Professor Zou Changling, part of Academician Guo Guangcan's research team at the University of Science and Technology of China, worked in tandem with Researcher Che Yanke and Researcher Zhang Chuang from the Institute of Chemistry at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Together, they developed a photoactuator capable of following programmable motion paths. This innovative device can be utilized for reconfiguring components on integrated optical chips.
Crafted from organic molecular crystals and measuring just micrometers in size, the actuator is activated and its motion path can be precisely controlled through remote illumination using low-power lasers. This capability allows it to execute movements such as linear translation, turning, and traversing optical waveguides on the photonic chip, thereby facilitating the assembly and precise manipulation of microstructures directly on the chip.