Letter to Secretary Ashton B. Carter, U.S. Department of Defense - Department of Defense to Support UNM's Proposal to Create National Institute of Photonics

Letter

Dear Secretary Carter:

We are writing to express our strong support for the proposal submitted by the University of Southern California's (USC) Information Sciences Institute (ISI) Team to establish a new Integrated Photonics Institute for Manufacturing Innovation (IP-IMI).

USC ISI and its partners at University of New Mexico (UNM), the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of California-Berkeley (UCB), the University of California-San Diego (UCSD), Arizona State University, and the Ohio State University, as well as numerous industry partners, will establish a reliable photonics manufacturing capability to serve both our Department of Defense (DOD) and commercial markets. Ultimately, the USC IP-IMI will be an end-to-end integrated photonics manufacturing "ecosystem."

This team will bring together government, industry and academia to develop this manufacturing ecosystem here in the U.S. They have broad talents and proven track records in microelectronics and chip packaging, as well as significant expertise in world-class photonics manufacturing. They also can leverage complementary expertise in serving commercial and DOD industries, a key to the success of the IP-IMI initiative. New Mexico's unique capabilities in Mid Infrared photonic systems have served our DOD and commercial industries for decades. UNM will stand up the New Mexico Hub on Sensing --Integrated Manufacturing for Mid-infrared Photonic Applications Technology (IMMPACT) which will work toward self-sufficiency.

New Mexico has a long history of innovation and collaboration in the development and deployment of DOD technologies, as well as Department of Energy (DOE) programs. Our state is home to Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). We have nationally-recognized programs in workforce education and training at the UNM and Central New Mexico Community College. UNM, Sandia, Los Alamos and AFRL also have strong relations with a wide network of small to medium sized manufacturers, as well as the major industrial companies involved in photonics research and applications. New Mexico also has the New Mexico Optics Industry Association (nmOptics), a non-profit association recognized by the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) as an industry leader which promotes the growth of the optics and photonics industry in our state.

The U.S. photonics industry currently supports more than 100,000 high-paying jobs, a number that could double within the next decade as new photonic-electronic chips find their way into products and technologies across many industries. The combined team's established research and development in critical areas of this technology, coupled with its electronics and photonics packaging expertise, will build a pipeline of innovation and talent for this high-tech industry.

We believe that the USC ISI proposal has merit, and we urge you to give it thoughtful consideration. Thank you for your attention to this request.

Sincerely,