"The most important thing in materials research is securing new foundational technology first. Resources and materials are connected not only to industry but also to national security. That's why we must develop new material technologies and build a foundation to apply them in actual industries."
Prof. Shim Woo-young of Yonsei University's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, selected as the April recipient of the Korea Science and Technology Award hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and co-organized by the National Research Foundation of Korea and The Seoul Economic Daily, explained the significance of his research on Tuesday.
Semiconductors are a core technology supporting the Korean economy. However, there are limits to merely making incremental improvements to existing technology when trying to create faster, smaller, and more power-efficient semiconductors. Ultimately, entirely new structures must be found. This is why Prof. Shim's research is drawing attention. He was recognized for developing a new III-V semiconductor material with a structure that does not exist in nature, enhancing Korea's semiconductor competitiveness.
III-V semiconductors are made by combining elements from Group 3 and Group 5 of the periodic table. Unlike semiconductors made of a single element like silicon, they allow more precise control of electrical properties by combining multiple elements, making them widely used in high-performance electronic devices. However, while existing III-V semiconductors were advantageous for fast electron movement, their structures were too dense, leaving almost no space for ions to move. This limited their ability to implement new functions alongside computational capabilities.
To solve this problem, Prof. Shim applied "Pauling's Rules," proposed in 1929. Pauling's Rules is a theory explaining how atoms must be arranged for structural stability. Prof. Shim reapplied this old chemistry theory to semiconductors, conceiving a new structure where the structure remains stable while creating very small gaps between layers. In other words, he designed a less dense structure than existing semiconductors, creating pathways for ions to move.
Working with his research team, he selectively removed certain elements to create extremely thin gaps called "van der Waals gaps" between layers. These gaps serve as channels for ions to pass through. In existing semiconductors, electrons could move but ions could barely move; in the new structure, ions can also move. When ions move, the electrical state changes, and this change leads to a "memory" function.
The research team conducted both computational science and actual synthesis experiments to demonstrate that the new III-V semiconductor can simultaneously possess both semiconductor and memory functions. This means information can be stored and computed within a single material. Current computers and AI semiconductors have separate locations for computation and storage, requiring continuous data exchange. This process consumes significant power. Prof. Shim's new structure showed the potential to reduce such inefficiency. It is therefore evaluated as a core foundational technology for next-generation low-power AI semiconductors and neuromorphic computing.
"The significance lies in proposing a new semiconductor structure and device concept for the first time in the world, rather than slightly improving existing technology," Prof. Shim explained. Amid intensifying AI semiconductor competition, he presented an entirely different path beyond merely improving performance.
Prof. Shim also emphasized that "materials technology is connected not only to industrial competitiveness but also to national security." As seen in Japan's export restrictions case, relying on other countries for core materials can destabilize an entire industry. He believes that beyond developing new materials, a foundation must be established to connect them to actual industrial applications. "I expect this new material to be utilized in fields such as AI semiconductors in the future," he said.
Prof. Shim plans to expand his research toward implementing the principles of how neurons in the brain work through materials and devices. "While existing neuromorphic research focused on mimicking how the brain works, our research proposes a new computation method that operates using actual ion movement," he explained. "It may sound like science fiction, but ultimately, the future we envision is creating a system where robots can think and operate on their own just by being supplied with salt water, similar to how humans eat food and move."