Print

Mail

wiki links

Taiwan hoping for giant steps in a minute world

By Chiu Yu-tzu
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Jan 05, 2002, Page 2

The ITRI Nanotechnology Research Center, to be formally opened in Hsinchu on Jan. 16, will be Taiwan's largest industrial technology research organization. PHOTO: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE

With dramatic growth in Taiwan's semiconductor industry having turned the nation into one of the world's major producers of integrated circuits, the government -- in the form of the National Science Council -- is heavily engaged in efforts to further develop industry by taking responsibility for coordinating the nation's already extensive research into nanotechnology.

A visit by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and senior officials of the Ministry of Economic Affairs on Monday to a major new research center in Hsinchu -- to be formally opened in mid-January -- will underline the importance attached by the government to the burgeoning new field.

Research in the field has been underway for some time at research centers and universities around the country without any national coordination. The National Science Council (NSC) is now leading the planning of a national nanotechnology program.

NSC officials say the program is to play a crucial role in setting Taiwan's nanotechnology agenda and will be launched next year.

" The lack of innovativeness and an international perspective on the part of our professionals in the field are worrying.

-- Wu Maw-kuen, National Science Council vice chairman

A top-level NSC meeting is to review the draft of the program this month.

NSC Vice Chairman Wu Maw-kuen (吳茂昆) told the Taipei Times that a second meeting would be likely to approve the draft in March. After that, Wu said, details of the program would be revised on the basis of advice given at the meeting.

Wu said that the budget for the program would be drawn up by the end of this year. The proposed budget, about NT$19.1 billion for the program, which is scheduled to run until 2007, is expected to be approved.

In addition to the NSC, government agencies involved in the nanotechnology program include the Atomic Energy Council, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), the Ministry of Education, and the elite Academia Sinica.

Wu said, however, that of the NT$19.1 billion asked for, only NT$1.5 billion had been allocated to the development of nanotechnology for this year.

He said that Taiwan sill has a long way to go before it will make any major achievements in the area of nanotechnology.

"The most important thing now is to point out specific directions for the development of nanotechnology for the benefit of researchers and industry," Wu said.

The manipulation of minutiae

Nanotechnology involves the creation and utilization of materials, devices and systems through the control and manipulation of matter at the nanometer scale, that is, at the level of atoms, molecules, and supramolecular structures. A nano-meter (one billionth of a meter) is about 10,000 times narrower than a human hair and about four times wider than an atom.

NSC officials say that such materials and systems can be designed to exhibit novel and significantly improved physical, chemical and biological properties and perform unique processes because of their size.

In 2000, the NSC initiated a three-year research project on nanomaterials whose aim is to both carry out basic research and move nanomaterial technology from the lab into industry.

Coordinated by Mou Chung-yuan (牟中原), a chemistry professor at National Taiwan University, the three-year project is expected to cost NT$84 million.

At Academia Sinica, Taiwan's most prestigious academic institution, physicists are studying the characteristics of one-dimensional nanomaterials and maintains a Web site on the subject -- the only network on which all ongoing projects relating to nanotechnology in Taiwan are available to view.

At National Taiwan University, a team led by Chang Ching-ray (張慶瑞), a physics professor, is focusing on basic research and applications of spintronics -- a branch of electronics involving the manipulation of certain characteristics of electrons -- to high-density storage systems.

Last year, the NSC funded several new nanotechnology projects involving carbon nanotube research.

"The results of nanotechnology research can be applied to a range of industries. If the government can point out specific research fields as primary goals as early as possible, nanotechnology will develop successfully in Taiwan," Chang told the Taipei Times.

Also, industry is very interested in applying nanotechnology in a variety of fields but lacks the most up-to-date information on these technologies.

To play a role in rectifying that shortcoming, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has attempted to create a bridge between universities and industry by establishing Taiwan's first research center devoted exclusively to nanotechnology.

ITRI's Nanotechnology Research Center, which will be formally opened in Hsinchu on Jan. 16, will be Taiwan's largest research organization devoted to production-oriented research and the development of industrial technologies.

Partly funded by the MOEA, ITRI is expected to invest NT$10 billion of the taxpayers' money in the center from this year to 2007.

The center will be engaged in applying nanotechnology to a wide range of devices and is currently investigating whether it can be applied to fuel cells to enable them to prolong the standby time of mobile electronic devices to 100 days, and to highly energy-efficient ICs to develop transmission speeds that are 50 to 100 times faster than currently available.

ITRI has signed contracts with leading universities, such as National Taiwan University, National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), National Cheng Kung University and National Tsing Hua University, for the prompt exchange of research findings.

NSC leadership

NSC Vice Chairman Wu said that although the prospect of huge profits have excited industry about nanotechnology applications, government coordination of the program is critical to enhancing the nation's ability to compete.

Wu said that industries related to chipmaking, computer displays, data storage devices, communications and fuel cells would be among those that would be at the center of the research.

"Promising industrial fields include those that currently dominate Taiwan's economy and have retained their comparative advantage, such as chemical engineering, machine manufacturing, textiles, and others," Wu said.

Wu said that national laboratories under the NSC have focused on developing nanotechnology by working with universities.

At NCTU, the nation's top training center for high-tech professionals, last year was significant for nanotechnology, because several major research projects got underway there.

A newly established nanotechnology center at the university is developing molecular-scale devices by using quantum dots -- nanometer-scale "boxes" for selectively holding and releasing electrons. The center is also involved in the development of nanobiotechnology.

Wu Chung-yu (吳重雨), an NCTU electronics engineering professor, told the Taipei Times that his department is working on the development of nano-electronics and circuit systems.

But he said that the department would not likely change its main focus, developing nano-CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) devices, until 2020. During the intervening period, NCTU will continue to work closely with the NSC's National Nano Device Laboratory, located at the university. The laboratory receives at least NT$34 million every year from the NSC to continue nanotechnology research.

NSC officials said, however, the program faces several bottlenecks, such as the shortage of nanotechnology professionals.

"In addition, the lack of innovation and an international perspective on the part of our professionals in the field are worrying," NSC Vice Chairman Wu told the Taipei Times.

Wu said that nanotechnology courses would be introduced systematically into universities to train domestic professionals. Meanwhile, the government is considering seeking the benefits of the experience of foreign experts through international cooperation in the nanotechnology field.
This story has been viewed 4464 times.