At the Cabinet's weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Su Tseng-chang touted the Taiwan Photon Source (TPS) facility for its invaluable contributions to science and industry. Government agencies should harness this scientific research resource for the benefit of the general public by applying the technology to such areas as air pollution control, criminal forensics, medical testing, and identification of cultural artifacts, he said.
Activated in September 2016, TPS is one of the world's brightest synchrotron light sources. The ultra-bright X-rays produced by the TPS make it possible to see what was previously impossible to see, and measure what was previously impossible to measure, Premier Su said. In addition to facilitating the development of new drugs for Taiwan's biotech industry, synchrotron technology is instrumental in the semiconductor industry's efforts to improve key manufacturing processes, paving the way for the development of the most advanced nanochip on the planet. The green energy industry has also applied synchrotron light to the research and development of novel materials. All of these innovations are essential to the government's "five plus two" innovative industries policy.
The Ministry of Science and Technology said that the TPS—designed and constructed by Taiwanese scientists and engineers—is the largest state-of-the-art core facility in the nation's history, boasting extremely bright light sources with small beam divergence. As a cutting-edge experimental tool in nanotechnology, biomedical pharmaceutics, green energy technology, basic science, and other areas of pioneering research, the synchrotron light source also offers new opportunities for interdisciplinary scientific research.