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Perspective
By Paul M.Horn
The heart of the matter
Over the past few decades, as the images of the information age have displaced those of the industrial
revolution, the status of materials has seemingly diminished. In the popular imagination, software,
networks and computers, not steel or even silicon, typically represent the cutting edge of
technology. And, as invisible pervasive computing and embedded devices take over many of the
tasks for which we once turned to our PCs, the physical basis of information technology is likely
to recede even further into the background of our awareness.
Natural or inevitable as that change in perception may seem, it nevertheless harbors a great irony.
Today, for example, after more than 40 years of extraordinary progress in microchip and disk-drive
technology, we find ourselves facing a momentous challenge to continue that progress into the next
century. Can we continue to make things smaller, faster, more reliable and less expensive? The
answer coming out of our laboratories is yes. But there is a caveat: to progress as long as
possible, we must master new classes of materials.
Up to now, most of our progress has been achieved by optimizing a fundamental set of materials
. Yet we can foresee the stage at which existing materials will begin to run out of steam.
Finding replacements can be a long and arduous process. Materials that show promise in the
lab may not be suited to large-scale manufacturing. And those that reach production can still
fail unless they meet the marketplace's stringent requirements for performance, reliability
and cost.
Despite the inherent risk and expense, long-term materials research is essential if our industry
is to prosper. It is not a task a single company can assume alone or that industry can pursue
in isolation. Collaboration with universities is vital, both to sustain the theoretical and
experimental research underlying materials science and to encourage students to enter the field
by exposing them to real-world problems.
Information technology is not unique in its dependence on advances in materials sciences. The need
for improved materials is rooted in the nature of our society. From lighter, stronger, more
corrosion-resistant cars and longer-lasting highways to earthquake resistant buildings, there are
a wide range of challenges whose solutions hinge on a deeper understanding of materials.
Government support of materials science, therefore, should be a priority. The funding of research
programs in the national laboratories as well as in universities can lead not only to economic
growth but to a strengthening of our infrastructure. The results will benefit us all.
Paul M. Horn
senior vice president and director,
Research
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