Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), was established in 1964. It is the earliest and the largest institute in China specializing in laser science and technology. It has now developed into a comprehensive scientific research institute with modern optics as the leading orientation, with the exploring of significant fundamental science frontiers and development of large engineering techniques and pioneering laser and optoelectronic application as the focal point, with high-tech innovation and basic research for application as the major task.
  The main research fields are: High Power Laser Technique, Strong-Field Physics and High Intensity Optics, Information Optics, Quantum Optics, Laser & Optoelectronic devices, and Optical Materials, etc. 
  There are 3 basic research laboratories (State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, the Key Laboratory for Quantum Optics of CAS, and the Laboratory for Information Optics), 3 high-tech. application and innovation research laboratories (the National Laboratory for High Power Laser Physics, the High Density Optical Storage Laboratory, and the Novel Laser Technique and Application System Laboratory), and 4 R & D centers (the High Power Laser Unit Technique R & D Center, the Laser Application Engineering R & D Center, the Laser & Optoelectronic Functional Material R & D Center, and the Optical Coating Technology R & D Center), one Quality Management Center and One Information Center. The staffs are nearly 1,000. About 500 are researchers and technicians including over 200 professors and senior engineers. Annually, SIOM has an enrollment of 250 graduate students.
  As one of the initial institutes for the Pilot Project of Knowledge Innovation Program of CAS, for meeting national strategic demands and international advanced research requirements, SIOM devotes to not only basic research but also high-tech. application and innovation research, which are strategic and basic and foresighted.
  For more than 30 years, SIOM has been playing an important role both at home and abroad. It has made great contribution modern optics and laser & optoelectronics in China.
● Strong in actual strength
  In 1993, SIOM was evaluated as the first class research institute for its strong strength and outstanding achievements among 300 powerful scientific research institutions by the National Scientific Committee. Since CAS starting to evaluate institutions in 1994, SIOM has been in the forefront for 8 years in succession among over 100 research institutions by its own achievements and conditions, especially the achievements in basic research, application research and development & industrialization, which can reflect its actual strength and advanced standard.
● Cooperative, high qualified innovation team, contributive to science and technology 
  SIOM has gathered the pioneers of Chinese laser career. A group of outstanding disciplinary leaders well in exploring and tracking the international advanced fields are leading to develop modern optics and laser & optoelectronics in China. Eight scientists were successively elected academicians of CAS or CAE (Chinese Academy of Engineering). Three of them have won Science and Technology Progress Award of Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation. Fourteen young and middle-aged scholars were appointed as specialist-group leaders or members of the National “863” High-Tech. Projects. Three scholars gained the National Outstanding Youth Science Foundation. Many young and middle-aged scholars won the Nation, CAS, Ministries and Commissions or Shanghai Government awards, respectively.
● Solid basis for training advanced young talents.
  SIOM is authorized as one of the earliest qualified training institutions to offer master’s degree and doctoral degree (doctoral degree in Physics, Optical Engineering and Materials), and it is also the earliest working center for post doctors. It is one of the ten key doctors training institutes firstly ratified by CAS. According to the composite assessment in 1994 from the Academic Degree Qualification Committee of the State Council, SIOM ranked the first among 14 doctors training institutions in laser and 40 masters training institutions. Two theses were elected the first and the second national outstanding doctoral theses in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Since 1978, seven hundred graduate students have been enrolled and 30 post doctors have been working in SIOM.
● Able to undertake large-scale, comprehensive high S & T research and application
  Since the institute was founded, it has built many experimental research platforms such as the “Shenguang” High Power Laser Facility which is the only one in China and a few in the world, the laser isotope separation system, the ultra-intense ultrashort laser system, the laser cooling atoms system and the national optical discs center. The research on and producing various new type high performance laser components and laser & optoelectronic functional materials has also attained the international advanced level. SIOM has made over 500 significant S & T achievements. Over 250 achievements have won the S & T prizes awarded by ministries and commissions including the national “Three Major Awards”. SIOM has filed over 300 patents and over 200 of them have been authorized, which made SIOM be in the first ten place in all institutions in China. About 500 papers were published every year. Papers published in national periodicals and international symposiums have been in front all along in recent years among national scientific research institutions.
● Exploited international advanced science fields and high-tech innovation research
  SIOM pays special attention to subject accumulation and exploitation of new research fields along with the international advanced science and high-tech. innovation. It not only made remarkable achievements in high power laser technology and engineering research & development, but also extensively and profoundly continued over 30 years to do experimental and theoretical research on the interaction between high intensity laser and materials by various laser facilities.
  In 1980s, SIOM had already developed applied basic research and high-tech. innovation in optical information S & T fields such as basis, devices and unit technique related to optical storage, optical information processing, optical computing and optical communications. It has gained a series of achievements attained the international advanced level, which provides technological support and scientific basis in the research and development of high-tech. information optoelectronics fields. The Key Laboratory for Quantum Optics is one of the initial labs working on laser cooling of gaseous atoms. It’s also one of the labs for the earliest observing the cooling below Doppler Limit.
  In the research of laser and optoelectronic functional materials, all performances of large-sized phosphate laser glass specializing in manufacturing laser nuclear fusion is in the same advanced level to foreign products. The research on high temperature oxide crystal materials has made breakthrough progress. Some technology indexes of large-sized Ti:sapphire and large-sized sapphire are both in the leading level of the word.
● Huge potential in developing high-tech. industrialization.
  In the process of promoting technology transfer and high-tech. industrialization, it has already become a laser & optoelectronics high-tech. center. There are over 10 share-holder enterprises and 3 jointly ventures. The principal products are optoelectronic devices and components, optical function materials, new type high precision optical components, CO₂ laser processing equipment, and high voltage constant current power supply equipment for dedusting.
● Frequent international cooperation and academic exchanges.
  International academic exchanges and cooperative research in SIOM have been very vigorous at various levels, in many channels and with different forms. Over 2,000 scholars, scientists and entrepreneurs from more than 50 countries and regions have visited SIOM including many Nobelists and heads of state. And over 1,000 scholars were sent to attend international symposiums or to do cooperative research. It also sponsored or cooperatively sponsored over 20 international symposiums which are in different scales and on different topics. At the same time, SIOM continuously promotes international exchanges and extends the cooperative fields. It has already established various S & T cooperative relationship with many countries, such as USA, Germany, England, French, Korea, Japan, etc., and introduced into items and fund.
● Remarkable achievement of establishing civilization unit
  Since SIOM was evaluated as a civilization unit of Shanghai S & T system during 1993-1995, it had successively been evaluated as Shanghai civilization unit in 1995-1996, 1997-1998 and 1999-2000.

Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences 
Present director: Zhu Jianqiang
Address: No.390, Qinghe Road, Jiading, Shanghai.
Postal Code: 201800.
Tel: 021-69918005 (direct dial) 021-69918000 (telephone exchange)
Fax: 021-69918800
E-mail: siom@mail.shcnc.ac.cn
Internet Homepage: http://www.siom.ac.cn

If you are interested in our institute, want to visit some laboratory, have some academic exchange, please contact with us:

  Tel: +86-21-69918005 +86-21-69918209
  Fax: +86-21-69918700 +86-21-69918006
  E-mail: hxlin@siom.ac.cn   lifen@mail.shcnc.ac.cn