NANOPHOTONICS: from fundamentals to real life applications (EPSRC Sponsored UK-Taiwan Collaboration Program for Success through People)

当我们迫使光与纳米结构相互作用时，纳米光子学的新领域就出现了，纳米结构是一种人造物质，其尺寸只有十亿分之一米。跨越纳米和光子学之间的量子桥梁，产生了一系列引人注目的新材料和新现象。纳米光子学有望吸引新的基础物理学，并在低功耗、超小型设备中实现令人兴奋的新应用，这些设备在量子边缘上执行广泛的技术，从信息处理、电信和数据存储到国防相关的监测、安全、医学和生物技术。纳米光子学的新思想能如此迅速地得到工业界的追随，这简直令人惊讶。纳米光子学可以应用的领域利害攸关，其潜在的技术和社会影响是巨大的。纳米光子学议程中有两个主题与提议的合作最相关-纳米级相变开关功能和等离子体和光的纳米级浓度。该计划旨在促进英国和台湾在纳米光子学领域的领先研究小组之间的长期和高知名度的合作。在现代世界，研究和发展正在迅速全球化和外包，研究活动确实从传统的西方强国转移到拥有良好教育制度、廉价劳动力和有利经济气候的工业国家。从国际蓝筹公司将重点研究中心迁往新兴工业国家可以看到这种变化的证据。这对英国研究基地提出了挑战，最好的解决办法是在这个新的全球现实中发挥核心作用，并与新的参与者建立互利的研发合作。虽然与日本和中国相比，台湾相对较小，而且由于历史原因部分政治孤立，台湾多年来一直拥有非常活跃的经济和优秀的教育体系。台湾的高等院校拥有世界上最高的入学率。国立台湾大学（拟合作伙伴）被公认为亚洲最好的大学之一。​政府将提供14.3亿美元的研发贷款，通过在关键领域（如集成电路设计、信息和通信技术、数字内容）设立学术机构，在当地培养必要的人才，鼓励产学研机构合作，建立创新和研发中心，推动关键研究，以获取核心产业技术。近年来，因特尔（创新中心）、惠普（Hewlett-Packard）、IBM（卓越生命科学中心）、西门子（Siemens）、戴尔（Dell）、索尼（Sony）等国际蓝筹公司纷纷在台湾设立研究中心。今天的台湾是一个强大的高科技出口国，在许多方面是一个真正的现代经济体，从民族主义的议程中解放出来，与中国大陆建立了新的联系和工作关系。不幸的是，英国与台湾的研究机构之间的合作活动目前并没有很好地发展。因此，该提案的新颖性关键在于与未来最重要的高科技国家之一建立一个新的高知名度的研究联系。

The new field of Nanophotonics emerges when we force light to interact with nano-structures, artificial matter engineered and arranged on the scale of only billionths of a meter. Crossing the quantum bridge between nano and photonics produces a remarkable range of new materials and phenomena. Nanophotonics promises captivating new fundamental physics, and new mind-blowing applications in low power, ultra-small devices performing at the quantum edge in a wide range of technologies, from information processing, telecommunications and data storage to defence-related monitoring, security, medicine and biotechnologies. It is simply astonishing how fast new ideas in Nanophotonics find industrial followers. The stakes in fields where Nanophotonics could be applied are high, and their potential technological and social impact is immense. There are two topics in the nanophotonics agenda that that are most relevant to the proposed collaboration - nanoscale phase change switching functionality and plasmonics and nanoscale concentration of light.The proposed grant aims to facilitate a long-term and high-profile collaboration between leading research groups in the UK and Taiwan in the filed of Nanophotonics. In the modern world, where research and development are rapidly being globalized and outsourced, there is a real shift of research activities from the traditional powerhouses of the West to industrial countries with good educational systems, cheap labour and a favourable economic climate. Evidence of such changes can be seen in the relocation of key research centres of international blue-chip companies to the new industrial nations. This presents a challenge to the UK research base that can best be addressed by taking a central role in this new worldwide reality and establishing mutually beneficial R&D collaborations with the new players. Although relatively small in comparison with Japan and China, and for historic reasons partially politically isolated, Taiwan has for many years had a very dynamic economy and an excellent education system. Colleges and universities in Taiwan have some of the highest rates of enrolment in the world. National Taiwan University (the proposed partner) is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Asia. The Taiwanese government has launched the Challenge 2008 National Development Plan, with the goal of making Taiwan the best R&D location in Asia by attracting international R&D personnel and introducing R&D resources from around the world. It is providing US$1.43 billion in loans for R&D, cultivating the necessary personnel locally by establishing academic institutions specialising in key areas (such as IC design, information and communications technologies and digital content), encouraging cooperation among industry, academia, and research organizations, establishing innovation and R&D centres, and promoting key research for the acquisition of core industrial technologies. In response to such proactive government policies, international blue-chip companies such as Intel (Innovation Centre), Hewlett-Packard, IBM (Life Sciences Centre of Excellence), Siemens, Dell, and Sony have recently established research centres in Taiwan. Today Taiwan is a powerhouse high-tech exporter and in many ways a truly modern economy, freeing itself from the nationalist's agenda and establishing new contacts and working relations with China.Unfortunately, research collaboration activities between UK and Taiwan institutions are currently not very well developed. Therefore, the key element of novelty in this proposal is the establishment of a new high-profile research link with what promises to be a one of the most important high-tech nations of the future.