Canon is focusing on research in pre-competitive areas for creating new markets with the aim of achieving long-term business growth.
Creation of New Markets through Seeds of Technology
In order to realize consistent growth, a company must conduct pre-competitive research focusing on areas where even the needs and topics remain unclear. Canon is engaged in not only research and development for its current products and the elemental and common platform technologies employed in these products, but also actively pursues long-term research requiring over a decade to produce results.
Aiming to conduct world-class research, the company is working to create seeds of technology in an effort to establish new markets through true technological innovation.
Setting Themes that Respect Researchers' Perspectives
Provided the technological area is important for Canon's future, researchers are free to propose research themes in pre-competitive areas. Market needs and costs are not considered at the research stage, but rather, respect is given to the unique ideas and perspectives of researchers. The results from research activities are used to acquire patents and publish academic papers and, after technological competitiveness has been evaluated, the technology is further developed for Canon's future business.
In order to conduct world-class research in pre-competitive areas, researchers must not only have advanced knowledge of related technologies, but also start from scratch when thinking about setting appropriate targets, research plans and methods. Canon has already been recognized for its efforts in a number of research areas, with research results featured in renowned academic journals and invitations from global academic societies to speak at events.
Canon will continue to focus energy on research activities targeting even higher levels of innovation in order to become a company that grows and prospers over the next 100, or even 200 years.
Study Case: Terahertz Imaging
Terahertz light, which has properties that lie between those of visible light and radio waves, passes through objects like radio waves but, similar to light, travels in a straight line. Using terahertz light, it is possible to perform imaging (creating a visual) of the inside of an object. Due to its low energy, this light also offers the advantage of having little effect on the human body. Until now, there have been few examples of development for terahertz light emitters or sensors, which is why some consider it be the "yet unexplored light."
Canon has conducted a great deal of research in this field, and has succeeded in generating terahertz light on a semiconductor chip. In the future, the company aims to achieve a wide range of applications in such areas as medicine and security while also conducting development for imaging devices utilizing terahertz light.
Structure of the Terahertz Light Emitter Semiconductor Chip
Oscillation Properties of a Terahertz Light Emitter
Study Case: Mesoporous Materials
Functional materials with anisotropic properties are widely used in the fields of optics and electronics. Canon is researching films of mesoporous materials with anisotropic porous structures by controlling the alignment of the numerical uniform mesopores in the films using a substrate with an anisotropic surface. We have succeeded in the preparation of a mesoporous titanium oxide film with cylindrical mesopores aligned in one direction in the plane of the film. This film shows clear optical birefringence, where the refractive index differs depending on the pore direction, and is expected to be applied to optical elements such as phase plates.
Schematic Illustration and Cross-Section of Mesoporous Titanium Oxide Film with an Aligned Porous Structure
