Crystals, both natural and synthetic forms, have long played a role in the development of new technologies such as in microelectronics, optics, laser, remote sense, communication, space flight and space navigation. Within the last few decades, the Crystal Research Center of SICCAS developed many of the techniques still used today for growing high quality scintillation crystals as well as techniques for growing crystals for novel materials. The successes of the research and development in the center have been highly praised by various National, CAS and Shanghai rewards in the last decades.

In order to adjust the research directions based on the development of modern technology, the new Crystal Research Center is established in 2006 by reorganization of the research groups associated with researches on crystal design and crystal chemistry, crystal defects, mechanisms and theories of crystal growth, crystal growth technique and development of new functional crystals. Today, as one of the research centers for high technology R&D, Crystal Research Center is undertaking researches covering basic researches, application oriented basic researches, preparation technology researches for new functional crystals

Currently, the researches of the center are concentrated on new crystal design and synthesis, characterizations of structure and properties, growth and application study of synthetic crystals that will form the materials basis for future technologies, e.g. scintillation crystals, ferroic crystals, non-linear optical crystals, wide band gap semiconductor crystals and other functional crystals employing a variety of techniques.

The new center contains 5 research groups and more than 50 researchers, engineers and technicians. The center has also about 40 PhD and postgraduate students.

The center provides crystals it has produced during its history, as a loan to researchers for use in scientific experiments. Please contact the center or the corresponding personnel for detailed information or requesting samples.