Editing Bell Labs (section)

===21st century===
[[Image:Alcatel Lucent Logo.svg|thumb|The pre-2013 logo of [[Alcatel-Lucent]], the parent company of Bell Labs]]
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]] was invented; a large-scale map of cosmic [[dark matter]] was compiled; and the F-15 (material), an organic material that makes [[Organic electronics|plastic transistors]] possible, was invented.

In 2002, physicist [[Schön scandal|Jan Hendrik Schön was fired]] after his work was found to contain fraudulent data. It was the first known case of fraud at Bell Labs.

In 2003, the [[New Jersey Institute of Technology]] Biomedical Engineering Laboratory was created at [[Murray Hill, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.njnano.org/profile-new-jersey-nanotechnology-consortium/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080530113227/http://www.njnano.org/resources/index.shtml |url-status=dead |title=Profile: New Jersey Nanotechnology Consortium |archive-date=May 30, 2008}}</ref>

In 2004, Lucent Technologies awarded two women the prestigious Bell Labs Fellow Award. Magaly Spector, a director in INS/Network Systems Group, was awarded for "sustained and exceptional scientific and technological contributions in [[solid-state physics]], III-V material for semiconductor lasers, [[Gallium Arsenide]] integrated circuits, and the quality and reliability of products used in high speed optical transport systems for next generation high bandwidth communication." Eve Varma, a technical manager in MNS/Network Systems Group, was awarded for her citation in "sustained contributions to digital and [[optical networking]], including architecture, synchronization, restoration, standards, operations and control."

In 2005, [[Jeong H. Kim]], former President of Lucent's Optical Network Group, returned from academia to become the President of Bell Laboratories.

In April 2006, Bell Laboratories' parent company, Lucent Technologies, signed a merger agreement with [[Alcatel-Lucent|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, LGS Innovations, with an American board was set up to manage Bell Laboratories' and Lucent's sensitive [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government]] contracts. In March 2019, LGS Innovations was purchased by [[CACI]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/caci-international-to-buy-private-equity-backed-lgs-innovations-for-750-million-11548897592 |title=CACI International to Buy Private-Equity Backed LGS Innovations for $750 Million |first=Laura |last=Cooper |newspaper=[[Wall Street Journal]] |date=January 31, 2019 |access-date=April 27, 2020 |archive-date=June 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622215729/https://www.wsj.com/articles/caci-international-to-buy-private-equity-backed-lgs-innovations-for-750-million-11548897592 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In December 2007, it was announced that the former Lucent Bell Laboratories and the former Alcatel Research and Innovation would be merged into one organization under the name of Bell Laboratories. This is the first period of growth following many years during which Bell Laboratories progressively lost manpower due to layoffs and spin-offs making the company shut down briefly.

In February 2008, Alcatel-Lucent continued the Bell Laboratories tradition of awarding the prestigious award for outstanding technical contributors. Martin J. Glapa, a former chief Technical Officer of Lucent's Cable Communications Business Unit and Director of Advanced Technologies,<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Communications-Technology/00s/Communications-Technology-2000-03.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309033645/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Communications-Technology/00s/Communications-Technology-2000-03.pdf |archive-date=2021-03-09 |url-status=live |journal=Communications Technology |title=Interview with a Leader-IP Networking: Conduit to Cash |author=Jenifer Whalen |date=March 2000 |access-date=August 2, 2022}}</ref> was presented by Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs President Jeong H. Kim with the 2006 Bell Labs Fellow Award in [[Network Architecture]], Network Planning, and Professional Services with particular focus in Cable TV Systems and [[Broadband]] Services having "significant resulting Alcatel-Lucent commercial successes." Glapa is a patent holder and has co-written the 2004 technical paper called "Optimal Availability & Security For Voice Over Cable Networks" and co-authored the 2008 "Impact of bandwidth demand growth on HFC networks" published by IEEE.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fiercevideo.com/tech/bell-labs-cable-wireless-convergence-could-cut-expenses-by-40 |title=Bell Labs: Cable/wireless convergence could cut expenses by 40% |website=Nobelprize.org |author=Mike Dano |date=October 20, 2017 |access-date=August 2, 2022 |archive-date=August 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220803013203/https://www.fiercevideo.com/tech/bell-labs-cable-wireless-convergence-could-cut-expenses-by-40 |url-status=live }}</ref>

As of July 2008, however, only four scientists remained in physics research, according to a report by the scientific journal ''Nature''.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Access : Bell Labs bottoms out : Nature News |journal=Nature |volume=454 |issue=7207 |page=927 |author=Geoff Brumfiel |doi=10.1038/454927a |pmid=18719552 |year=2008 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

On August 28, 2008, Alcatel-Lucent announced it was pulling out of basic science, material physics, and semiconductor research, and it will instead focus on more immediately marketable areas, including networking, high-speed electronics, wireless networks, nanotechnology and software.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2008/08/bell-labs-kills/ |first=Priya |last=Ganapati |title=Bell Labs Kills Fundamental Physics Research |date=August 27, 2008 |access-date=August 28, 2008 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828233520/http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/08/bell-labs-kills.html |archive-date=August 28, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2009, Willard Boyle and George Smith were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the invention and development of the [[charge-coupled device]] (CCD).<ref>{{cite web |title=The 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics – Press Release |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2009/press.html |website=Nobelprize.org |date=October 6, 2009 |access-date=January 7, 2017 |archive-date=May 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516073858/http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2009/boyle.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Rob Soni was an Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs Fellow in 2009 as cited for work in winning North American customers wireless business and for helping to define 4G wireless networks with transformative system architectures.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rob Soni Head of RAN Architecture, VMware Speaker BIO |url=https://www.mwclasvegas.com/agenda/speaker/rob-soni |date=2022 |access-date=14 January 2023 |archive-date=January 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114051222/https://www.mwclasvegas.com/agenda/speaker/rob-soni |url-status=live }}</ref>