Bell Labs
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225629373
2008-07-14T17:10:29Z
Andrei Stroe
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/* External links */ iw ro
[[Image:Lucent HQ.gif|thumb|right|240px|Bell Laboratories at Murray Hill, New Jersey]]
'''Bell Laboratories''' (also known as '''Bell Labs''' and formerly known as '''AT&T Bell Laboratories''' and '''Bell Telephone Laboratories''') is the [[research]] organization of [[Alcatel-Lucent]] and previously the [[United States]] [[Bell System]].
<!-- I would suggest maybe moving this locations section to a full section? -->
Bell Laboratories is headquartered at [[Murray Hill, New Jersey]], in the [[United States|USA]], and has research and development facilities throughout the world.
==Origin and historical locations==
In 1925 Western Electric Research Laboratories and part of the engineering department of [[American Telephone & Telegraph|AT&T]] were consolidated to form Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. as a separate entity. The first president of research was [[Frank B. Jewett]], who stayed until 1940. Ownership of Bell Laboratories was evenly split between AT&T and [[Western Electric]]. Its principal work was to design and support the equipment Western Electric built for Bell System operating companies, including [[Telephone exchange|switch]]es. Support work included the writing and maintaining of the Bell System Practices (BSP), a comprehensive series of technical manuals. The Labs also carried out consulting work for them, and US government work including [[Project Nike]]. A few workers were assigned to basic research, which attracted much attention. Until the 1940s, the principal locations were in New York.
Among the historical Bell Laboratories locations in New Jersey were [[Crawford Hill, New Jersey|Crawford Hill]], [[Deal Test Site|Deal]], [[Freehold, New Jersey|Freehold]], [[Holmdel, New Jersey|Holmdel]], [[Lincroft, New Jersey|Lincroft]], [[Long Branch, New Jersey|Long Branch]], [[Middletown, New Jersey|Middletown]], [[Murray Hill, New Jersey|Murray Hill]], [[Princeton, New Jersey|Princeton]], [[Piscataway, New Jersey|Piscataway]], [[Red Bank, New Jersey|Red Bank]], and [[Whippany, New Jersey|Whippany]]. Of these [[Crawford Hill, New Jersey|Crawford Hill]], [[Murray Hill, New Jersey|Murray Hill]], and [[Whippany, New Jersey|Whippany]] remain. The largest facility in the country was in Illinois, at [[Naperville, Illinois|Naperville]]-[[Lisle, Illinois|Lisle]], which had the single largest concentration of employees (about 11,000) prior to the telecomm downturn of 2001. There also were facilities in [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]], Ohio, [[Allentown, Pennsylvania|Allentown]] and [[Breinigsville, Pennsylvania|Breinigsville]] in Pennsylvania, and [[Westminster, Colorado|Westminster]], Colorado. Since 2001, many of the former locations have been scaled back or shut down entirely.
==Discoveries and Developments==
[[Image:BellLabs.PNG|thumb|right|Bell Laboratories logo, used from 1969 until 1983]]
At its peak, Bell Laboratories was the premier facility of its type, developing a wide range of revolutionary technologies, including [[radio astronomy]], the [[transistor]], the [[laser]], [[information theory]], the [[UNIX]] [[operating system]], and the [[C (programming language)|C programming language]]. There have been 6 [[Nobel Prize]]s awarded for work completed at Bell Laboratories. <ref>[http://www.bell-labs.com/about/awards.html#nobel List of Awards]</ref>
*1937 [[Clinton Davisson|Clinton J. Davisson]] shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for demonstrating the wave nature of matter
*1956 [[John Bardeen]], [[Walter H. Brattain]] and [[William Shockley]] received the Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing the [[transistor]]
*1977 [[Philip W. Anderson]] shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for developing an improved understanding of the electronic structure of glass and magnetic materials
*1978 [[Arno A. Penzias]] and [[Robert Woodrow Wilson|Robert W. Wilson]] shared the Nobel Prize in Physics. Penzias and Wilson were cited for their discovery of [[cosmic microwave background radiation]], a nearly uniform glow that fills [[outer space]] in the microwave part of the spectrum
*1997 [[Steven Chu]], shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for developing methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light
*1998 [[Horst Stormer]], [[Robert Laughlin]], and [[Daniel Tsui]], were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery and explanation of the fractional quantum Hall effect
===1920s===
During its first year of operation, facsimile ([[fax]]) transmission, invented elsewhere, was first demonstrated publicly by the Bell Laboratories.<!-- As a result of the research? --> In 1926, the laboratories invented the first [[Sound film|synchronous-sound motion picture]] system <ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9015241 Encyclopædia Britannica Article]</ref>, and continued to produce inventions throughout its lifetime.
In 1924, Bells Labs physicist Dr. [[Walter A. Shewhart]] proposed the [[control chart]] as a method to determine when a process was in a state of statistical control. Shewart's methods were the basis for [[statistical process control]] (SPC) - the use of statistically-based tools and techniques for the management and improvement of processes. This was the origin of the modern quality movement, including [[Six Sigma]].
In 1927, a long-distance [[television]] transmission of images of [[Herbert Hoover]] from Washington to New York was successful, and in 1928 the [[thermal noise]] in a resistor was first measured by [[John B. Johnson]] with [[Harry Nyquist]], who provided a theoretical analysis. During the 1920s, the [[one-time pad]] [[cipher]] was invented by [[Gilbert Vernam]] and [[Joseph Mauborgne]] at the laboratories; Bell's [[Claude Shannon]] later proved that it was unbreakable.
===1930s===
In 1931, a foundation for [[radio astronomy]] was laid by [[Karl Jansky]] during his work investigating the origins of static on long-distance shortwave communications. He discovered that [[radio]] waves were being emitted from the center of the [[galaxy]]. In 1933, [[Stereophonic sound|stereo signals]] were transmitted live from [[Philadelphia]] to [[Washington, DC]]. In 1937, the [[vocoder]], the first electronic [[speech synthesizer]] was invented and demonstrated by [[Homer Dudley]]. Bell researcher [[Clinton Davisson]] shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with [[George Paget Thomson]] for the discovery of [[electron diffraction]], which helped lay the foundation for [[solid-state electronics]].
===1940s===
[[Image:Transistors.agr.jpg|thumb|left|The [[transistor]] was invented at Bell Laboratories in 1947]]In the early 1940s, the [[photovoltaic cell]] was developed by [[Russell Ohl]]. In 1943, Bell developed [[SIGSALY]], the first digital scrambled speech transmission system, used by the Allies in World War II. In 1947, the [[transistor]], probably the most important invention developed by Bell Laboratories, was invented by [[John Bardeen]], [[Walter Houser Brattain]], and [[William Bradford Shockley]] (all of whom subsequently won the [[Nobel Prize]] in Physics in 1956). In 1948, "[[A Mathematical Theory of Communication]]", one of the founding works in [[information theory]], was published by [[Claude Shannon]] in the ''[[Bell System Technical Journal]]''; it built in part on earlier work in the field by Bell researchers [[Harry Nyquist]] and [[Ralph Hartley]]. It also introduced a series of increasingly complex calculators through the decade. Shannon was also the founder of [[History of cryptography|modern cryptography]] with his 1949 paper [http://www3.edgenet.net/dcowley/docs.html Communication Theory of Secrecy Systems].
==== Calculators====
*Model I - [[Complex Number Calculator]], completed January 1940, for doing calculations of [[complex numbers]], See [[George Stibitz]]
*Model II - [[Relay Calculator]] or [[Relay Interpolator]], September 1943, for aiming anti-aircraft guns by interpolating from positions
*Model III - [[Ballistic Computer]], June 1944, for calculations of ballistic trajectories
*Model IV - [[Bell Laboratories Relay Calculator]], March 1945, a second Ballistic Computer
*Model V - [[Bell Laboratories General Purpose Relay Calculator]], two were built, July 1946 and February 1947, which were general-purpose programmable computers using electromechanical relays
*Model VI - November 1950, an enhanced Model V
===1950s===
The 1950s saw fewer developments and less activity on the scientific side. Efforts concentrated more precisely on the Laboratories' prime mission of supporting the Bell System with engineering advances including N-carrier, TD [[Microwave radio relay]], [[Direct Distance Dialing]], E-[[repeaters]], [[Wire spring relay]]s, and [[5XB switch|improved switching]] systems. Maurice Karnaugh, in 1953, developed the [[Karnaugh map]] as tool to facilitate management of [[Boolean algebra (logic)|Boolean algebraic]] expressions. In 1954, The first photo voltaic was examined at Bell Laboratories. As for the spectacular side of the business, in 1956 [[TAT-1]], the first [[transatlantic telephone cable]] was laid between Scotland and Newfoundland, in a joint effort by [[AT&T]], Bell Laboratories, and British and Canadian telephone companies.<!-- What was Bell Labs' involvement in that?--> A year later, in 1957, [[MUSIC-N|MUSIC]], one of the first computer programs to play [[electronic music]], was created by [[Max Mathews]]. New [[greedy algorithm]]s developed by [[Robert C. Prim]] and [[Joseph Kruskal]], revolutionized [[computer network]] design. In 1958, the [[laser]] was first described, in a technical paper by [[Arthur Schawlow]] and [[Charles Townes]].
===1960s===
In 1960, Dawon Kahng and Martin Atalla invented the metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor ([[MOSFET]]); the MOSFET has achieved electronic hegemony and sustains the [[Integrated circuit#LSI|large-scale integrated circuits]] (LSIs) underlying today's information society. In 1962, the [[electret microphone]] was invented by [[Gerhard Sessler|Gerhard M. Sessler]] and [[James Edward Maceo West]]. In 1964, the [[Carbon dioxide laser]] was invented by [[Kumar Patel]]. In 1965, Penzias and Wilson discovered the [[Cosmic Microwave Background]], and won the Nobel Prize in 1978. In 1966, [[Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing]] (OFDM), a key technology in wireless services, was developed and patented by [[R. W. Chang]]. In 1968, [[Molecular beam epitaxy]] was developed by [[J.R. Arthur]] and [[A.Y. Cho]]; molecular beam epitaxy allows semiconductor chips and laser matrices to be manufactured one atomic layer at a time. In 1969, the [[UNIX]] operating system was created by [[Dennis Ritchie]] and [[Ken Thompson (computer programmer)|Ken Thompson]]. The [[Charge-coupled device]] (CCD) was invented in 1969 by [[Willard Boyle]] and [[George E. Smith]].
===1970s===
[[Image:K&R C.jpg|left|thumb|The C programming language was developed at Bell Laboratories in 1970]] The 1970s and 1980s saw more and more computer-related inventions at the Bell Laboratories as part of the [[personal computing]] revolution. In 1970 [[Dennis Ritchie]] developed the [[C (programming language)|C programming language]] as a replacement for the interpretive B for use in writing the [[Unix|UNIX operating system]] (also developed at Bell Laboratories). In 1971, an improved task priority system for computerized [[telephone exchange|switching system]]s for telephone traffic was invented by [[Erna Schneider Hoover]], who received one of the first [[software patent]]s for it. In 1976, [[Fiber optic]]s systems were first tested in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and in 1980, the first single-chip [[32-bit]] [[microprocessor]], the BELLMAC-32A was demonstrated; it went into production in 1982.
===1980s===
[[Image:Image135.gif|frame|Bell Laboratories logo, used from 1984 until 1995]]
In 1980, the [[Time division multiple access|TDMA]] and [[CDMA]] digital cellular telephone technology was patented. In 1982, [[Fractional quantum Hall effect]] was discovered by [[Horst Ludwig Störmer|Horst Störmer]] and former Bell Laboratories researchers [[Robert B. Laughlin]] and [[Daniel C. Tsui]]; they consequently won a Nobel Prize in 1998 for the discovery. In 1983, the [[C++]] programming language was developed by [[Bjarne Stroustrup]] as an extension to the original C programming language also developed at Bell Laboratories.
In 1984, the first photoconductive antennas for picosecond electromagnetic radiation were demonstrated by Auston et al. This type of antenna now becomes an important component in [[terahertz time-domain spectroscopy]]. In 1984, the [[Karmarkar's algorithm|Karmarkar Linear Programming Algorithm]] was developed by mathematician [[Narendra Karmarkar]]. Also in 1984, [[Modification of Final Judgment|a divestiture agreement]] with the American Federal government forced the break-up of AT&T: [[Bellcore]] (now [[Telcordia Technologies]]) was split off from Bell Laboratories to provide the same R&D functions for the newly created [[local exchange carrier]]s. [[AT&T]] also was limited to using the Bell trademark only in association with Bell Laboratories. '''Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc.''', was then renamed '''AT&T Bell Laboratories, Inc.''', and became a wholly owned company of the new [[AT&T Technologies]] unit, the former [[Western Electric]]. The [[5ESS Switch]] was developed during this transition. In 1985, [[laser cooling]] was used to slow and manipulate atoms by [[Steven Chu]] and team. Also in 1985, Bell Laboratories was awarded the [[National Medal of Technology]] "For contribution over decades to modern communication systems". During the 1980s, the [[Plan 9 from Bell Labs|Plan 9 operating system]] was developed as a replacement for [[Unix]] which was also developed at Bell Laboratories in 1969. Development of the [[Radiodrum]], a three dimensional electronic instrument. In 1988, [[TAT-8]] became the first fiber optic [[transatlantic cable]].
===1990s===
[[Image:Lucent Technologies logo.svg|thumb|200px|Lucent Logo, bearing the "Bell Labs Innovations" tagline]]
In 1990, [[WaveLAN]], the first [[wireless]] [[local area network]] (LAN) was developed at Bell Laboratories. Wireless network technology would not become popular until the late 1990s and was first demonstrated in 1995. In 1991, the 56K [[modem]] technology was patented by [[Nuri Dağdeviren]] and his team. In 1994, the [[Quantum cascade laser]] was invented by the [[Federico Capasso]], [[Alfred Cho]], and their collaborators and was later greatly improved by the innovations of [[Claire Gmachl]]. Also in 1994, [[Peter Shor]] devised his quantum factorization algorithm. In 1996, [[SCALPEL]] [[lithography|electron lithography]], which prints features atoms wide on microchips, was invented by [[Lloyd Harriott]] and his team. The [[Inferno (operating system)|Inferno operating system]], an update of Plan 9, was created by Dennis Ritchie with others, using the new [[concurrent programming language|concurrent]] [[Limbo programming language]]. A high performance database engine (Dali) was developed which became [[DataBlitz]] in its product form.
AT&T spun off Bell Laboratories, along with most of its equipment-manufacturing business, into a new company named [[Alcatel-Lucent|Lucent Technologies]]. AT&T retained a smaller number of researchers, who made up the staff of the newly-created [[AT&T Laboratories]]. In 1997, 50 years after inventing the original transistor, the smallest practical transistor (60 [[nanometer]]s or a mere 182 atoms wide) was built. In 1998, the first [[optical router]] was invented and the first combination of voice and data traffic on an [[Internet Protocol]] (IP) network was developed at the Laboratories.
===2000s===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Belllabs96.gif|thumb|200px|Logo, from around 2000]] -->
2000 was an active year for the Laboratories, in which [[DNA machine]] prototypes were developed; [[progressive geometry compression algorithm]] made widespread 3-D communication practical; the first electrically powered [[Dye laser|organic laser]] invented; a large-scale map of cosmic [[dark matter]] was compiled, and [[F-15 (material)|F-15]], an organic material that makes [[plastic transistor]]s possible, was invented. In 2002, [[Jan Hendrik Schön]], a [[Germany|German]] [[physicist]], was fired after his work was found to contain fraudulent data. Over a dozen of Schön's papers were found to contain completely fictional or considerably altered data, including a paper on molecular-scale transistors that had been received as a breakthrough. Also in 2002, the world's first semiconductor laser that emits light continuously and reliably over a broad spectrum of [[infrared]] wavelengths was invented. In 2003, the [[New Jersey Nanotechnology Laboratory]] was created at [[Murray Hill, New Jersey]]. <!-- I'm guessing about the successor bit. Please check this. Not a successor-->
In 2005, [[Jeong H. Kim|Dr. Jeong Kim]], former President of Lucent's Optical Network Group, returned from academia to become President of Bell Laboratories.
In April 2006, Bell Laboratories's parent company, Lucent Technologies, signed a merger agreement with [[Alcatel]]. On [[December 1]], [[2006]] the merged company, [[Alcatel-Lucent]], began operations. This deal raised concerns in the [[United States]], where Bell Laboratories works on defense contracts. A separate company with a US board was set up to manage Bell Laboratories' and Lucent's sensitive US government contracts.
In December 2007, it was announced the former Lucent Bell Laboratories and the former Alcatel Research and Innovation would be merged into one organization under the name of Bell Laboratories, continuing the commitment to research at Alcatel-Lucent. This is the first period of growth following many years during which Bell Laboratories progressively lost manpower due to layoffs and spin-offs.
==See also==
*[[Alcatel-Lucent]] - Parent company of Bell Laboratories
*[[Arun Netravali]] - Bell Laboratories engineer - former president of Bell Laboratories
*[[Walter A. Shewhart]] - Bell Laboratories engineer - "father of statistical quality control"
*[[George Stibitz]] - Bell Laboratories engineer - "father of the modern digital computer"
*"[[Worse is Better]]" - A Software design philosophy also called "The New Jersey Style" under which UNIX and C are supposedly developed
*[[History of mobile phones]] - Bell Laboratories conception and development of cellular phones
*[[High speed photography]] & [[Wollensak]] - ''Fastax'' high speed (rotating prism) cameras developed by Bell Labs
*[[Sound film]] - ''Westrex'' sound system for cinema films developed by Bell Labs
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.bell-labs.com/ Bell Labs]
*[http://www.bell-labs.com/about/history/timeline.html Timeline of discoveries as of 2006]
*[http://www.bell-labs.com/org/1133/Research/Acoustics/AnechoicChamber.html Bell Labs' Murray Hill anechoic chamber]
*[http://www.porticus.org/bell/bell.htm Bell System Memorial]
*[http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.683404,-74.400744&spn=0.004066,0.006605&t=k&hl=en Google maps satellite view of the Murray Hill Facility]
{{Bell System}}
[[Category:Bell Labs]]
[[Category:Bell System]]
[[Category:Telecommunications history]]
[[Category:Alcatel-Lucent]]
[[Category:National Medal of Technology recipients]]
[[Category:Research and development]]
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