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The 18th U.S.-Korea Forum on Nanotechnology:
Sensors Related to Human Cognition and Sustainability in Semiconductor Manufacturing
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
Adopted on September 24, 2024
The first quarter of the 21st century
has overflowed with the advent of nanotechnology convergence and its
application in a broad spectrum of science and technology areas along with
interdisciplinary research initiatives to achieve rapid advancement toward a
fourth industrial revolution. To further promote the development of new
technologies, the United States (National Science Foundation, NSF) and Korea
(Ministry of Science and ICT, MSIT) have been encouraging a common platform for
the exchange of ideas and research collaboration in nanotechnology through
Forums, established via the recommendations made by the Korea-U.S. joint
committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation, held on October 31, 2002,
in Seoul, Korea.
Since 2003, our Forums have been extremely
successful, promoting development in nanotechnology. These Forums have been a
testimony to the transformative power of identifying a concept or trend and
laying out a vision at the synergistic confluence of diverse scientific
research areas. Our Forums have successfully provided a common platform for
effective networking between research communities and industries in both
countries by identifying emerging areas in nanotechnology which generate significant
impacts. This is evident from major collaboration initiatives between the U.S. and
Korea established via our Forums. Organizing the Forums has expedited the
generation of cutting-edge technologies for thrust areas in both
countries. To our knowledge, our Forum
between the U.S. and Korea is the longest Forum of its kind. Our Forum, publicized
through Carnegie Mellon website: http://www.cmu.edu/nanotechnology -forum/
has also served as a benchmark for other international
forums.
With this mission, we established the 1st
U.S.-Korea Forum on Nanotechnology, via NSF funding, on October 14th
-18th of 2003, in Seoul. As the Korean counterpart to NSF,
participation was overseen and funded by MSIT. The topics in the subsequent
Forums were recommended by the advisory committee members depending on the needs
of both countries at that time, and the locations of these Forums have
alternated between Korea and the U.S. We organized the 2nd Forum, on
nanomanufacturing research and the development of educational programs covering
the field of nanotechnology. The 3rd Forum focused on active devices
and systems research, unlike the passive systems studied during the first two
Forums. We held the 4th Forum, where the focus was on the
sustainable nano energy with emphasis on the design and characterization of
materials as well as devices and systems for energy applications. The 5th
Forum focused on the emerging area of nano-biotechnology emphasizing novel
nano-biomaterials, instrumentation technologies, and integrated systems for
overcoming critical challenges in biomedicine and delivery of healthcare, as
well as their environmental, health & safety (EHS), and toxicity issues.
The 6th Forum dealt with nano-electronics with emphasis on
fundamentals as well as integration with applications including convergence
technology with biotechnology. The 7th Forum oversaw discussions
ranging in nanotechnology convergence with current and future energy
technologies to provide environmentally friendly solutions to the crippling
challenges facing the energy sector. These seven Forums culminated in a
seamless developmental and feedback process documenting the advent of nanotechnology
convergence in broad spectrum of science and technology areas, for the first
decade of the 21st century (NANO1). The 8th Forum in 2011, on
nanotechnology convergence in sustainability, heralded new horizons in
nanotechnology for the next decade (NANO2) by addressing critical problems
faced by an ever increasing global population, with an emphasis on
environmentally friendly technologies for the future on nanotechnology for
sustainability, focusing on water reuse and desalination, greenhouse gas
capture and conversion, and sustainable natural resources. The 9th Forum
focused on channeling nanotechnology to the masses to responsibly address broad
societal challenges such as nanoscience fundamentals, sustainability, and
state-of-the-art applications for the new generation of nanotechnology
products. The 10th Forum focused on laying out a roadmap for a new
generation of nanotechnological products and processes. The 11th Forum
focused on a new paradigm in nanomanufacturing, nanocomposite, and
nanoinformatics. This Forum provides an opportunity to realize the potential of
nanotechnology through the development of innovative and sustainable
nanomanufacturing technologies for producing novel strong, light and smart
nanocomposites and their management via nanoinformatics which will likely lead
to paradigm shifting next generation enhanced performance of products in a
broad range of existing industries including aerospace, automotive, energy,
environmental remediation, information, and power industries as well as
development of new industries. The 12th Forum focused on laying out
a roadmap for a new paradigm in nanoscience-convergence in 2-D materials and
for water purification via exploring improvements to technological tools for
the application of nanotechnology and functional and novel nanomaterials to
water-related topics. The 13th Forum focused on a new paradigm in
nanoscience- convergence in brain-inspired (neuromorphic) computing and water
& energy. The 14th Forum focused on laying out a roadmap for a
new paradigm in nanoscience-convergence including nanosensors and neuromorphic
computing. The 15th Forum was focused on laying out a roadmap for a
new paradigm in nanomedicine area as well as continuing effort on nanosensors
including IoT devices. The 16th Forum held in 2019 focused on realizing
the promise of nanotechnology through the development of novel nanomedicine
focusing at the single-cell level as well as sensors related to human cognition
and brain research. We could not hold the Forum for three years due to the COVID-19
pandemic. The 17th Forum held in 2023 explored
next-generation semiconductors and the environmental implications of
semiconductor manufacturing. In this Forum, we discussed the development of
advanced semiconductor devices for emerging neuromorphic in-memory computing,
future CMOS nodes, monolithic 3D (M3D) integration, advanced packaging (design,
manufacturing, and technology) and heterogeneous integration.
This 18th Forum was held at
Arizona State University on September 23rd & 24th, 2024.
Seventy-six eminent scientists and policy makers in the field of semiconductors
and nanotechnology attended. During this Forum, Welcoming Remarks were
provided by: Zachary Holman, Vice Dean for Research and Innovation, Arizona
State University; Jinho Ahn, President of Korea Nanotechnology Research Society;
and Seongsin Margaret Kim, Program Director of the National Science Foundation.
The main event of the Forum consisted of four different sessions, described below.
Keynote Session: This session began with Dr. Birgit Schwenzer, Program Director of the
Materials Research Division at NSF. She stressed the impact that nanotechnology could have on our environment with
the help of 1D, 2D, and 3D nanomaterials spanning over a wide range of
applications that include environmental and clinical applications.
Dr. Schwenzer
demonstrated how various research thrusts focused on printed electronics, nano catalysts,
and sensing technologies were either commercialized or are in the process of
technological adoption through partnership from NSF. Professor Jinho Ahn, President of the
Korea
Nanotechnology Research Society discussed how the future of the
global
semiconductor industry could grow and have a direct impact on the
lives of people
across the globe. More specifically, he highlighted the importance of extreme
ultraviolet (EUV) lithography and he
summarized the journey to
our state-of-the-art lithography process and how each major semiconductor country
made significant contributions to where we are today. He also highlighted the ongoing work at the CHIPS
Innovation Research Center, Korea, with primary focus on nanotechnology research
related to EUV lithography. The momentum was growing among the audience with
such inspiring talks and discussions after the keynote speakers’ presentations. The third keynote speech was given by Dr. Victor Zhirnov, who is a Chief Scientist at Semiconductor Research Corporation
(SRC). Dr. Zhirnov talked about the importance of strategic
planning for semiconductor industry and of a new strategic plan – the
microelectronics and advanced packaging technologies (MAPT) roadmap. He
also contrasted
“data generation” in the so-called “dark ages” (dated to the early hundreds B.C.) with the stupendous growth in data generation and
storage in the 21st century. He noted that moving from 2D to 3D technology in advanced
semiconductor devices will address the ever-increasing energy demand that is
growing at a more rapid pace compared to the comparatively steady
rate of the world’s energy production.
This session concluded with the scintillating talk by
Dr. Om Nalamasu, Chief Technology Officer at Applied Materials,
who underlined
how sustainable growth can be achieved through deep technology collaboration across the globe. He was optimistic
that the resurgence of the semiconductor industry will
be enabled by big data
and artificial intelligence (AI) which account for significant
portion of the revenue
generated in the semiconductor industry. While it took about seventy years for the industry revenue to reach the first
half of a trillion dollars, it is expected that the industry will reach the next half of a trillion-dollar revenue
in just seven years, one-tenth of what it took to achieve the first
half. With the exponential increase in the computing demands that are involved in AI
systems, the need for efficient and integrated computing solutions is highly desirable. Dr.
Nalamasu cited the
importance of chiplets and heterogeneous integration along with optical
interconnects to address the growing computing demands with energy efficient
methodologies.
Poster Session:
Professor Jungwon Choi
examined the performance
of enhancement mode gallium nitride (eGaN) FETs in MHz, KW resonant power
converters and demonstrated how to optimize power converter design using eGaN
FETs for high-frequency, high-power operation.
Professor Jihoon Seo
evaluated the sustainability of CMP consumables in
semiconductor manufacturing with a primary focus on CMP slurries, pCMP cleaning
solutions with the introduction of a robust framework for the Life Cycle
Assessment (LCA) of CMP consumables. Professor Inhee Lee presented that
even though the
size of the bare die is 1-2 nm, the associated systems such as batteries and
casings make the Miniature sensing semiconductor devices larger leading
to design
challenges. He also addressed the challenges in developing small systems and
introduce a millimeter-scale system. Professor Hyunwoong Ko
predicted PSP causal relationships using multi-modal,
multi-scale AM data and the generation of newly synthesized PSP features based
on learned distributions. Professor Ivan Sanchez Esqueda
synthesized h-BN films, enabling transfer-free CMOS-compatible
memristors with outstanding electrical characteristics, demonstrating
wafer-scale integration of h-BN memristors with >90% yield, high stability
in NVRS characteristics. Dr. Arunkumar Venkataronappa
examined the conservation
of DIW usage during a CMP process in high-volume semiconductor manufacturing,
and metal loss mitigation in advanced nodes fabrication. This process
optimization could save 33L of DIW for 1 single wafer.
Dr. Sri Siva Rama Krishna Hanup Vegi used environmentally friendly chemicals in
CMP and post-CMP cleaning solutions to develop CMP processes in such a way that
the yield goals are met with less hazardous materials and minimal chemical
wastage.
Session #1: Professor Ahmed Busnaina introduced a
sustainable semiconductor manufacturing process that uses suspended
nanoparticles to reduce costs by 10 to 100 times. This scalable, additive
technology allows for faster and more precise production of nanostructures used
in advanced packaging. It addresses the challenges of ultra-fine 3D
integration, minimizes environmental impact, and overcomes the limitations of
traditional manufacturing methods. Professor Tae-Gon Kim discussed recent
advancements in atomic force microscopy technology for the semiconductor
industry. He emphasized its critical role in detecting nanometer-scale defects
and its integration with white light interferometry for high-resolution 3D
analysis. These improvements help to overcome limitations in throughput,
operational complexity, and overall device performance. Professor Paul
Westerhoff discussed how fabs can reduce their water footprint by reusing
industrial wastewater for ultrapure water and cooling systems, reducing
reliance on city tap water. He also explored atmospheric water harvesting as a
new source of high-quality water, highlighting challenges in cost, technical
feasibility, and energy consumption for water purification. Professor Heeyeop
Chae presented strategies to reduce global warming gases in plasma etching
processes by replacing perfluorocompounds (PFCs) with low global warming
potential gases such as fluoroethers, fluoroalcohols, and fluoroketones. His
research showed that these alternatives can lower the warming potential of
exhaust gases by up to 90%. Professor Bruno Azeredo discussed the development
of nanoporous copper for high-surface-area applications, such as hydrogen
production and bioelectronics. He covered techniques like dealloying Cu-Al
precursors, powder sintering, and 3D printing to create hierarchical,
high-surface-area structures, emphasizing the programmability of the resulting
materials. Professor Haeseong Lee presented on improving electromagnetic
interference shielding effectiveness in semiconductor nanomaterials. He addressed
limitations in the ASTM D4935 standard for measuring shielding effectiveness,
including issues with sample size, frequency range, and near-field conditions.
His presentation focused on enhancing testing methods to improve sustainability
in semiconductor manufacturing. Professor Fazleena Badurdeen discussed
promoting sustainability in semiconductor manufacturing through a circular
economy framework. She emphasized the 6R approach (reduce, reuse, recycle,
recover, redesign, remanufacture) and the use of lifecycle assessments. Her
focus was on integrating products, processes, and systems to decouple resource
extraction from economic growth and drive sustainability. Finally, Ms. Susannah
Calvin highlighted the increasing demand for semiconductors and the need to
reduce the climate impacts of computing. She emphasized Apple's commitment to
becoming carbon neutral, particularly in hardware manufacturing, and the
importance of minimizing carbon footprints across the entire value chain.
Session #2: Professor Tae-Woo Lee presented a paper
on organic nervetronics for neuroprosthetics. The goal of the work was
to investigate suitable artificial nerve components that have suitable
short-term plasticity-dominated synaptic properties that mimic the original
human sensor or organ. His team demonstrated stretchable neuromorphic
efferent nerves that interface with the muscles of living animals. They used
PEDOT: PSS hydrogel electrodes in their components. The artificial system successfully replicated
the natural movements of the hind limbs of mice. Professor Michael J. Sailor discussed silicon-based
nanoparticles for tissue-specific drug delivery to the brain. Nanophase silicon is one of few materials
that is non-toxic in human tissue, which also eventually degrades to other
waste products that are not harmful in vivo. Silicon nanopores can serve as cages for
trapping and protecting payloads to be delivered to targeted sites in the
brain. The nanopores typically operate
in aqueous environments so that the payload is trapped without denaturation, which allows attachment
of targeting peptides and other moieties to the exterior of the nanoparticle
for selective targeting. Professor
Jinmyoung Joo delivered a talk on
nanoparticles at the interface of the blood-brain barrier. The objective of the team’s work is to develop
nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery to the brain, taking advantage of a
framework of bio-inspired molecules that permit delivery of diagnostic and
therapeutic payloads to the brain. These
molecules must navigate a host of biological traffic with other normal native
molecules in the cellular environment. Professor Mehdi Nikhah presented engineered
organotypic disease on-a-chip models. His group’s research objective is to develop organotypic tissue models for
biomedical and pre-clinical applications. Tissue-on-a-chip technology permits the understanding of complex human diseases at
the small-scale level, surpassing the use of animal models. This technology streamlines drug development
and discovery. It also enables the assessment of the effectiveness of multiple
drugs and compounds on diseased cells. The line of research pursued by the team
is intended to be relevant to engineered tumor microenvironment models that
facilitate studies of early stages of cancer and its progression to metastatic
cascades. The work has also been
extended to a vascularized human
stem cell-derived tissue-on-a-chip model for investigating cardio-vascular and
cerebrovascular diseases. Professor
Oh Seok Kwon presented an exposition on the general concept of
natural receptors and nerve transmission in humans. His research group combines
electronics and artificial receptors that mimic human sensors that can produce
emulated sensory signals to investigate how these can be used to reproduce
sensory functions of human sensors. The concept he presented also has more general applications, for example, it can be used to
design sensory devices that emulate human sensors such as the nose for smelling
and the tongue for taste. Professor Douglas Weber presented a talk on
sensing and stimulating the brain to restore neurological function. His talk provided details on wearable and
implantable neural interfaces for restoring or improving motor function in
people with paralysis caused by stroke or spinal injury or other neurological
disorders. The gist of this presentation
was that neural sensors can measure the activity of motor neurons to enable direct control of prosthetic limbs
and other assistive technologies. Professor Youngbin Tchoe presented a talk on
electrocorticogrpahy microdisplay for high precision intraoperative brain
mapping. The work discussed an intracranial electroencephalogram (EEG)
microdisplay with 2048 GaN-micro-light-emitting diodes at the back of a
1024-channel micro-electrocorticogrpahy (ECoG) grid.
This type of EEG microdisplay enables real-time, high-resolution recording and display of
cortical activity by showing spatially corresponding light patterns on the
brain surfaces during surgery, for example.
Showing brain activity during surgery is important because it helps to
delineate pathological brain regions from functional ones. Professor
Sameer Sonkusale gave a talk on sustainable
point of care diagnostics for human health and wellness. The thrust of the presentation was on
sensors for point-of-care monitoring. For the widest possible
use of such sensors, he emphasized that they should be made from inexpensive,
widely available and sustainable substrate materials such as paper, threads,
and textiles. An example of this type of sensor was made from smart threads
that measures electrolytes and metabolites in sweat for monitoring fatigue.
Another sensor type discussed was for saliva diagnostics in the form of thread
strips used as dental floss for monitoring stress via the hormone
cortisol. A third sensor that he
discussed was for monitoring inflammation by measuring cytokine levels in a
biological fluid. Professor Jiwon Lee discussed image
sensing technologies and challenges in vision. This talk discussed the extension of
conventional silicon imaging technologies which cover the visible spectrum to
the shortwave infrared. The speaker
argued that the shortwave infrared
region of the spectrum can provide additional technical information from an
image that conventional sensors do not.
The proposed extension overlays a silicon pixel array with quantum dots
that absorb infrared light. The infrared
signal thus generated by the quantum dots can be processed along with the
normal visible spectrum signal. The
additional information derived from the infrared can be useful in scientific
research or in medical diagnostics. The last talk by Professor Josh Hihath expounded on the
topic of integration of biomolecular electronics devices and sensors. The key takeaway from this presentation
was that it is possible to integrate biological molecules with regular
electronic devices or to create functional electronics devices using biological
molecules. An example that was discussed was that of a DNA molecule replacing
the channel region of a field effect transistor. Such as device is truly a
molecular device whose operating principles diverge from traditional classical
field-effect devices made from inorganic materials. This class of devices offers opportunities
to design molecular sensors that are compatible with biological tissue while
simultaneously providing the signals necessary for professing vital information
about the
environment in which they are embedded.
To explore semiconductor and sensor
technology further, we intend to organize the 19th Forum next year
to be held in Seoul, Korea. The topics include two emerging themes:
neuromorphic & quantum sensors on a chip, and sustainability in
semiconductor manufacturing by design. We are confident that the 19th
Forum will provide a gateway for opening a new paradigm in semiconductor
manufacturing for the future as both the U.S. and Korea have been heavily
supporting semiconductor technology as a prioritized economic development area.
We also believe that the continuation of the semiconductor and sensor area
during the 19th Forum will further promote collaboration between
scientists in both countries and will identify concrete collaboration topics
and teams. For the past decade, consecutive-year discussions on the same
topics, which include neuromorphic computing (13th and 14th
Forums), nanosensors including IoT (14th and 15th
Forums), nanomedicine (15th and 16th Forums), and sustainability
in semiconductor manufacturing (17th and 18th Forums) have
been a great success.
The followings are detailed recommendations made by the two sessions during this Forum:
Session 1: Sustainability in Semiconductor Manufacturing
Three critical areas of research were discussed:
1. Sustainability in Semiconductor Manufacturing
Recycling water and Adsorbents Reduction of Toxic gases and chemicals (solvents and chemicals, TMAH, PFAS) Reduction of Energy Consumption – Total energy consumption throughout the supply chain should be considered.
– Energy consumption modeling
– Waste heat recovery
– Consider greener manufacturing processes
Biodegradable materials for packaging Sustainability by design: consider alternative materials and processes at the design stage and use modeling to evaluate performance at the microchip.
2. E-Waste: recover, reuse, recycle
Equipment for reuse, recycling, and recovery Automation methods for disassembly, sorting New chemical treatments for e-waste? Computational modeling (Candance, synopsis, siemens) Design for hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy methods for rare-earth metals: Novel hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy extraction methods Shredding, sorting, chemical synthesis and feedstock Design for circularity and sustainability (Disassembly, reusability, recyclability) Policy-level: OEM’s right to repair -> spare parts required to be supplied -> market for reused products (New regulations?) What would be the new purpose of recycled /chips? Agriculture?
3. Opportunities in additive manufacturing of microelectronics:
Nanomaterial synthesis for feedstock development Needs for legacy instrumentation/equipment/chip/products Quality, reliability by design New devices opportunities from 3D printing Small, integrated, all-in-one scale fabs For reuse of existing chips: refurbishing, augmenting, re-purposing existing chips using AM Needs: custom chips (ASICS), Multi-material printing Hierarchical resolution (high and low-resolution printing methods) High-throughput, parallel printing methods (NOT point-based methods)
Session 2: Sensor related to human cognition
The Second Session of the Forum on Nanotechnology was devoted to Sensors
Related to Human Cognition. Broadly defined, these are types of sensors that
acquire and process information on the human neural and nervous system. They are intended to perform two main
functions. The first is to provide information on the condition of the system
so that corrective action, where necessary and possible, can be taken in case
there is a malfunction. The second role of such sensors is to emulate the
function of a failed human sensor and provide alternative artificial signals
that can be connected to interface with the human neural and nervous system so
that close to normal cognition is still possible for the human affected.
Eleven talks were presented in this session which have been summarized
previously. The talks ranged from in-depth discussion of sensory systems that
interfaced with the human brain or the nervous system, to sensors that are
intended to augment or replace failed human versions of the sensor, to
nanosystems that deliver tissue-specific drugs to the brain or damaged
cells/tissue.
Discussions on Sensor Topics for Next Year’s Forum
On the second day of the Forum, the presenters engaged in robust
discussions of potential topics for next year’s Forum. The general consensus of
the discussions was that research in the area of sensors for human cognition is
still in its infancy. Much fundamental
knowledge remains to be discovered and developed into practical and useful
technologies for improving human health and cognition. After several hours of
discussions, the group summarized future research into two major areas, with
several subareas listed below.
1. Hybrid bioelectronics and bio-photonics sensors:
Engineered living materials for interfaces with cells Low-cost, biocompatible, biodegradable materials for sensors Increasing sensitivity and resolution of sensors Sensitivity and resolution could be improved and enhanced by moving to quantum sensors Alternative modality beyond electrical response
2. Neuromorphic Human Sensors on a Chip:
Sensors here are defined broadly to mean devices that mimic human sensory organs for hearing, smell, taste, touch, and sight Artificial sensors that either restore or enhance lost human sensing Multi-modal sensors that monitor cognitive systems to help diagnosis of malfunctioning of human sensors Sensors that mimic the operating principles of brain and peripheral nerves
Of the two major areas listed above, it is suggested that the second topic on Neuromorphic Human Sensors on Chip, and its subareas be considered for discussion at the Forum for next year.
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On behalf of the U.S participants
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On behalf of the Korean
participants
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Myung S. Jhon, Professor
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Jinho Ahn
Korea Nanotechnology Research Society
Seoul, Korea
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