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NISTIR 6472
Electronics and Electrical
Engineering Laboratory
STRATEGIC PLAN
For Fiscal Years 2000-2005
Electronics and Electrical
Engineering Laboratory
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Technology Administration
National Institute of Standards and
Technology
Electronics and Electrical Engineering
Laboratory
February 2000
EEEL SEEKS YOUR COMMENTS
NIST's Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory (EEEL)
reviews its plans regularly to keep them focused on the most
important needs of the U.S. electronics, electric-power, and
electrical-equipment industries. Comments on this plan are invited
and should be sent to the following address:
William E. Anderson, Acting Director
Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Building 220, Room B358
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8100
Telephone: (301) 975-2220
FAX: (301) 975-4091
e-mail: william.anderson@nist.gov
Further information about EEEL's programs is provided at this
address http://www.eeel.nist.gov/ on the World Wide Web.
NISTIR 6472
Electronics and Electrical
Engineering Laboratory
STRATEGIC PLAN
For Fiscal Years 2000-2005
Electronics and Electrical
Engineering Laboratory
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Technology Administration
National Institute of Standards and
Technology
Electronics and Electrical Engineering
Laboratory
February 2000
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
William M. Daley, Secretary
TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATION
Dr. Cheryl L. Shavers, Under Secretary of
Commerce for Technology
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND
TECHNOLOGY
Raymond G. Kammer, Director
Bibliographic Information
Abstract
The Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory (EEEL) promotes U.S. economic growth by
providing measurement capability of high impact focused primarily on the critical needs of the U.S.
electronics and electrical industries, and their customers and suppliers. This measurement capability
promotes economic growth by improving the competitiveness of U.S. industries. This capability is part
of the national infrastructure that helps attract and retain businesses and jobs in the United States. EEEL
focuses on measurement capability that U.S. industries need but cannot provide for themselves, for
technical, economic, or other reasons. The beneficiaries include U.S. industry, government, academic,
other organizations, and the general public.
The supported electronics and electrical industries are highly important to the U.S. economy. In round
numbers, the electronics industry ships $500 billion of products each year. The electrical-equipment
industry ships the better part of $100 billion of products each year. The electric-power industry, a
service industry, relies on the electrical-equipment industry for power equipment and uses that
equipment to provide $200 billion of electricity each year. These three industries are enabling industries
for the entire U.S. economy. Virtually all other manufacturing and service industries rely on these three
industries for equipment, power, information and control technology, and related services.
EEEL's measurement capability is an important part of the tools that manufacturers need to conduct
research and development toward new products, to manufacture those products, to market them
successfully, and to support them after sale. Successful marketplace exchange requires proving product
performance to customers, and proving compliance with domestic and international requirements that
would otherwise bar market entry. EEEL's measurement capability is also important to the success of
materials, information-services, and energy providers. Examples include the telecommunications and
electric-power providers, as they seek to remain competitive while addressing new technical challenges
inherent in deregulation.
EEEL's strategic plan describes important measurement contributions to the supported industries and
the nation. The projects selected result from close interaction with industry and government to identify
the needs most important to economic growth and competitiveness.
Keywords
communications, competitiveness, computers, digital electronics, displays, economic growth, electrical
equipment, electrical power, electrical quantities, electronic data exchange, electronics, integrated
circuits, magnetics, measurement instrumentation, measurement reference standards, measurements,
microwaves, optical-fiber communications, optoelectronics, radio frequency, semiconductors, sensors,
superconductors, telecommunications, video
Ordering
Copies of this document are available from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), 5285
Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161 at (800) 553-6847, (703) 605-6000, (703) 605-6900 (fax),
or orders@ntis.fedworld.gov (e-mail), or www.ntis.gov (Internet). The NTIS Order Number is PB2000-
101966; the price is $23.00 for a paper copy or $12.00 for microfiche.
Printed on July 28, 2000
PREFACE
This Strategic Plan supports effective management of the Electronics and Electrical Engineering
Laboratory (EEEL). This laboratory is one of eight that provide measurement research and related
services at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST itself is an agency within
the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The format chosen for the Strategic Plan is responsive to the Government Performance and Results Act
of 1993 (GPRA). (Terms with specially defined meanings in the GPRA, like Strategic Plan, have been
capitalized here.) This Strategic Plan also specifies Performance Goals for multiple years. As a result,
this document supports the development of both the Strategic Plan and the Annual Performance Plans
required of the Department of Commerce by the GPRA. The scope of EEEL's Performance Goals is
considerable, so only a selection from the most important can appear here.
The format of this plan was derived from OMB Circular No. A-11, Part 2: Preparation and Submission
of Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plans. The table below shows how the sections in the OMB
circular relate to the sections of this plan. Elements (2) and (4) are addressed in a single section of this
plan called "Goals and Objectives". This approach relates Objectives to Performance Goals by stating
each Performance Goal immediately after the Objective supported. The other four elements track one-
to-one with the sections of this plan.
Circular Section Content Circular Section Number EEEL Strategic Plan
(1) Mission Statement 210.6 Mission Statement
(2) Goals and Objectives 210.7 Goals and Objectives
(3) how they will be achieved 210.8 Strategies
(4) relationship to Performance Goals 210.9 (Goals and Objectives)
in Annual Performance Plan
(5) key factors affecting achievement 210.10 Factors Affecting Achievement
(6) program evaluations used, and scheduled 210.11 Program Evaluations
The Goals expressed in this plan are generally within EEEL's span of influence. The Objectives are
generally within EEEL's span of control, as defined in the OMB Circular. Exceptions are noted where
they occur.
This plan has been written to address Evaluation Factors 1 through 6 of the document "Interim
Evaluation of Draft Strategic Plans". The Evaluation Factors track with elements (1) through (6) above,
respectively. Evaluation Factors 7 through 10 are addressed in plans at higher organizational levels.
This approach simplifies the use of this document by the Department of Commerce in responding to the
GPRA.
In EEEL's other planning documents, EEEL's work is divided into programs that provide a structure for
description. To track to these programs, each Objective in this plan ends with a three-letter code in
brackets, such as [SEM] for "Semiconductors". This code identifies the EEEL program conducting the
work. The program names are listed alphabetically below, along with the associated codes:
Electromagnetic Compatibility EMC
Electronic Data Exchange EDE
Low Frequency LFQ
iii
Magnetics MAG
National Electrical Standards NES
Optoelectronics OPT
Power PWR
Radio Frequency RFQ
Semiconductors SEM
Superconductors SUP
Video VID
The scope of this plan includes all work managed by EEEL, whether conducted within EEEL or in other
parts of NIST, and whether funded by (1) direct appropriations to NIST, (2) other agencies, or (3) other
sources outside NIST. The above programs are conducted primarily within EEEL, drawing on skills
from the other NIST laboratories, as needed. In addition, EEEL manages two programs that are
conducted NIST wide. These programs are shown below, along with their associated codes:
Law Enforcement Standards LES
National Semiconductor Metrology Program NSM
Performing organizations that conduct the work of these two programs, and that are outside EEEL, are
referenced after each applicable Objective in this Strategic Plan.
iv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The following individuals contributed to the content of this strategic plan or to the guidance used in its
preparation. All EEEL staff contribute to the implementation of this plan.
Electronics and Electrical Engineering National Institute of Standards and
Laboratory Technology
William E. Anderson, Acting Director Gregory C. Tassey
Senior Economist
Alan H. Cookson, Acting Deputy Director Program Office
Ronald M. Powell (author) Paul Doremus
Scientific Assistant Senior Planning Analyst
Program Office
John F. Mayo-Wells, Staff Associate
for Technical Coordination/Operations
James A. Hormuth
Senior Management Advisor
Bruce F. Field, Acting Chief
Electricity Division
David G. Seiler, Chief
Semiconductor Electronics Division
Dennis S. Friday, Chief
Radio-Frequency Technology Division
Richard E. Harris, Chief
Electromagnetic Technology Division
Gordon W. Day, Chief
Optoelectronics Division
Alan F. Clark, Deputy Chief
Optoelectronics Division
Stephen Knight, Director
Office of Microelectronics Programs
Kathleen M. Higgins, Director
Office of Law Enforcement Standards
Alim A. Fatah, Program Manager
Chemical Systems and Materials
Office of Law Enforcement Standards
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MISSION STATEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Provide Measurement Capability that U.S. Industries Cannot Provide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Focus on Improving Competitiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Address Economically Significant Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Further International Agreement on Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Focus on Highest Impact Needs for Measurement Capability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Assure Measurement Accuracy, Accessibility, and Applicability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Goal 1: Strengthen Foundation for All Electrical Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
AC Voltage and Current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Capacitance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Routes to Impacting Competitiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Goal 2: Provide Measurement Capability Required for a World-Class Electronics Industry . 6
Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Higher Fabrication Productivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Higher Fabrication Yield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Higher Frequencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Goal 3: Provide Measurement Capability Required for World-Class Electrical Industries . . 10
Equity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Reliability and Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Goal 4: Provide Technical Support to Law Enforcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
STRATEGIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Communication, Accountability, and Other Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
FACTORS AFFECTING ACHIEVEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
PROGRAM EVALUATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
vi
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Manufacturers' Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Table 2: Product Characteristics for Competitiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Table 3: Marketing Requirements for Competitiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Table 4: Shipments of Customer Industries (1999 estimates) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Table 5: Measurement Assessments Published . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Table 6: Industry Roadmaps and Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Table 7: Aims for EEEL's Measurement Capability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Table 8: Measurement Foundation for Electrical Quantities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Table 9: Mapping Measurement Foundation into Competitiveness by a First Route . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Table 10: Basic Product Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Table 11: Enabling Materials for Information-Signal Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Table 12: Mapping Key Means Into Product Characteristics for Competitiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Table 13: Integration Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Table 14: Basic Power and Energy Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Table 15: FY 1998 Resources Managed by EEEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Table 16: Economic Impact Studies Completed and Underway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
vii
MISSION STATEMENT
The Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory (EEEL) promotes U.S. economic growth by
providing measurement capability of high impact focused primarily on the critical needs of the U.S.
electronics and electrical industries, and their customers and suppliers.
U.S. economic growth requires international competitiveness, which requires new technology, which
in turn requires new measurement capability, which itself must be based on world-class scientific
research. Therefore, EEEL pursues world-class capability in measurements to facilitate U.S. economic
growth. This capability is part of the national infrastructure that helps attract and retain businesses and
jobs in the United States. This capability is an essential tool that industry uses to develop and market
new products. EEEL focuses on measurement capability that U.S. industries need but cannot provide
for themselves for technical, economic, or other reasons. The needed capability reflects the rapidly
changing nature of electronic and electrical technologies that are both global and critical.
Provide Measurement Capability that U.S. Industries Cannot Provide
NIST provides only that measurement capability that U.S. industries cannot
Table 1: Manufacturers'
provide for themselves. There are several circumstances under which Challenges
NIST's assistance to industry is appropriate: (1) Special measurement
Research and Development
expertise is required (often multidisciplinary) that is not available in Manufacturing
industry; (2) industry cannot recover the costs of measurement development Marketplace Exchange
that is so fundamental and so broadly beneficial; (3) NIST's acknowledged After-Sales Support
impartiality and measurement competence are required to gain acceptance
among manufacturers, suppliers, and customers in order to realize the Table 2: Product
maximum benefits to the nation; or (4) NIST's imprimatur as the lead U.S. Characteristics for
agency for measurements is required to gain international acceptance so that Competitiveness
U.S. products can be sold abroad. Performance
Quality and Reliability
Compatibility
Focus on Improving Competitiveness
Safety
EEEL strengthens the U.S. economy by strengthening the international
competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers. To be competitive, a manufacturer Table 3: Marketing
must meet the challenges in Table 1. Success in addressing the first two Requirements for
Competitiveness
challenges is largely dependent on a manufacturer's ability to realize
desirable product characteristics, especially those in Table 2. Success in Access to market
Agreement with customer
addressing all four challenges in Table 1 requires meeting a number of on product characteristics
marketing requirements, especially those in Table 3. This plan shows how Attractive price
EEEL helps manufacturers address the challenges in Tables 1, 2, and 3 thus Timely delivery
improve their competitiveness. Good after-sales support
Address Economically Significant Industries
Table 4: Shipments of
Customer Industries
EEEL assures high impact by addressing three economically significant (1999 estimates)
industries. The estimated annual shipments of these industries for 1999 are Industry Shipments
shown in Table 4 to the nearest $100 billion. All told, industries with ($billions)
shipments with approximately $800 billion per year are the direct Electronics 500
beneficiaries of EEEL's work. Electric Power 200
Electrical Equipment 100
800
1
Among U.S. manufacturing industries, the electronics industry is the largest in shipments, followed by
the automotive and chemical industries. The electronics industry is also the largest in employment, by
a factor of two, with 1.9 million employees.
The electric-power industry is composed of the providers of electricity, whether independent or owned
by investors, government, or cooperatives. The $200 billion shown in Table 4 is the electricity they sell
in a year.
The electrical-equipment industry makes equipment that provides electricity, through products such as
generators, transformers, and batteries. This industry also makes equipment that converts electricity into
other useful forms, through products such as motors, lighting, and heating elements.
The industries in Table 4 are enabling industries. All other industries, government agencies, and the
public rely on these industries for power, equipment, information and control technology, and related
services.
Further International Agreement on Measurements
EEEL supports U.S. international trade by furthering international agreement on measurements. A key
means of doing this is comparing EEEL's measurements with those of counterpart measurement
laboratories in other nations. International agreement is necessary to meet the requirements for U.S.
competitiveness embodied in Table 3, especially the first two: (1) International agreement enables U.S.
manufacturers to gain access to foreign markets by proving compliance with the growing number of
international written standards that might otherwise bar product entry. (2) International agreement
enables U.S. manufacturers to reach agreement with their own suppliers and customers, both domestic
and international, on product characteristics, so that sales can be completed.
Focus on Highest Impact Needs for Measurement Capability
EEEL determines the highest impact measurement needs Table 5: Measurement Assessments
Published
requiring EEEL's assistance through workshops, surveys,
studies, and visits to companies. For example, as shown Measurements for Competitiveness in Electronics
Measurement Support for the U.S. Electric-Power
in Table 5, EEEL has developed and published
Industry in the Era of Deregulation
measurement-needs assessments for two of the three
industries through which EEEL stimulates economic
growth: the electronics industry and the electric-
Table 6: Industry Roadmaps and Sponsors
power industry.
International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors
Semiconductor Industry Association
EEEL's ability to anticipate industry's measurement Optoelectronic Technology Roadmap
Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA)
needs benefits greatly from roadmaps developed by
National Electronics Manufacturing Technology
industry, including those in Table 6. The roadmaps Roadmaps
lay out industry's plans for remaining competitive in National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative
future years. This information helps EEEL to Storage Technology, Head Metrology Roadmaps
National Storage Industry Consortium
understand how industry expects to evolve and, Optical Disk Storage Roadmap
therefore, what measurement capability industry will National Storage Industry Consortium and OIDA
Electric-Power Roadmap
need, and when. EEEL assists industry in roadmap Electric Power Research Institute
development by determining the measurement
implications for industry's planned route to remain competitive.
2
Assure Measurement Accuracy, Accessibility, and Applicability
EEEL pursues three important aims when developing measurement capability needed by the U.S.
economy. These aims are shown in Table 7 and are highlighted throughout this plan. First, EEEL
pursues measurement accuracy; above all, the United States relies on EEEL
to provide the foundation for accurate measurement of all electrical Table 7: Aims for EEEL's
quantities. Second, EEEL pursues measurement accessibility; that is, EEEL Measurement Capability
translates its measurement capability into forms that are technically and Accuracy
economically accessible to producers and consumers. Without such Accessibility
translation, that capability could not be readily afforded or adopted. Applicability
Finally, EEEL pursues measurement applicability, which is the translation
of EEEL's measurement capability into forms applicable to specific needs.
For example, a measurement method for voltage applicable at 0.000001 volts to support the
semiconductor industry would not be applicable at 100,000 volts to support the electric-power industry,
even though both measurements rely on the same measurement foundation maintained by EEEL.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES (and responsive Performance Goals)
Goal 1: Strengthen Foundation for All Electrical Measurements
The foundation for all measurements is based on Measurement Reference Standards. They are
electronic systems, special devices, or special materials that NIST develops or measures. Each
Measurement Reference Standard provides a high level of accuracy for a measured quantity fundamental
to the measurement foundation. The expertise of many NIST laboratories is necessary to provide all of
the Measurement Reference Standards needed for the measurement foundation.
NIST must transfer accuracy from these Measurement Reference Standards to millions of customers in
industry, government, universities, and other organizations. To do this efficiently, NIST employs
several approaches; but one is especially important for electrical quantities: calibration. NIST
calibrates a small number of high-performance measurement instruments provided by customer
organizations. Calibration is done by comparing the measurement performance of the instrument against
the Measurement Reference Standards. The instruments so calibrated are then used by customer
organizations to calibrate other instruments, for themselves and others, and so on in an ever expanding
chain of calibrations. In this way, NIST delivers accuracy to millions of users through commercial
channels and instrumentation.
NIST's Measurement Reference Standards must have high enough accuracy to support the most
demanding users, including those pursuing major innovations. High accuracy is best achieved by basing
the Measurement Reference Standards on the fundamental physics of nature. Such a basis is believed
to be unchanging. Such a basis also furthers accessibility by enabling others to build similar
Measurement Reference Standards of comparable accuracy because the fundamental physics of nature
is accessible to all.
The quantities most important to the foundation for electrical measurements are shown in Table 8. The
first four quantities--time, length, mass, and current--are called base quantities. They are especially
important because measurements of all electrical quantities, as well as many other quantities, are based
on them. Measurements with improved accuracy or accessibility are particularly needed for the
3
quantities checked ( ) in the table. Each of these quantities is discussed below.
% Table 8:
Then the route from the measurement foundation to competitiveness is Measurement
discussed. Foundation for
Electrical Quantities
Mass Base Quantities
time
length
Measurement of time and length have an advantage compared to mass. The %
%
% mass
Measurement Reference Standards for time and length are based on the dc current
fundamental physics of nature, so they are very accurate and accessible. For Electrical Quantities
example, time is based on counting a specified number of cycles of radiation dc voltage
emitted by a cesium atom under special conditions. The cesium atom is %
%
%
% ac voltage
accessible to everyone. The Measurement Reference Standard for time is % ac current
power
maintained by NIST's Physics Laboratory. Time can be measured more impedance
accurately than any other quantity. %
%
%
% capacitance
inductance
Unfortunately, the Measurement Reference Standard for mass is not yet based resistance
on the fundamental physics of nature. Instead, mass is referenced to a single
World Measurement Reference Standard, in the form of a cylinder of platinum-iridium alloy kept at the
International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) in France. A copy is kept at NIST to serve as
the U.S. Measurement Reference Standard, and its accuracy is established by comparison with the BIPM
one. These cylinders are subject to change caused by factors such as the release of dissolved gases, or
the loss of material during handling. This weak member in the measurement foundation limits the
accuracy of measurements of mass, weight, electrical quantities, and other quantities, too. The first step
to improving the accuracy of mass measurements is to determine how much the Measurement Reference
Standard for mass is changing in time. Objective 1.1 below addresses this need. It may later lead to an
electronic method for creating a new Measurement Reference Standard for mass that depends only on
the fundamental physics of nature and that is, therefore, much more accessible.
Objective 1.1:
Establish the long-term accuracy of an electronic system for monitoring the drift in the
kilogram. This system was successfully developed in FY 1998 and is based on the fundamental
physics of nature. Performance Goal: Achieve long-term uncertainty of ten parts per billion in monitoring the kilogram
standard by FY2001. [NES]
AC Voltage and Current
The next quantities checked in Table 8 are ac (time-varying) voltage and current. These ac quantities
are important because, without them, most services provided by electronic and electrical systems would
not be possible, for example, digital computing, wireless communications, and electric-power
distribution. For many applications, improved accessibility or improved accuracy are needed for ac
quantities. In general, ac quantities are measured by comparison to dc (steady) quantities because dc
quantities can be measured very accurately. However, a loss of accuracy occurs in the comparison.
Further, the process used for the comparison is expensive. EEEL will pursue two routes to
improvement. The first will provide a less expensive method for making the comparison, to improve
accessibility. It is described in Objective 1.2.
Objective 1.2:
Improve accessibility to accurate measurements of ac voltage and ac current by
developing a lower-cost integrated-circuit device to relate ac quantities to dc quantities. Performance
Goal: Complete and test a device, suitable for industry adoption, by FY 2000. [LFQ]
4
Industry will use these devices to calibrate high-performance instruments. If the costs of these devices
can be reduced sufficiently, industry may be able to build them into the high-performance measurement
instruments to assure continued accuracy with reduced need for costly calibrations.
The second route to improved measurement of ac quantities is a new method for generating ac voltages,
to improve accuracy. It is described in Objective 1.3. This approach may lead to a new Measurement
Reference Standard for ac voltage, based on the same superconducting effect used for the present
Measurement Reference Standard for dc voltage.
Objective 1.3:
Improve the accuracy of ac voltage measurements by developing an ac-voltage source
based on the same fundamental physics of nature used to provide the Measurement Reference
Standard for dc voltage. Performance Goal: Demonstrate first operational source by FY 2001. [SUP]
Capacitance
The last quantity checked in Table 8 is capacitance. It is important because it is one of three quantities
that can be used to impede, and thus control, the flow of electrical current. For example, capacitance,
when used with inductance, enables tuning television transmitters and television sets to specific channels
by impeding the signals from all unwanted channels. The present Measurement Reference Standard for
capacitance is already based on the fundamental physics of nature, but its use is too laborious and thus
too costly. The new approach in Objective 1.4 promises to reduce the labor required from months to
weeks, for each use. It, too, is based on the fundamental physics of nature.
Objective 1.4:
Improve accessibility of capacitance measurements by developing a new method for
measuring capacitance, using the approach of the present Measurement Reference Standard for dc
voltage, plus an electron-tunneling technique for determining electronic charge, both based on the
fundamental physics of nature. Performance Goal: Compare new capacitance measurement device with present
Measurement Reference Standard, the calculable capacitor, by FY 2001. [NES]
Routes to Impacting Competitiveness
The improvements made to the measure-
ment foundation for electrical quantities, in Table 9: Mapping Measurement Foundation into
fulfillment of Goal 1, impact competitive- Competitiveness by a First Route
ness through two principal routes. Improved Measurement Foundation
Calibration of instruments with higher performance at lower cost
The first route is through support of high-
performance measurement instruments, as Better measurement support for R&D and manufacturing
shown in Table 9. Such instruments
directly benefit research, development, and Realization of better product performance and quality at lower cost
and better ability to prove product performance in the marketplace
manufacturing, especially process control.
These, in turn, impact the competitiveness Improved competitiveness
factors identified in Tables 1, 2, and 3.
The second route from the measurement foundation to competitiveness is through development of
application-specific measurement capability. Such capability derives its accuracy from the
measurement foundation, but extends applicability to specific industry problems that cannot be
addressed with the measurement foundation alone. This extension is the subject of Goal 2, which is
focused on the electronics industry, and of Goal 3, which is focused on the two electrical industries. A
5
similar extension must also be made for non-electrical quantities, such as length, to support these
industries. Extending the measurement foundation greatly increases the impact of measurement
capability on competitiveness, and thus multiplies the benefits of the
investment made in strengthening the measurement foundation through Table 10: Basic Product
pursuit of Goal 1. Services
Information Signals
Goal 2: Provide Measurement Capability Required for a generate laser diode
control optical switch
World-Class Electronics Industry transfer antenna, optical fiber
convert sensor, detector
The products of the electronics and electrical industries provide a variety of store memory, disk drive
basic services shown in Table 10. The table includes examples of the process microprocessor
display liquid-crystal display
products associated with each basic service. The electronics industry is
Power and Energy
focused primarily on services related to information signals. These services generate generator
are the subject of Goal 2. In contrast, the two electrical industries are focused control relay, switchgear
on services related to electric power and energy. These rather different transfer transformer, wire
products and services are the subject of Goal 3. convert motor, lighting
store battery
EEEL develops measurement capability that supports products
performing all of the information-signal services in Table 10,
including the products shown as examples. EEEL's develop- Table 11: Enabling Materials for
Information-Signal Services
ment of application-specific measurement capability for these
semi opto mag
products impacts competitiveness through all of the mechanisms generate laser diode % % %
in Tables 1, 2, and 3. Needed measurement capability arises in control optical switch % % %
all three families of electronic materials that are the most transfer antenna, optical fiber %
important enablers of the functionality of electronic products. convert sensor, detector % % %
store memory, disk drive % % %
These materials are shown in Table 11: semiconductor (semi),
process microprocessor %
optoelectronic (opto), and magnetic (mag). These materials are display liquid-crystal display % %
particularly critical to the services checked ( ) in the table.
%
The product characteristics in Table 2 are elaborated in Table 12 for reference in discussing the specific
EEEL Objectives below. The electronics industry pursues the desirable product characteristics in Table
12 through many means, especially: (1) miniaturization, accomplished principally with integrated
circuits (int); (2) higher frequencies (hfq); and (3) digital techniques (dig). The checks ( ) in Table 12 %
show how these means tie to the factors impacting
competitiveness. The three means are interdependent;
Table 12: Mapping Key Means Into
progress in one may enable progress in others. The discussion Product Characteristics for
below shows how EEEL's Objectives facilitate industry's Competitiveness
efforts to realize the desirable product characteristics in Table Performance int hfq dig
12, and thus competitiveness. First, measurement needs for higher information capacity % % %
higher information fidelity % % %
integration are addressed, since integration advances all
higher information density %
information-signal services in Table 10. Then, measurement higher energy efficiency %
needs beyond integration are addressed for three information decreased size and weight % %
services: display, store, and transfer. Quality/Reliability
fewer defects on delivery %
Integration fewer failures during use %
Compatibility
Integration is fundamental to competitiveness in electronic improved interfacing % %
products. NIST has launched an agency-wide effort to reduced electromagnetic % %
interference
provide measurement capability to facilitate industry's
6
success with integration. The resulting National Semiconductor Metrology Program focuses on
semiconductor products. Products based on semiconductor materials lead the way to the highest levels
of integration. Later, products based on other enabling materials will benefit. Some of the most
important challenges to improving integration are shown in Table 13.
Higher Fabrication Productivity
Integrated circuits are fabricated, many at a time, in arrays of rows and
Table 13: Integration
columns across the surfaces of thin, very flat, round "wafers" of silicon. Challenges
Fabrication productivity can be increased by making individual Higher Fabrication Productivity
integrated circuits smaller, so that more of them can fit on each wafer. smaller circuit elements
This requires making all of the circuit elements smaller, including the bigger wafer sizes
transistors, their internal insulating materials, and the "wiring" Higher Fabrication Yield
interconnections. The resulting greater "device density", which is purer input materials
already doubling every two to three years, lowers costs and facilitates better processes
improving most of the performance characteristics in Table 12. Higher Frequencies
microwave circuits
However, achieving greater device density requires better application-
optoelectronic circuits
specific measurements. EEEL responds in Objectives 2.1 to 2.4.
Objective 2.1:
Develop improved measurements for making thinner insulating layers in transistors in
integrated circuits, and for identifying better insulating materials, with thicknesses down to at least
2 nanometers. Performance Goal: Measurement methods published by FY 2001. [SEM]
Objective 2.2:
Support industry's pursuit of new, thinner insulating materials for gate stacks by
developing a suite of dielectric evaluation techniques for characterizing electrical breakdown and
wear-out of those stacks. Performance goal: Evaluation techniques completed by FY 2003. [NSM]
Objective 2.3:
Support accuracy of industrial linewidth standards used for accurate calibration of
lithography tools for making element sizes down to 100 nanometers. Performance Goal: Technical support
provided for industrial development, and method of "tracing accuracy" to NIST placed in service, by FY 2001. [SEM]
Objective 2.4: Develop laser power and energy measurements to support ultraviolet lasers operating
at additional wavelengths in the 150-200 nanometer range, including 157 nanometers, to support
imaging even smaller elements in optical lithography processes. Performance Goal: Calibration services
for wavelengths between 150 and 200 nanometers implemented by FY 2001. [OPT]
Fabrication productivity can also be improved by increasing the size of the wafers, so that more
integrated circuits can be made on each wafer simultaneously. Larger wafer sizes require improved
measurements for flatness, since flatness must be maintained over a larger area.
Objective 2.5: Develop measurements for the flatness and thickness of wafers as large as 300
millimeters in diameter, with measurement uncertainties of only 2 nanometers. Performance Goal:
Measurement service available by FY 2000. [NSM: Conducted in NIST's Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory.]
Higher Fabrication Yield
Reducing fabrication costs requires high "yield", which means the percentage of working integrated
circuits resulting from fabrication. Fabrication processes are disturbed by even small levels of
contamination and even small departures from desired chemical composition. In particular, surfaces of
7
integrated circuits must be inspected for contaminants and for desired constituents to support process
development and trouble shooting.
Objective 2.6:
Develop a measurement method for detecting the presence and concentrations of desired
and undesired atomic elements in integrated circuits with increased speed and accuracy, using a
superconducting x-ray detector. Performance Goal: Commercial licensing of technology by FY 2000. Within EEEL's
span of influence, but outside EEEL's span of control. [SUP]
Higher Frequencies
Semiconductor integrated circuits must operate at ever higher frequencies to achieve higher information
capacity in computer circuits, to support expanding applications of wireless communications and local
radar, and to avoid congestion at lower frequencies. At these higher frequencies, extending into the
microwave region above 1 gigahertz, the elements of integrated circuits behave differently; new
measurement capability is needed to determine performance and to support product development.
Objective 2.7: Develop measurement methods for determining the microwave properties of thin
insulating films used within individual conducting lines on integrated-circuit substrates. Performance
Goal: Measurement method and accompanying software published by FY 2000. [RFQ]
Increasingly, optoelectronic components are being fabricated as integrated circuits, too. Optoelectronic
components offer special capabilities, such as the ability to emit light. Epitaxial deposition is an
important fabrication technique for making many of these components, such as the vertical-cavity
surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) used as light sources for local-area fiber-optic networks. However,
control of fabrication processes, especially while they are occurring (real-time), is presenting major
measurement challenges.
Objective 2.8:
Provide data and real-time measurement methods for controlling the thickness and
composition of layered structures during their growth by epitaxial deposition. Performance Goal:
Measurement methods for thickness and composition documented by FY 2000. [OPT]
Display
The use of flat-panel liquid-crystal displays is essential for competitiveness in portable computers and
portable video products and is becoming increasingly important for competitiveness in desktop computer
monitors. The United States is not a significant manufacturer of these displays; but U.S. manufacturers
need special measurements to specify, evaluate, and purchase the displays.
Objective 2.9: Provide measurement methods for display performance for use by U.S. industry when
specifying, evaluating, and purchasing flat-panel displays for computer and video products.
Performance Goal: Comprehensive flat-panel display measurement standard completed by industry by FY 2001. Within
EEEL's span of influence, but not within EEEL's span of control. [VID]
Store
Storage of information signals is accomplished by three principal methods: (1) semiconductor memory
in the form of semiconductor integrated circuits, supported by the measurement efforts described above
in the section on "Integration"; (2) optical disk drives; and (3) magnetic disk drives, discussed below.
All three methods employ digital techniques.
8
Pursuit of greater information capacity is critical to competitiveness of magnetic disk drives. At present,
information density in magnetic disk drives is increasing at a rate of 60 percent per year. To support
further advances, Measurement Reference Standards are needed for calibrating the special microscopes
that industry uses to develop products employing ever smaller magnetic patterns.
Objective 2.10:
Support increased information density (bits per unit area) in magnetic disk drives by
developing a Magnetic Imaging Reference Sample (MIRS) containing magnetic patterns of
accurately known dimensions in the vicinity of 1 micrometer. Performance Goal: MIRS completed by
FY 2000. [MAG]
Also, for magnetic disk drives, higher information transfer rates, based on higher frequencies for reading
and writing, are also a major factor in competitiveness. Especially needed are measurement methods
for determining the time required to magnetize (switch) the individual bits (1 or 0) of information.
Objective 2.11:Develop a measurement method for switching times in magnetic materials with
resolution of 0.1 nanosecond to support data rates of 1 gigabit per second or higher, versus the
present 100-200 megabits per second. Performance Goal: Measurement method published by FY 2000. [MAG]
Transfer
Optical-fiber communications systems are critical to the national infrastructure and are dependent upon
continued advances in measurement capability to support improvements in performance, quality control,
and compatibility for components. Especially needed are Measurement Reference Standards for the
calibration of instruments that measure critical quantities.
Objective 2.12:Develop Measurement Reference Standards to support accurate measurement of
(1) wavelengths of light, with focus on the 1280-1560 nanometer range, to support wavelength-
division multiplexing for increased information capacity; and (2) propagation characteristics critical
to specifying the information capacity of an optical fiber. Performance Goal: New Measurement Reference
Standards issued by FY 2000. [OPT]
The emergence of new microwave products, such as roadside communications, vehicle anti-collision
radar, and automatic traffic-light controls, motivate the use of higher frequencies from 75 gigahertz to
100 gigahertz. These higher frequencies are less used than lower frequencies and offer special
properties such as controllable range to minimize interference with nearby systems. New measurement
capability is needed to support the development of the antennas required for the new applications.
Objective 2.13:
Develop the facilities and methodology needed for near-field scanning antenna
measurements in the region 75-100 gigahertz. Performance Goal: Facility improvements and methodology
implemented by FY 2000. [RFQ]
The emergence of more electronic products emitting electromagnetic signals has increased the need to
assure that products with critical electronic components, such as motor vehicles, are not susceptible to
harmful interference. International standards for susceptibility testing are particularly needed.
Objective 2.14: Provide technical support in pursuit of U.S. and international acceptance of
reverberation-chamber measurements as a standard method for compliance testing for
electromagnetic susceptibility. Performance Goal: Domestic and international acceptance realized by FY 2000.
Within EEEL's span of influence, but outside EEEL's span of control. [EMC]
9
Goal 3: Provide Measurement Capability Required for World-Class Electrical
Industries
The measurement needs of the electrical-equipment
Table 14: Basic Power and Energy Services
industry are driven by many of the same competitiveness
eff rel equ env pq
factors that apply to the electronics industry. The
electrical-equipment industry supplies equipment to the
generate generator * *
control relay, switchgear * *
· · * *
automotive industry, the appliance industry, and virtually
every other manufacturing industry. The electrical- transfer transformer, wire * * * * · ·
equipment industry also provides equipment to the electric- convert motor, lighting * * * * *
·
power industry, which is a service industry that plays an store battery * *
especially critical role in the national infrastructure. The
driving forces influencing these two electrical industries are usefully considered together and as a
combination of competitiveness challenges and broader national challenges. Table 14 expands on the
lower half of Table 10 by showing the principal points of intersection between basic power and energy
services and national challenges. The challenges are energy efficiency (eff), the reliability and stability
of the national power system (rel), equity in revenue metering (equ), environmental quality (env), and
power quality (pq). The intersections of the challenges with the basic power and energy services are
indicated by the presence of a box (), with or without a dot (·) in it. EEEL has provided measurement
capability helpful in addressing many of these challenges. Each intersection in Table 14 that is the
subject of EEEL work described below is marked with a dot in the box (*). Deregulation is being
·
introduced to realize the benefits of domestic competition. It will give customers a choice of providers,
based on market factors, such as price and quality of service. Deregulation, and its implications for
needed measurement support, are examined in detail in EEEL's study of the electric-power industry,
listed in Table 5. In Objectives 3.1 through 3.3 below, EEEL is responding by providing measurement
capability helpful in addressing (1) equity in revenue metering; (2) control of the power network to
assure reliability and stability; and (3) energy efficiency in use.
Equity
Under deregulation, electricity will be generated by more providers and will be delivered to users
through a shared transmission and distribution system, just as shared highways and railways enable
moving merchandise. Accurate revenue metering, at a greater number of sites, will be needed to track
ownership and to support equitable volume billing for electricity moving through the shared system.
In response, industry has developed electronic watthour meters with higher accuracy over wider ranges.
Calibrations from NIST are needed to validate accuracy and assure acceptance.
Objective 3.1: Develop new capability to support the calibration of electronic watthour revenue meter
standards that provide high accuracy at five times the voltage and twenty times the current of earlier
designs. Performance Goal: Build and validate needed capability by FY 2000. [PWR]
Reliability and Stability
The national electric-power system will become more complex, and thus more challenging to control,
under deregulation. Particularly important are improved measurement sensors for providing the data
needed by control systems to assure the reliability and stability of the system. Optical sensors for
electrical quantities are especially promising. These sensors resist interference, interface readily with
optical-fiber communications systems for transfer of data to control systems, and enable more
measurements at more locations throughout the electric-power system.
10
Objective 3.2:
Establish the feasibility of using optical sensors to achieve improved accuracy and
accessibility in a new Measurement Reference Standard for ac current, and in electrical
measurements made throughout the national electric-power system. Performance Goal: Develop and test
calibration procedure for optical current sensors by FY 2000. [PWR]
Efficiency
Power distribution transformers perform the last voltage reduction just before the delivery of electricity
to end users. High efficiency in these transformers is essential to the overall efficiency of the electric-
power system.
Objective 3.3: Validate, or improve as necessary, measurement methods and statistical sampling
protocols for determining the energy efficiency of power-system distribution transformers (35,000
volts and below). Performance Goal: Publication of method and protocol by FY 2002. [PWR]
Goal 4: Provide Technical Support to Law Enforcement
EEEL manages a special NIST-wide program, authorized by the Congress, that supports the criminal-
justice community. That community includes law enforcement, corrections, crime laboratories, fire
services, and the court system. This program exploits the measurement and standards capabilities of
NIST in diverse fields of science and technology to benefit this community in several ways: (1) to
reduce injury and loss of life in law enforcement encounters; (2) to improve the quality of justice and
security by increasing the reliability of techniques used for investigations and identification; and (3) to
hold down the costs of public safety. This program is funded entirely by other Federal agencies,
including the Departments of Justice and Transportation, and the Executive Office of the President.
Upcoming Objectives, focused on reduction of loss of life, are described below.
Objective 4.1: Support reduction of loss of life by developing mathematical models, based on
laboratory and field investigations, that aid in estimating injury caused by less-than-lethal
technologies employing physical-impact weapons. Performance Goal: Completion of NIJ technical report on
use of the model to determine injury from blunt trauma by FY 2001. [LES: Cond