For purposes of this subchapter—

the term “advanced manufacturing technology” means processes, equipment, techniques, practices, and capabilities that are applied for the purpose of—

(A) improving the productivity, quality, or energy efficiency of the design, development, testing, or manufacture of a product; or

(B) expanding the technical capability to design, develop, test, or manufacture a product that is fundamentally different in character from existing products and that will result in improved energy efficiency;

the term “advanced materials” means materials that are processed, synthesized, fabricated, and manufactured to develop high performance properties that exceed the corresponding properties of conventional materials for structural, electronic, magnetic, or photonic applications, or for joining, welding, bonding, or packaging components into complex assemblies, including—

(A) advanced monolithic materials such as metals, ceramics, and polymers;

(B) advanced composite materials such as metal matrix (including intermetallics), polymer matrix, ceramic matrix, continuous fiber ceramic composite, and carbon matrix composites; and

(C) advanced electronic, magnetic, and photonic materials, including superconducting, semiconductor, electrooptic, magnetooptic, thin-film, and special purpose coating materials used in technologies for energy efficiency, renewable energy, or electric power applications; and

(3) the term “United States” means the 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other territory or possession of the United States.

(Pub. L. 102–486, title XXII, § 2206, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3091.)