Gachon University opens aberration-corrected TEM lab for advanced semiconductor research

Gachon University's Bio-Nano Convergence Materials Research Center has opened an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (Cs-corrected TEM) laboratory, backed by 8.3 billion won ($6.2 million) in funding from the Ministry of Education. The opening ceremony was held Thursday at the university's third student residence building in Seongnam.

The ceremony was attended by Gachon University Vice President Yun Won-jung, Bio-Nano Convergence Materials Research Center Director Han Sang-yun, faculty researchers participating in the Ministry of Education's 2025 Infrastructure Enhancement Support Project, EGTM Executive Vice President and Research Director Jo Gyu-ho, DGIST Research Division Head Lee Myung-jae, National NanoFab Center researcher Yang Jun-mo and Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology Analysis Group team leader Park Sung-yong.

The facility is the first in South Korea to support sub-nanometer-scale (smaller than one nanometer, or one-billionth of a meter) semiconductor device characterization mapping — a technique that charts the properties of a target sample across a wide area — as well as operando research, which observes and analyzes changes in a device while it is actually in operation.

The infrastructure expands the scope of research from atomic-level structural analysis to large-area characterization mapping and real-device operating environment analysis. It also enables full-scale development of next-generation semiconductor devices and analytical technologies, along with joint industry-academia-research collaboration.

The research infrastructure was developed after the Bio-Nano Convergence Materials Research Center was selected last year for the Ministry of Education's 2025 Infrastructure Enhancement Support Project. Built around a Cs-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (Cs-corrected STEM) capable of atomic-level structural analysis, the facility integrates a range of advanced analytical instruments — including an energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS), electron energy loss spectrometer (EELS), scanning precession electron diffraction (SPED) system and electron beam-induced current (EBIC) measurement system. It is also equipped with a real-time voltage-application holder and a vacuum-transfer cryo-holder, enabling precise analysis of the structural and electrical properties of semiconductor materials and devices.

The project involved faculty from several departments, including Yun Sang-moon of the Department of Semiconductor Physics, Choi Du-ho, Lee Su-gil, Eom Gi-tae and Jin Gang-tae of the Department of Semiconductor Engineering, and Jo Eui-sik of the Department of Electronic Engineering.

"We plan to use this advanced research infrastructure to expand joint research among universities, research institutions and companies, and to accelerate development of next-generation semiconductor devices and analytical technologies," Han said.