Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS March Meeting 2011
Volume 56, Number 1
Monday–Friday, March 21–25, 2011; Dallas, Texas
Session L6: Complexity in Invention: The Strongly Coupled Systems that Contribute to Innovation Success |
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Sponsoring Units: FIAP Chair: Steven Rosenblum, Corning, Inc., Science and Technology Room: Ballroom C2 |
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 2:30PM - 3:06PM |
L6.00001: ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN |
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 3:06PM - 3:42PM |
L6.00002: Value analysis for advanced technology products Invited Speaker: Technology by itself can be wondrous, but buyers of technology factor in the price they have to pay along with performance in their decisions. As a result, the ``best'' technology may not always win in the marketplace when ``good enough'' can be had at a lower price. Technology vendors often set pricing by ``cost plus margin,'' or by competitors' offerings. What if the product is new (or has yet to be invented)? Value pricing is a methodology to price products based on the value generated (e.g. money saved) by using one product vs. the next best technical alternative. Value analysis can often clarify what product attributes generate the most value. It can also assist in identifying market forces outside of the control of the technology vendor that also influence pricing. These principles are illustrated with examples. [Preview Abstract] |
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 3:42PM - 4:18PM |
L6.00003: Innovation, Novel Solutions and New Devices: The Engines that Drive the Magnetic Storage Industry; Choosing the Right Combination Invited Speaker: Magnetic storage technology aims to achieve recording densities $>$ 10$^{12}$ bits/in2 in the foreseeable future. The dimensions of the magnetic domains and sensor minimum feature sizes at this density will be $\sim $ 15 -- 25 nm. These nanoscale dimensions present major challenges for both the materials utilized for magnetic recording, and to the sensors employed to reliably detect the minute magnetic fluxes emanating from such nanoscale domains. These include fundamental physical limits of material properties on account of the reduced dimensionality, as well as nanofabrication challenges to attain the required nanometer feature sizes with the stringent dimensional tolerances required. Since its invention in 1954, the storage density in magnetic recording has incremented by 10$^{9}$ and the cost of storage, measured in {\$}/MB, has undergone a price reduction of the same order. Impressive as these accomplishments are, is the fact that the fundamental engineering principles of the technology today are essentially the same as when it was invented. This is in spite of numerous efforts to replace it with new alternative technologies or by dire predictions by its own practitioners of its impending death based on perceived limitations. In this talk the state-of-the art and challenges facing the HDD industry in its efforts to continue incrementing the storage density will be discussed. I will illustrate how advances in materials engineering, new physical phenomena and breakthroughs in nanofabrication have facilitated such an impressive technology evolution. Moreover, the key ingredients for said innovations to be implemented as technology solutions will be discussed.. [Preview Abstract] |
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 4:18PM - 4:54PM |
L6.00004: Manufacturing physics: using large(r) data sets and physical insight to develop great products Invited Speaker: Early stage research does a fantastic job providing knowledge and proof-of-feasibility for new product concepts. However, the handful of data points required to validate a concept is typically insufficient to provide insight on the whole range of effects relevant to manufacturing the product. Moving to manufacturing brings larger data sets and variability; opportunistic analysis of these larger sets can yield better product design rules. In the early 2000s Corning developed an optical transmission fiber optimized to suppress stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). Analyzing the larger data set provided by the manufacturing environment using the same theoretical framework developed by the original researchers refined our understanding of how to improve SBS in optical fibers beyond what was known from our early efforts. This greater understanding allowed us to design better performing products. [Preview Abstract] |
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 4:54PM - 5:30PM |
L6.00005: Foundational Forces {\&} Hidden Variables in Technology Commercialization Invited Speaker: The science of physics seems vastly different from the process of technology commercialization. Physics strives to understand our world through the experimental deduction of immutable laws and dependent variables and the resulting macro-scale phenomenon. In comparison, the~goal of business is to make a profit by addressing the needs, preferences, and whims of individuals in a market. It may seem that this environment is too dynamic to identify all the hidden variables and deduct the foundational forces that impact a business's ability to commercialize innovative technologies. One example of a business ``force'' is found in the semiconductor industry. In 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore predicted that the number of transistors incorporated in a chip will approximately double every 24 months. Known as Moore's Law, this prediction has become the guiding principle for the semiconductor industry for the last 40 years. Of course, Moore's Law is not really a law of nature; rather it is the result of efforts by Intel and the entire semiconductor industry. A closer examination suggests that there are foundational principles of business that underlie the macro-scale phenomenon of Moore's Law. Principles of profitability, incentive, and strategic alignment have resulted in a coordinated influx of resources that has driven technologies to market, increasing the profitability of the semiconductor industry and optimizing the fitness of its participants. New innovations in technology are subject to these same principles. So, in addition to traditional market forces, these often unrecognized forces and variables create challenges for new technology commercialization. In this talk, I will draw from ethnographic research, complex adaptive theory, and industry data to suggest a framework with which to think about new technology commercialization. Intel's bio-silicon initiative provides a case study. [Preview Abstract] |
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