Introduction

The Chinese University of Hong Kong has carried out research and teaching in optical science and technology dating back to the early 1970s when Prof Charles Kao joined CUHK and was Chairman of the Department of Electronics. Professor Charles Kao served as the Vice Chancellor of CUHK in 1987-1996. His pioneering works on the use of optical fibers for telecommunications received many international awards including the Japan Prize in the field of engineering in 1997, the Ericsson prize, the Marconi Award, and the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2009.

Today we remain as one of the most prominent research groups in photonics and optical sciences in Hong Kong, with over 20 world renowned researchers and faculty members from Departments of Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering, Mechanical and Automation Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Physics working in advanced photonics and optical sciences research under the auspices of the Institute of Optical Science and Technology. Our research today covers many different areas and applications, including optical communications, biophotonic sensing, silicon photonic circuits and devices, quantum information processing, plasmonics and the interaction of light with atomically thin two dimensional materials.

The Center for Advanced Research in Photonics focuses on R&D and applications of optical technologies in components, modules, subsystems, systems and networks while the Centre of Optical Sciences concentrates on basic research in optics and on developing novel photonic materials, new processes, and failure analysis.