anthrax samples from throughout the United States and the world. The Keim Genetics Lab verified the Ames strain of the anthrax samples, which was the strain used in the letter attacks. Keim noted that in 2001, NAU had one of the few biosafety facilities in the country that could handle such evidence. Keim had a sample of the Ames strain of anthrax, a different sample of which was destroyed by the FBI. That strain pointed investigators to Ivins’ flask when they discovered he tried to substitute a different strain in subsequent samples. The science entailed conducting DNA fingerprinting on an entire anthrax genome. A genome is all the genetic material contained in an organism, including chromosomes, genes and DNA. Previous analyses looked at only snippets of DNA. Human genome studies over the past two decades have made the study of complete genomes more economically feasible. “The more DNA you have, the more information you have to look at,” Keim says. The NAU researcher says the forensic science developed in the FBI investigation will result in a “peace dividend.” “We will be able to fight common infectious diseases more easily as a result of developing this highly sophisticated DNA

fingerprinting. “Hospital-acquired and food-borne infections will be approached in a different manner involving whole genome analysis,” according to Keim. “We have shown the way forward.” Keim’s lab for several years has been a critical player in “pathogen fingerprinting.” Key to this was the development by Keim of a relationship in 2002 with the Translational Genomics Research Institute, or TGen, in Phoenix. Keim directs the Pathogen Genomics research program for TGen, where he established TGen North, a state-of-the-art genomics laboratory in Flagstaff. TGen North’s mission is advancing public health, clinical medicine and biodefense through targeted microbial genomics. Under Keim’s direction, scientists at TGen North are working on the next generation of molecular tools for biothreat and other disease outbreak investigations. Several important outcomes already have resulted from TGen North’s work in pathogen genomics research, including development of new diagnostic tests for influenza, Valley Fever, drug-resistant organisms, like the deadly Methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and biothreat agents, such as plague and anthrax. TGen North scientists also are developing new ways to explore the complex communities of bacteria and other microbes associated with human health and disease. Lisa Nelson is public affairs director for Northern Arizona University.

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TECHCONNECTmag.COM

the optics issue

“Celebrating 10 years of Excellence in Staffing”

For more information about sponsorship, call the Arizona Technology Council at 602.343.8324.

Legislative

Luncheon

KEYNOTE SPEAKER SERIES

THE ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL INVITES its members to showcase their innovations, technologies and products at the second annual Legislative Luncheon. This Luncheon is an excellent opportunity to show the Legislature the impact on job and economic output that the technology business community has in our state, and to garner their support for the technology industry.

Monday, March 9, 2009 State Capitol: House and Senate Lawn 1700 West Washington Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85007 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

LUNCH

LEArN

AND Cost: Booth space is $150 and includes four (4) tickets to the event. Individual tickets can be purchased for $100 each.

Premier Sponsorship Package $1,500 · · · · · ·

Logo on all marketing materials Logo and link on aztechcouncil.org One (1) booth space in Technology Showcase Eight (8) tickets to Legislative Luncheon Reserved company table Company mention in opening remarks For more information on showcasing your company at this event, please contact events@aztechcouncil.org.