The international standardization of nanotechnology is carried out with special focus on the structure, scope, and activities of ISO (International Organization for Standardization)/TC (Technical Committee) 229. Note that the TC has already published 22 standard documents, and JISC (Japanese Industrial Standards Committee) has contributed greatly to the characterization of single- and multi-wall carbon nanotubes, which is the first target of ISO/TC 229/Working Group 2 on measurement and characterization. In addition, the standardization of the AFM probe characterization technique together with the development of an AFM probe characterizer is carried out as a typical example of the comprehensive promotion of both R&D and standardization. Note also that the contribution to the standardization and authentication of new technologies is one of the future targets of JSAP activities.

The‘magic frequency’protocol has made it possible to design a new type of atomic clock based on well-engineered perturbations. Such‘optical lattice clocks’will allow extremely precise and speedy timekeeping, which targets a fractional uncertainty of 10^-18. Marked progresses of optical clocks, including optical lattice clocks, are overviewed. Possible impacts and future applications of optical clocks, such as testing the fundamental laws of physics and developing relativistic geodesy using fiber-linked optical clocks, are discussed.

The vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) was invented in 1977. The VCSEL photonics opens up a new field of applications by taking the merits of compactness, small power consumption, high-speed capability, arrayed configuration, and so on. In particular, the VCSEL is becoming a key device in high-speed optical local-area networks (LANs) and computer mice. This device also enables ultraparallel data transfer in data centers and supercomputer systems. It is expected to contribute to‘Green ICT’technology in various aspects.

Compact disc recordable (CD-R) was invented by Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd., in 1988. Since its invention, it was standardized using Orange Book Part II and became the only electronic recording medium that exceeds the shipment of 10 billion units per year. In this article, the story on the development of CD-R including“three breakthroughs”, the fundamentals on CD-R technologies, such as the structure and the recording mechanism, the progress of the technology, and the market of CD-R are discussed. Finally, the idea or opinion of the author on the importance of product planning, particularly setting the target of product development, is presented.

In 1980, when the first High-Electron-Mobility Transistor (HEMT) was demonstrated at Fujitsu Laboratories, it was thought of as a laboratory curiosity. Its device architecture was unprecedented, requiring sophisticated material growth and device process techniques with precise control on an atomic scale, and therefore considerable difficulties were predicted for its commercialization. Five years later, however, the first commercial HEMT was introduced as a low-noise amplifier for radio telescopes. In 1987, HEMTs came into wide use in broadcast satellite receivers, and worldwide production for this application reached about 1 billion units per year. In this paper, the author describes the early history of HEMT development in the laboratories.

The idea of perpendicular magnetic recording and its development were described along with the suggestion for research of science and technology. The idea of perpendicular recording was born in pursuit of extreme in-plane magnetic recording. The complementarity between perpendicular and in-plane recording systems served as a guiding principle for the new research. Although the research experienced a “valley of death,” inherent to an innovative technology, it could result in practical applications owing to the firm confidence in the principle and the strong collaboration with industries and academia. The research is a rare successful case in Japan that started with science and resulted in the development of a technology. The era caught up with the research. The research of science and technology requires not only originality but also a responsible promotion to the maturity of the technology. Technology could be a “father of science.”

Read and write technologies of high-density optical discs are explained by considering BDXL as an example, where BDXL is a trademark of Blu-ray Disc Association. To achieve triple recording layers for 100 GB or quadruple recording layers for 128 GB, inter-layer crosstalk and inter-symbol interference are reduced and optimized. Particular disc structures and optical systems are developed to minimize inter-layer crosstalk. The partial response maximum likelihood method and adaptive recording pulse control technology are adopted to minimize inter-symbol interference.