Emerging technology to produce commercially viable solid-state lasers capable of emitting light in the blue segment of the color spectrum is well on its way thanks to ONR-funded research. EMCORE Corporation of Somerset, N.J., has received ONR support since 1991 to help develop its "SpectraBlue" Gallium Nitride (GaN) TurboDisc productions systems. These gallium nitride systems are used to manufacture high-brightness light-emitting diodes and laser-emitting diodes in the blue segment of the color spectrum. Substituting blue beams for the red beams currently used in compact disks, DVD's, and computer hard drives will permit three times as much information to be stored on these products. The light-emitting diodes are also considerably smaller, brighter, longer lasting, and have less heat output than conventional lighting. The Navy is interested in gallium nitride semiconductor material for its role in revolutionizing microwave and millimeter-wave amplifiers. The blue-light emitters also increase the data storage-density in computer systems as noted above and are a route to highly efficient white-light emitters that can withstand the high gravitational forces typically encountered on Navy platforms. EMCORE received ONR support primarily through Phase I and II contracts from the Small Business Innovation Research program. The company went public in 1997.