Research and Developments –Projects–

This center will carry out research and development aimed at maintaining the competitiveness of electronic and optical functional materials, which are the fundamental technologies that form the backbone of Japan's material innovation capabilities, and acquiring unrivaled development capabilities.

In order to realize the sustainable development of humankind, it is necessary to create material technologies aimed at transforming social systems. Reducing energy consumption by improving the efficiency of social systems is a necessary condition for sustainability, so we will proceed with the development of semiconductors and optical materials that can reduce energy consumption through innovative improvements in efficiency. Additionally, in order to build systems that bring safety and security to people's lives, we will improve the sensitivity and reliability of sensor materials such as biosensors, chemical sensors, and infrared sensors, and promote the non-toxicity of these materials.

• Creation of functional materials to realize a sustainable society
  The Industrial Revolution is said to have begun with the invention of the steam engine. After passing through the era of external combustion engines, such as steam engines, and internal combustion engines, such as automobile engines, we have entered an era in which many devices, including automobiles, are driven by motors. The proportion of electricity in energy demand is about to increase. Therefore, it is desirable to develop electronic components and materials that can efficiently supply and utilize power. In addition, various devices, including automobiles, are connected to networks and are becoming automated and autonomous, and the sensing and communication technologies that support this are becoming increasingly important. Electronics literally affect human lives, so reliability and stability are required. For its development, it will be important to combine so-called electronic materials such as semiconductors, dielectrics, and piezoelectrics with materials that have chemical functions such as those that can detect gas molecules. Therefore, our project is not limited to so-called electronic materials, but also adds new functions by developing and integrating comprehensive material functions, such as adding chemical functions.
• Fundamental research for creating innovative optical materials
  Optical technology supports a wide range of aspects of our lives, from daily life to industrial activities, such as lighting, displays, processing, manufacturing, medicine, healthcare, and agriculture. What makes it unique is that it has brought about technological innovation in many fields. We have made major changes to conventional technology, such as switching to LED lighting and laser processing. It can be said that the birth of new optical materials has been one of the driving forces in bringing this optical technology to a level where it is actually useful. In the optical functional field, we aim to develop such optical materials. Although there are many future prospects for technologies that utilize light, the number of technologies that have been implemented in society is still limited. Therefore, we will promote a wide range of research, from the radiation level to the visible light, infrared, and terahertz regions, from nano-sized to bulk-sized, and including quantum light sources, from the basic level of pioneering research to the level close to practical use.