Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, SIMIT has been awarded 46 national science and technology awards and 347 provincial and ministerial-level awards. including: the Grand Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, given for "Type A separation membrane" technology; two separate First Prizes of the National Science and Technology Progress Awards for "High-speed, ultra-high-speed two-stage digital integrated circuit" and "High-end silicon-based SOI material research, development and industrialization."
In the 1950s, SIMIT was the first entity that successfully developed spheroidal graphite cast iron domestically, which successfully resolved the issues of high fluorine-containing iron ore smelting and rare earth element recovery in Baotou Steel. After the 1960s, SIMIT was again the first entity that has established the ultra-pure metal and III-V compound semiconductor materials research base, and developed the microelectronics and integrated circuit manufacturing technology in China. In collaboration with the industry sector, SIMIT developed micro-electronic devices such as the first industrial practical PN Junction Isolation integrated circuit, ECL high-speed circuit, and the first domestic 8-bit and 16-bit microprocessors. At the same time, considerable progress was made in some exploratory, original projects as well, laying a solid foundation for future development.
In June 1998, the Science and Education Leading Group of the State Council approved of the Chinese Academy of Sciences's starting the pilot program of knowledge innovation. As one of the five members of Shanghai High-Tech Research and Development Base, SIMIT was included in the first batch of startup units for the program. Based on the development needs, our institute adjusted the research direction from mainly material science to information and communication fields. The Institute set the development strategy as "System driving device, device driving material." After entering Phase II of the knowledge innovation program, SIMIT added a research field -- “Electronic Science & Technology” based on the Academy’s new running guidelines and the Institute’s reality. The “Electronic Science & Technology” and the “Information & Communication Engineering" became the two major fields for the Institute. Thus, the disciplines of the institute have included wireless information systems and networks, micro-system technologies, information functional materials and devices, micro and new energies.
In the decade of the knowledge innovation program, SIMIT successfully launched Chuangxin 1-01, 02 and 03 satellites and "Shenzhou-VII" companion satellite. Which quickly become an important base for research and development of micro satellites in China. SIMIT implemented the Shanghai World Expo Intrusion Prevention Sensor Network, Pudong Airport Intrusion Prevention System, Taihu Lake Water Quality Monitoring Sensor Network, South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route Security System and other Internet of Things application demonstration projects. We led the development of Internet of Things core technology, and promoted it as a national strategic emerging industry. We developed broadband wireless communication systems with independent intellectual property rights. which were deployed for Wenchuan and Yushu earthquake relief, Shanghai World Expo and other major events. Our broadband wireless communication system played an invaluable role in the earthquake relief work, social stability, public safety and security, digital city and other areas. We founded Shanghai Simgui Technology Co Ltd, the first and only world-class advanced SOI materials manufacturer in China. Simgui’s products have filled the gaps for domestic SOI material needs and been applied in state key projects.
During the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" period, as the first Technical General Unit with the system-level model tasks of CAS, SIMIT made breakthroughs in the multi-functional compounding sensors and related key technologies. Special broadband wireless sensor network system solutions were established,related unit large-scale deployments were realized, and narrowband to broadband communication system transitions were achieved. SIMIT successfully developed the first domestic large-scale high-reliability dedicated integrated circuit ASIC chip based on 0.13um SOI process. The chip was used in the Beidou navigational satellite and other key national projects. laying a solid foundation for the self-sustained designing and manufacturing of spacecraft core components in China. With the support of superconducting single-photon detector (SNSPD) from SIMIT, Academician Pan Jianwei at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has, for the first time in the world, implemented a hacker-proof 200 km measurement-device-independent quantum encryption key distribution. This remarkable achievement was selected in the Top Ten Scientific and Technological Progress in 2014 by a group of academicians from CAS and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). Ultra-high g acceleration sensor was one of the critical components for some of the national strategic equipment. The ability to make such a sensor weakens the power of international embargo. We launched and established a MEMS technology industrialization platform known as Shanghai Industrial μTechnology Research Institute (SITRI). It is now listed by the Shanghai government as part of the "Four Beams Eight Pillars" (Main supporting structure of ancient Chinese traditional architecture) of Shanghai Technological Innovation Center with global Influence.
