YEOM Han Woong, director of the IBS Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic Systems and professor at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), is honored as the winner of the 30th Inchon Prize in the field of science and technology.

The Inchon Memorial Foundation and Dong-Ah Ilbo announced his winning on September 7th, in recognition of his discovery that charge transport on atomic wires can take place in a controllable way of delivering one charge at a time in one direction only. Applicability of such property to micro electronic devices has thrown Director Yeom’s research into the global spotlight.

Director Yeom pioneered the electronic properties of atomic wires with the world's first discovery of phase transition exhibited by indium atomic wires in 1999 when he was a lecturer at the University of Tokyo: Indium linear chains on a silicon surface undergo a transition from a room-temperature conducting phase into a semiconducting phase at extremely low temperatures. Atomic wires are obtained by depositing metal atoms onto a silicon surface in ultra-high vacuum conditions. The resulting 1-2 nanometer chains of atoms are extremely thin, ranging in width from 1 to 3 atoms. Their possible applications to smaller integrated circuits with more sophisticated functions has drawn enormous attention because they open up new electronic device concepts, such as greatly reduced power consumption and heat generation.

Director Yeom has led research on atomic wires since 2013 as the director of the IBS Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic Systems. He took the initiative in holding the IBS Conference on Surface Atomic Wires in August 2016, inviting more than 20 globally-renowned scholars to share global trends and vision for the future in the field of atomic wires.

Three others honored as winners of the prestigious Inchon Prize this year are HONG Sung-Dae, chairman of the board of Sangsan High School in the education field, KIM Byeong-Ik, advisor to Moonji Publishing Co.,Ltd. in the press and publication field, and BAEK Wan-Gi, honorary professor at Korea University in the humanities and social science field. The ceremony awarding commemorative medals and KRW 100 million in prize money will be held at the Crystal Ballroom of the Lotte Hotel Seoul at 5:00 p.m. on October11th.

▲ YEOM Han Woong, director of the IBS Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic Systems and professor at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH),