Argonne materials scientist wins young investigator
award for work that could shape frontier of information technology
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ARGONNE, Ill. (June 12, 2008) – Seungbum Hong, a materials scientist at the
U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, received the
Young Investigator Outstanding Achievement Award from the International
Symposium on Integrated Ferroelectrics, a prize that recognizes his contributions to
the study of a class of materials that could shape the frontier of information
technology.
Before coming to Argonne in October 2007, Hong worked at Samsung, where his
research focused primarily on finding ways to use ferroelectrics to more efficiently
store electronic information. During his time at Samsung, Hong found that his
true passion lay in basic science and published dozens of academic papers detailing
his discoveries.
To store electric information, scientists use certain physical properties – for
example, magnetism or electrical polarization – that enable tiny cells to switch
between two states of equivalent energy. In his applied research, Hong attempted
to find a way to reduce the energy necessary to trigger a switch in a cell.
The less energy required to switch the cell's energy state, the smaller the
cells that can be fabricated, Hong said.
However, repeated switching between different energy states can cause the
cells to wear out – a process known as fatigue. As cells fatigue, small regions
within the cells can take on energy states opposite to that of the cell itself.
This problem, known as "frozen domains," formed the basis for some
of Hong's most significant results.
Hong used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to probe these regions of the cell,
which often measure no more than 100 atomic layers thick. While other scientists
had examined the fatigue using macroscopic techniques, Hong was the first to
investigate the phenomenon using AFM.
As others followed Hong's lead in using AFM to investigate the surfaces and
domains of the tiny cells, they began to notice inconsistent results in the
electronic behavior of the domains. While other researchers dismissed the inconsistency
as largely immaterial to the AFM analysis of ferroelectrics, Hong sought out
an explanation for the aberration. "Before, many people just ignored the
effect, because they thought that any influence that AFM could have on the
collected data would be too small to notice," he said.
In the course of that project, Hong discovered that the voltage to the cantilever
tip of the atomic force microscope causes a coupling between the cantilever
and one of the electrodes on the cell, which can significantly contaminate
the collected data. As a result of this discovery, scientists who study ferroelectrics
have adopted Hong's technique of using a stiffer cantilever and high aspect-ratio
tip.
Although Hong said that the time he spent at Samsung helped him to develop
as a scientist, he found an additional set of rewards as he made the move to
basic research. "I transitioned from industry to Argonne feeling that
if I only focused on applications, I might get trapped in a short-term mind
set of development. Then, as more fundamental issues arise, I might get stuck.
I felt that I needed to do more basic science research, and that's where I
found Argonne leading the field."
Physicist Amanda Petford-Long, who leads the Interfacial Materials Group of
Argonne's Materials Science Division, in which Hong works, claimed that Hong's
unique background makes him a valuable resource for any institution. "The
fact that Seungbum worked in industry but made a host of important scientific
contributions is very rare, and we are lucky to have him at Argonne," she
said.
Hong accepted his award at the annual conference of the International Symposium
on Integrated Ferroelectrics, held June 9-12 in Singapore.
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Department of Energy's Office
of Science.
By Jared Sagoff.
For more information, please contact Steve McGregor (630/252-5580
or media@anl.gov) at Argonne.
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