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The 7th Eiichi Takano Award for Distinguished Achievements in Optical Engineering and Commemorative Lecture


Chairman Satoshi Kawata received the 7th Optical Engineering Achievement Award (Eiichi Takano Award)

We are pleased to announce that our Chairman Satoshi Kawata will receive the 7th Optical Engineering Achievement Award (Takano Eiichi Award) in recognition of his many years of research and development in nano-optics and spectroscopy and his contributions to the optical community in Japan and abroad.

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Achievements : Longstanding research and development in nano-optics and spectroscopy and contributions to the optical community in Japan and abroad

Comments from the Award Committee :
Dr. Satoshi Kawata began his career as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Engineering, Osaka University in 1981, and was promoted to professor in 1993. He also founded Nanophoton Inc. in 2003 and became Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2003.

In the late 1980s, the field of nanotechnology attracted the attention of researchers around the world with the advent of scanning tunneling microscopes, and in the field of optics, research and development of near-field optical microscopes that exceeded the diffraction limit was in full swing. At the time, most microscopes used a micro-aperture at the tip of a sharpened optical fiber. In 1992, however, Dr. Kawata proposed a non-aperture near-field optical microscope based on the principle of nano-optical spot formation by localized surface plasmon using a metal tip, which attracted much attention. This microscope provided nanometer resolution and a significant improvement in signal intensity due to electric field enhancement, which led to the development of advanced enhanced Raman microscopy and contributed to the creation of the field of plasmonics, which is now a major field.

In the field of spectroscopy, there have been many original and pioneering research and development efforts, including a surface plasmon sensor without mechanical scanning, near-infrared multichannel Fourier spectroscopy, and a speckle reduction system without mechanical or electrical mechanisms. In the field of optics and photonics, he has led the world with original research results on three-dimensional microfabrication technology using two-photon polymerization, radiation pressure of evanescent fields and surface plasmons and its applications, plasmon holography, metallic nanolenses, deep UV Raman microscopy, and self-growth methods for nanostructures and metamaterials. He has also published his original research results in the field of nanostructures and metamaterials. In 2003, Dr. Kawata founded Nanophoton Corporation, a company that develops and manufactures laser microscopes, thereby actively contributing the results of his research to society.

Dr. Kawata has served as President of the Spectroscopical Society of Japan (2005), President of the Japan Society of Applied Physics (2014), and as a member of the Council for Science and Culture, and in 2022 he will become President of Optica, Inc. His contributions to optical engineering through these activities are considered to be extremely significant.

As described above, Dr. Kawata has consistently produced many exceptional research results in the fields of optics and spectroscopy, especially in the areas of microscopy, spectroscopic analysis, and nanophotonics, and has given back to society through his entrepreneurial activities. He has also made a significant contribution to the development of optical engineering through his worldwide activities in the optical community.

Announcement of Commemorative Lecture

In commemoration of the award, Dr. Kawata will deliver the Commemorative Lecture at the 71st Spring Meeting of the Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP) in 2024. We look forward to seeing you there.

Date: Friday, March 22, 2024, 9:30am-10:00am
Place: Room 1BN, Setagaya Campus, Tokyo City University
Theme: “Near-field Optics and Plasmonics”

(Translated by DeepL)