Delaware Funds Two New Centers

The Delaware Economic Development Office recently announced the selection of two new Advanced Technology Centers (ATC). The Centers will focus on semiconductors and advanced optics.

The Centers are public/private partnerships designed to bolster Delaware's technology base and to create and retain quality high-tech jobs. The State of Delaware is investing $4 million over three years in these two Centers through grants from the 21st Century Fund.

The Center for Nanomachined Surfaces (CNS) will focus on developing and commercializing leading-edge nanomachining applications important to the semiconductor industry. The primary technical goal of the Center is to achieve the world's highest-precision polished, or nanomachined, photomask surfaces, ultimately affecting every integrated circuit made. For more information on CNS, visit their website at http://nanosurf.ece.udel.edu.

The Applied Optics Center of Delaware, Inc. will focus on developing new applications for laser technology. Initially, the Center will concentrate on laser spectroscopy technology and laser diode-based devices. The focus capitalizes on the unique offering of "blue" laser materials and devices developed by DuPont over a 20-year period and spun out into Altos, Inc.

The creation of the ATC program is part of a comprehensive, technology-based economic development strategy led by the Delaware Economic Development Office. Last year, Delaware announced commitments of $7 million to fund three other ATCs --The Fraunhofer Resource Center - Delaware, the Advanced Technology Center for Medical Devices, and the University of Delaware Center for Agricultural Biotechnology.