Harbin Engineering University (HEU) is a main part of the most famous military institute, “PLA Military Engineering Institute” established in 1953. “Harbin Shipbuilding Engineering Institute” was its name before 1994. Optical engineering as a first-level discipline at the school of science of HEU was approved to grant master's degree in 1996 and doctoral degree in 2011 and to accept posdoc research fellows in 2015 as well. There are 2 key laboratories under ministry and Heilongjiang province, “the Key Lab of In-fiber Integrated Optics of the Ministry of Education of China” and “Heilongjiang key lab of optical fiber sensors”. "The microstructured functional fiber for engineering applications", "111"project of the Ministry of Education of China, was also approved to the key Lab in 2012. The discipline of optical engineering was supported by key discipline project of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China (New interdisciplinary classification) in 2013.
1. Objectives of optical engineering in HEU
People of optical engineering in HEU focus on frontier topics and urgent national demands to develop new theories, technologies and applications in fiber integrated optics, optoelectronics and nanophotonics. We expect to achieve a series of original theoretical and technological results in optical engineering to promote the discipline to the top ranking in China and some unique researches become well acknowledged in the international community.
2. Discipline directions of optical engineering in HEU
Four distinctive directions have been abstracted.
(1) Fiber integrated optics: including theories, key technologies and applications of special microstructured fiber, fiber integrated optical devices and micro-systems, photon dynamics;
(2) Micro-nano optoelectronic materials and devices: including the principles and devices of nanophotonics, micro-nano optoelectronic materials and devices, artificial electromagnetic materials (metamaterials) and functional devices;
(3) Advanced laser technologies: including the fluoride and sulfide glass fiber, novel mid-infrared optical fiber devices, mid-infrared laser and their applications in the civil and defense industries;
(4) Optical measurement and instruments: developing new extreme optical measurement schemes, key technologies and instruments for urgent civil and defense demands.
3. Talents cultivation of optical engineering in HEU
People of optical engineering in HEU are expected to be outstanding scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs who own the international vision, the spirit of innovation and the passion of changing the world by knowledge. They are capable of dealing with complex engineering technology. We also expect to cultivate a tremendous amount of innovation and entrepreneurial talents who can devote to the national economic development and the national defense modernization.
4. Distinguishing features of optical engineering in HEU
We proposed Fiber Integrated Optics, a new concept and strategy of 3D integrated optics, different from the traditional 2D semiconductor integrated optics. It is unique and a new discipline direction of optics engineering in China. The major achievements are shown as follows:
(1) As one of the pioneers, we studied the fundamental theory of optical fiber integrated optics and its key technologies and applications. More than 30 kinds of microstructured fibers were proposed and fabricated. From 2012 to 2015, we received more than 60 national projects including key programs, major programs and major international cooperation and exchange programs. We published 203 papers indexed by Web of Science, including 9 high cited papers in extended version of ESI, and 405 papers indexed by EI. Two academic books were published and 106 patents have been authorized.
(2) We carried out extreme optical measurements and realized accurate measurement of basic components in the high-resolution optical fiber gyroscope. It is the urgent national demand and we broke through technical blockages abroad. We received the second class reward of National Defense Science and Technology Progress and the first class reward of Heilongjiang Science and Technology. There are more than 20 patents transferred and utilized in the optical industry, which brings 4 hundred million RMB economic benefits.
(3) The first class research center with excellent hardware facilities was built for the discipline of optical engineering in HEU. A high level academic team with good education background, multidiscipline and age is formed (including 1 member of national Million Talents, 1 member of One Thousand Young Talents, 1 winner of Excellent Youth Scientists, 5 winners of New Century Excellent Talents, 3 winners of Provincial Excellent Youth and 2 members of Longjiang Scholars). Since 2012, more than 280 doctors and masters have been cultivated. Optical engineering in HEU has become an important discipline for academic research and talent training of optics engineering.
5. Domestic and international activities of optical engineering of HEU
In the last four years, we hold and co-organized international and national important academic conferences many times, including national optical fiber sensing technology conferences for 4 times. We have participated in hosting the international conference of optical fiber sensing firstly hold in China. We presented more than 20 plenary, keynote and invited talks. Our professors became the vice chairman of the Chinese society of optical fiber optics and integrated optics committee, the vice chairman of the Optical engineering society of China optical fiber sensing and the committee members of the International conference on optical fiber sensor (OFS) academic committee.
We built close cooperation, communicated and made reciprocal visits frequently with excellent colleagues in global institutions, universities and enterprises, such as academician K.T.V. Grattan of City University London, academician X. Y. Bao of University of Ottawa, academician M. Gu of Australian academicians, professor G. Brambilla of University of Southampton, professor G. D. Peng of University of New South Wales, professor Jin Wei of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and so on.