News

Dr Mingjie LI and his interdisciplinary team recently developed high-quality halide perovskite nanocrystals with enhanced Multiple Exciton generation (MEG)

Multiple exciton generation (MEG) is a process in which the energy of an absorbed photon can be used to create two or more electron-hole pairs in the semiconductor. It also plays an essential role in developing new solar cells and high-performance optoelectronic devices. One of the major energy losses in photon-energy conversion is that if the photon has more energy than is needed to create the electron-hole pair, the excess energy is lost as heat. How to utilize the excess energy to improve photo-conversion efficiency and achieve MEG is necessary and challenging.   Dr Li MingJie of the Department of Applied Physics, one of the member of Photonics Research Institute (PRI), has led an interdisciplinary team recently developed high-quality halide perovskite nanocrystals with enhanced MEG. Nanocrystals (also known as quantum dots) developed by rational design can convert a high-energy photon into multiple electron-hole pairs, breaking the power conversion efficiency limit. The team successfully demonstrated that the internal quantum efficiency exceeded 100% at a low threshold by using such perovskite nanocrystals for the first time. The findings have been published in the highly influential journal Nature Photonics. Dr Li’s research has deepened the MEG mechanism’s understanding and provided valuable solutions for developing highly efficient light-harvesting techniques, including photovoltaics, photon detection, and solar-fuel production.   Please click here for more details. 

Prof. Jianhua Hao secures a Key Program Funding from National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)

The Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) announced the application results of the 2022 Exercise in September 2022. Prof. Jianhua Hao’s project is successfully funded by the Key Program of NSFC. As PC/PI, Prof. Hao will collaborate the researchers in Nankai University and Sichuan Normal University, China to perform the study of multifunctional ultrathin ferroelectric integrated materials and devices towards neuromorphic computing and human visual system. Artificial intelligence is the frontier field with significant societal impact. However, the present technologies cannot sufficiently meet the needs of supporting the future information society in terms of information transmission bandwidth, power consumption, processing speed and intelligent control. Particularly, the rapid development of neuromorphic computing and artificial vision system urgently call for the innovation in multifunctional integrated materials and devices. On a basis of the Prof. Hao's internationally recognized works regarding ferroelectric manipulation of rare-earth-doped luminescence and ferroelectric optoelectronics, the proposed study is to effectively integrate ferroelectric polarization with multifunctional characteristics of electronic properties of semiconductor, photodetection and rare-earth ion luminescence. Novel synaptic devices with multi-modes will be demonstrated. The developed materials and devices in this project will provide potential solutions for overcoming the development bottleneck of information technology.   Refer to the News: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/rGTY0SaDL8Nlxr0oRnytxw  

PRI Member awarded China's Excellent Young Scientists Fund 2022

Dr Tommy Minchen WEI, PRI management committee member, has been awarded the China's Excellent Young Scientists Fund 2022 (Hong Kong and Macau) for his research “Colour Appearance Model and Colour Space” with a total amount of RMB 2 million.  The awarded project “Colour Appearance Model and Colour Space” aims to investigate colour appearance and difference under complicated conditions. Dr Wei, has carried out research on the fundamentals of colour science and developed advanced algorithms and solutions for various imaging systems to address industrial needs, improving the user experience.   The Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Hong Kong and Macau) aims to support young scholars (under the age of 38 for male or 40 for female) who have attained achievements in basic research and conducted innovative research in their chosen fields, fostering them to be internationally leading scholars.

Prof. LI Gang has been awarded the RGC Senior Research Fellow 2022/23

PRI Management Committee Member, Prof. LI Gang, has been awarded one of the ten grants under the Research Grants Council's (RGC) Senior Research Fellow Scheme 2022/23.   Prof. Li Gang, Department of Electronic and Information Engineering Research Project: “Printable Organic Solar Cells: Materials and Device Investigations towards Applications”   Organic solar cell (OSC) is an emerging photovoltaic (PV) technology with distinct advantages in many areas, such as flexible/portable PV, building integrated PV and transparent power applications. Aiming at accelerating the OSC technology, this project proposed systematic materials and device structure investigation of new photoactive materials, stable transport materials, innovative ternary OSC active layer engineering, a novel approach for transparent OSC and printing technology. The project will significantly push forward OSC technology in terms of high efficiency, operation stability, compatibility with unique applications and being printing friendly. The proposed research represents a new frontier for OSC technology, which integrates chemistry, physics and material science to generate new perspectives in science and come up with solutions to challenging issues in renewable energy.   The RGC Senior Research Fellow Scheme aims to provide sustained support to exceptionally outstanding researchers at UGC-funded universities in Hong Kong, with a view to facilitating their dedication to research and development and to helping universities attract and retain research talent. The Scheme provides ten grants to scholars from any academic disciplines in each round of the annual exercise. Nominees are assessed based on various criteria that include leadership quality and vision in the chosen area of research, the merit of the research proposal and the support provided by the university.

PRI Member won the second prize of 2021-2022 Science and Technology Innovation Award of The China Society for the Promotion of Science and Technology Commercialization (CSPSTC)

PRI Member, Dr TSANG Yuen Hong, won the second prize of 2021-2022 Science and Technology Innovation Award of The China Society for the Promotion of Science and Technology Commercialization (CSPSTC).   Project Title: High beam quality, highly stable output power ultrafast laser (高光束質量、高穩定輸出功率超快激光器)   Name of Collaborating Organisations: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Shenzhen University Shenzhen United Winners Laser Co.,Ltd.   The CSPSTC aims to build a technology service platform in order to optimize the technology development environment and create a good atmosphere to promote the in-depth development of technology finance, also promote the transfer and transformation of scientific and technological achievements and scientific and technological progress, and enhance innovation capacity and business competitiveness.   We take this opportunity to congratulate Dr Tsang for his achievements.   Please click here for more information about the list of awardees. (Chinese Version Only)  

PolyU InnoTech Open Day and Inauguration Ceremony of PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR)

The PolyU InnoTech Open Day was successfully held on 16 July 2022 on campus to showcase the University’s latest endeavours in education, interdisciplinary research, knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship which are helping to empower the innovation and technology (I&T) development of Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and beyond.   The Opening Ceremony also marked the inauguration of the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR). PAIR is the largest research platform of its kind in Hong Kong and the GBA to foster interdisciplinary research, partnership with world-renowned scholars, and the transfer of technologies to stakeholders. PAIR aspires to be a world leader in providing interdisciplinary solutions for major societal challenges, and its research focuses on frontier areas such as artificial intelligence, carbon neutrality, deep space exploration, smart cities, smart energy, and many more.   The PAIR video premiered at the inaugural ceremony on 16 July. Click Here   Photonics Research Institute (PRI) set up a booth at Main Hall (Block VS) to show PRI members’ projects to the public. Also, Director of PRI delivered a speech in the breakout sessions. The breakout sessions provided a golden opportunity for industry practitioners and PolyU expert researchers to exchange views on technology innovation and development, collaboration, industry trends and applications.

A PRI Member honoured with the PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award (YIRA) 2022

PRI Member Dr Tommy Minchen WEI has been selected as one of the Awardees of the PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award (YIRA) 2022.   The YIRA assessment panel has reviewed the submissions, interviewed shortlisted applicants and selected 6 YIRA awardees out of 59 submissions.   The PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award (YIRA) aims to honor our young PolyU researchers under the age of 35 who have demonstrated novelty, contributed to technology advancement, and propelled transformational innovation into solutions for addressing problems in society with a vision for a positive change to the future.   We take this opportunity to congratulate Dr Wei for his achievements.

Prof. Alan LAU Pak-tao co-edited a book “Machine Learning for future Optical Communications Systems”

PRI core member, Prof. Alan LAU Pak-tao co-edited a book “Machine Learning for future Optical Communications Systems” and it is already available at Here and the e-version will be accessible by any library worldwide that has a subscription with Elsevier. Description Machine Learning for Future Fiber-Optic Communication Systems provides a comprehensive and in-depth treatment of machine learning concepts and techniques applied to key areas within optical communications and networking, reflecting the state-of-the-art research and industrial practices. The book gives knowledge and insights into the role machine learning-based mechanisms will soon play in the future realization of intelligent optical network infrastructures that can manage and monitor themselves, diagnose and resolve problems, and provide intelligent and efficient services to the end users. With up-to-date coverage and extensive treatment of various important topics related to machine learning for fiber-optic communication systems, this book is an invaluable reference for photonics researchers and engineers. It is also a very suitable text for graduate students interested in ML-based signal processing and networking.  

Dr CHEN Wen has been invited to be an Associate Editor for "Optics Express" in OPTICA Publishing Group

PRI Member, Dr CHEN Wen has been invited to be an Associate Editor for "Optics Express" in OPTICA Publishing Group starting from 1 April 2022. Optica Publishing Group publishes high-quality, peer-reviewed articles in its portfolio of journals, which serve the full breadth of the optics and photonics community. Optics Express is the all-electronic, open-access journal for optics providing rapid publication for peer-reviewed articles that emphasize scientific and technology innovations in all aspects of optics and photonics. Additionally, Optics Express publishes papers dedicated to new developments in the science and engineering of light and their impact on sustainable energy, the environment, and green technologies in its dedicated section, Energy and Environmental Optics Express.   Please click the following links for details: https://opg.optica.org/oe/journal/oe/about.cfm#board

Prof. Alan Pak Tao LAU in collaboration with the research team at CUHK developed the World’s fastest Germanium-Silicon(GeSi) on Silicon Photonics Transceiver at 216 Gb/s for Short-Reach Interconnects.

Prof. Alan Pak Tao LAU, core member of PRI, and PolyU PhD student Xiong WU in collaboration with Prof. Hon Ki TSANG of CUHK developed the World’s fastest Germanium-Silicon(GeSi) on Silicon Photonics Transceiver at 216 Gb/s for Short-Reach Interconnects.   Abstracts For next generation highly integrated transceivers, silicon photonics (SiP) has attracted widespread interest in using mature CMOS production processes to manufacture high-yield, low-cost photonic integrated circuits (PIC) with the potential for integration with CMOS electronics. SiP now routinely integrate GeSi electroabsorption modulators (EAM) and GeSi waveguide photodiodes which have high responsivity and high bandwidth of over 65 GHz. Their ultra-compact dimensions make it possible for multi-channel transceivers to be realized on a small chip area. In this work, we joined forces with CUHK and combine our expertise in signal processing and device fabrication to demonstrate a world-record 216 Gb/s and 200 Gb/s over 1 km and  1.5 km fiber transmission respectively for GeSi-based modulators.   Please click HERE for more details.