Brookhaven Lab's Chang-Yong Nam Named a Battelle 'Inventor of the Year'

Award recognizes Nam's achievements in developing new materials properties for use in next-generation microelectronics

May 27, 2022

UPTON, NY—Materials scientist Chang-Yong Nam of the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)—a U.SDepartment of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory—has been recognized as an “Inventor of the Year” by the global science technology organization BattelleBattelle manages Brookhaven Lab on behalf of the DOE through Brookhaven Science Associates, a partnership Stony Brook UniversityThe annual inventor awards recognize individuals who have made significant scientific or engineering contributions important societal or financial impacts.

As a member of the Electronic Nanomaterials Group at CFN, Nam leads a research program centered around atomic layer deposition, a high-precision material coating technique, to develop new materials functionalities for micro/nanoelectronics energy applicationsHis innovative approach to the development application of these new materials is evident in the recent discoveries he has made.

Always thinking ahead, Nam imagines how his work will be used to influence real-world applications“I'm not really focon applications per se, I'm still approaching these concepts from a more fundamental perspective, but I care very deeply about what will eventually happen to the fundamental discoveryI tend to think about whether this work could be useful or meaningful in addressing critical, technological issues that society is currently facing,” he said.

Nam has developed new functional materials promising applications in microelectronics by a novel technique derived from atomic layer depositionThis technique, known as vapor-phase infiltration, infuses vaporized inorganic materials into organic ones to create new, organic-inorganic hybrid materials.

“Because we are making a hybrid, compared to a purely organic or inorganic material, we are creating new, drastically different properties—chemical, mechanical, optical, electrical, you name it! Vapor-phase infiltration is still a fairly new approach, there are so many potential hybrid materials that have yet to be discovered properties functionalities we’ve never seen beforeIt’s a really nice field to dig into,” Nam said“After we explore these unique properties, then we can start thinking about how to apply them.”

One particularly exciting application is in the quickly evolving field of microelectronics—wherein semiconductor components, such as microchips, transistors, semiconductors, are manufactured on an extremely small scale, typically in single-digit nanometers (or billionths of a meter)“The continued downscaling of such semiconductor components is critical to meet the demfor improved performance in electronic devices, like smartphones computers, that are only getting smaller,” Nam explained“On a larger scale, the nanoscale components aim to address energy efficiency issues in electronic devices that are expected to become unsustainable in the next decade if they aren’t mitigated by new technologies.”

Creating these tiny semiconductor components associated circuits is a meticulous, time-consuming processUsing light, scientists etch complex, nanoscale patterns into silicon wafers, known as substratesBut they don’t etch directlyFirst, they coat the silicon substrate a photoresist—a material that is sensitive to light, typically extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lightThey then shine the light through a photomaskThe photoresist areas that aren’t blocked by the mask will dissolve following “development”—a process similar to developing photographic filmThis leaves behind a photoresist pattern that can be transferred to the underlying semiconductor substrate to create electronic components like transistors.

Photoresists made from purely organic materials, like polymers, need relatively long EUV light exposure, due to their lower sensitivity, can easily degrade during the etching processThese conventional materials also require a complex, costly chemical synthesis process to increase their sensitivity strength.

In searching for a way to improve the process, Nam his team combined inorganic elements an existing organic EUV photoresist, vapor-phase infiltration, to create new organic-inorganic hybrid EUV photoresists without complex chemical synthesisBy combining the properties of these organic inorganic materials, the resulting photoresist is much stronger has a higher sensitivity to EUV lightThis breakthrough allows for faster production of nanoscale semiconductor components higher resolution at a lower cost.

Nam’s invention received recognition at a DOE competition judged by specialists in the fieldThe event provided the team reassurance that they were onto something big“This was a nice highlight, the recognition of the judges, who were real investors volunteering for this event,” he recalled.

Industry leaders have already expressed interest in this approach to synthesizing high-resolution EUV resists“Of course, we need a little bit more improvement to be able to get into actual commercial application,” Nam remarked, “but I think we have a much better idea of what to do.”

Chang-Yong Nam has also developed a new hybrid material record-setting mechanical resilience as well as materials enhanced properties for gas sensing, photodetectors, photo-catalytic water splitting, solar cellsHis eagerness to adapt to the everchanging landscape of his field is evident in his workAlong over 100 published scientific journal articles, he has generated nine patent applications, six records of invention (ROI), a U.Spatent for methods of nanowire synthesisNam has also recently developed hybrid materials for analog resistive switching devices, which can be used as the core components for computers that mimic the information-processing capabilities of the brain (U.Sprovisional patent application).

“These technological challenges are a gateway to learning about new scienceI'm not just excited about one particular technology; I constantly try to see the big picture I can see where we have to move, what I can contribute, what I need to learn,” he said.

Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.SDepartment of EnergyThe Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our timeFor more information, visit science.energy.gov.

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