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Department of Optical Materials

To provide state-of-the-art optional systems to support the "Information Society" and to create a healthy living and work environment, various kinds of functional optical materials are indispensable. In the research work carried on in this department, priority is given to creating new materials involved in optical technology, to evaluating their physical properties, and to investigating their optical functions and applications.

Efforts to create and evaluate functional optical materials is directed to achieving new optical functions. Studies on optically active structures as viewed from atomic, molecular and cluster levels of the halide glasses which are different from the conventional oxide-base glasses used for optical devices in the invisible light region, are being undertaken. Gravity-free and other special environments are being used to control the shape of materials as well as properties with graded functions. Non-linear optical materials which have been drawing attention recently, are being theoretically analyzed from the molecular structure point of view and experimentally evaluated to understand the mechanisms causing the non-linear optical characteristic of these materials. A search is underway to discover new optical functions, to apply this knowledge to optical information processing, to holographic three-dimensional measurement techniques, and to precisely evaluating the optical properties from the infrared- to X-ray wavelength. Furthermore, a basic study of new high-intesity light sources such as SR beams and free-electron lasers is in progress.


Director, Department of Optical Materials

Dr.Hironobu OKUYAMA 		Go to page of each section
Optical Materials Science Section
Glass Structure Section
Advanced Glass Section
Photonic Chemistry Section
Information Optics Section
Optical Physics Section


Optical Materials Science Section

E-mail address : optmat@onri.go.jp .

In the Optical Materials Science Section, research is being performed with the aim of developing new optical materials for use in special optical systems. Researchers are presently committed to developing such materials with special optical properties. Advanced techniques involving microgravity , high pressures and high-energy ion beam are being investigated in search of new materials


Glass Structure Section

E-mail address : glassstr@onri.go.jp .

Research in the Glass Structure Section aims at achieving new functions by introducing cluster or other defects into the glass matrix, which provides essentially a functional optical material. In order to make use of glass function as a solid-state solvent, research work is being promoted from the viewpoint of new material creation and the microstructure analysis technology, while trying to deepen the basic understanding of the glass structure and mass transfer.

Advanced Glass Section

E-mail address : advglass@onri.go.jp .

In the Advanced Glass Section, glass structure and conditions for glass formation are studied in the new region such as non-oxide systems aiming at the development of the photonic materials. The appearance of non-linear optical properties is analyzed for the metal- or semiconductor-microparticles-doped glasses. The separation efficiency of the porous glass membranes prepared with the phase-separation process or the sol-gel process are promoted by the precise control of pore size and the surface modification. The expansion of the functions of the porous glasses by combination with catalysts is attempted also.


Photonic Chemistry Section

E-mail address : photchem@onri.go.jp .

In the Photonic Chemistry Section, a basic study on interactions between light and matter is being carried on to create unconventional devices. We set nonlinear optical materials and organic optical materials as our main targets. We investigate the mechanisms of third-order nonlinear optical phenomena and the optical effect originated form anisotropy of the material, based on theoretical calculations and on experiments. The research work there includes also the development of novel spectroscopic techniques necessary for clarifying these mechanisms.


Information Optics Section

E-mail address : infoopt@onri.go.jp .

In the Information Optics Section, research on advanced or intelligent optical systems are being executed based on both optical instrumentation technology and information processing technology. We are now studying optical information processing, integrated optics, optical device technology and so on. These results will contribute to make a breakthrough for a new optical technology.


Optical Physics Section

E-mail address : optphys@onri.go.jp .

Research work at the Optical Physics Section is the modern structure analysis and characterization techniques of materials and the studies of optical elements for visible light and synchrotron radiation. The latter includes the image-display techniques using holography and the focusing elements like " Zone plate " for hard X-ray.

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Glass made in space.


SEM micrograph showing a cross-section of the interconnected fine pores in the porous glass.


Emission of blue light causing by the dopant introduced into silica glass.


Fabrication and test of spatter-slice Zone plate.

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by M.Taniguchi, Osaka Natl. Res. Inst.