About Advanced Technology Center

Advances in astronomy are realized through state-of-the-art instrumentation. Many advanced NAOJ projects require the development of the latest technologies that are not readily available elsewhere. Basic development of key technologies is also critically important for our future. The Advanced Technology Center (ATC) provides a platform to meet the current and future technology needs in astronomy. ATC owns world-class equipment such as high-quality clean rooms for the SIS mixer for ALMA and space-astronomy instruments, space chambers, optical methodology instruments, ion-beam sputtering machines for thin-film coating, and precision machinery. These facilities are widely used by scientists and engineers both inside and outside of NAOJ. Our products include the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) aboard Subaru Telescope, and the ALMA band 4, 8 and 10 receivers. We are committed to the development of the gravitational waves detector KAGRA, and the focal plane instruments aboard the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) as well as various basic development programs vital for future ground-based and space astronomy.