The Ultrafast Laser Technology Research and Innovation Center was inaugurated Sept. 11 in the southern city of Tainan by Taiwan and Lithuania to jointly develop next-generation technologies, as the two countries continue to expand their already robust relations, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Supported by the MOEA and located on the Liujia campus of the state-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute, the center will employ advanced femtosecond laser technology provided by the Lithuanian Laser Association. The cooperation will make use of the Baltic state’s industrial know-how, along with Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturing strength.
Chiou Chyou-huey, director-general of the MOEA’s Department of Industrial Technology, said during the facility’s launch ceremony that the ministry has invested tremendous resources to turn the Liujia campus into Taiwan’s laser R&D hub. The ultrafast laser center follows the Advanced Laser Processing Service Center, established by ITRI and the local arm of Germany’s TRUMPF Inc. in 2021, as part of Taiwan’s ongoing efforts to seek global cooperation in this sector.
Chiou said femtosecond lasers provide shorter pulses, faster speeds and higher precision than conventional lasers, and therefore are great candidates for applications in precision medicine and ultra-precision machining. By combining the association’s advanced technology and ITRI’s system integration expertise, the center will pave way for more collaboration, with potential business estimated at NT$3 billion (US$934 million), he added.
Echoing Chiou’s remarks, Paulius Lukauskas, head of the Lithuanian Trade Representative Office in Taipei, said given Taiwan’s high-tech and economic prowess and his country’s ever-expanding laser industry, the joint endeavor will create more high-value applications for the benefit of both sides. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw