|
more articles like this
UCSB Semiconductor Research Grant
updated: Jul 03, 2012, 2:35 PM
Source: UCSB
UC Santa Barbara's Solid State Lighting & Energy Center (SSLEC), a hub for
leading-edge research in energy-efficient lighting, power electronics, and solar
energy technology, has received a $500,000 endowment from Seoul Optodevice
Company to further its research on gallium nitride (GaN) for use in electronics
and solid state lighting.
James Speck, a professor of materials at UCSB, member of SSLEC's Executive
Committee, and director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Wide Band-Gap
Semiconductors, has been named the campus's first Seoul Optodevice Chair in
Solid State Lighting.
"Mr. Chung Hoon Lee and the Seoul Optodevice Company are leaders in the field,
and have been longstanding supporters of UC Santa Barbara's Solid State Lighting
and Energy Center, which is advancing the frontiers of research in energy-
efficient solid state lighting, and helping to create a more sustainable future
for us all," said Chancellor Henry T. Yang. "We are deeply grateful for their
vision and generosity in establishing the Seoul Optodevice Chair in Solid State
Lighting, and we are very proud that Professor Jim Speck will be the inaugural
chair holder. Professor Speck is world-renowned for his pioneering research in
electronic materials and physical properties, and is the ideal choice to hold
this prestigious endowed chair."
The endowment represents an important partnership between UCSB and the Seoul
Optodevice Company. Established in Korea in 2002, the company is a global leader
in engineering products with a variety of applications, including outdoor and
architectural lighting, LCD technology, and both V- and UV-LED products.
"Under the visionary leadership of Mr. Chung Hoon Lee, Seoul Semiconductor and
Seoul Optoelectronic Device Companies are leading the transformation to solid
state lighting," Speck offered. "UCSB and the Solid State Lighting and Energy
Center have greatly benefited from the strong support from these two companies.
I am honored to serve as the first Seoul Optodevice Chair at UCSB and extend my
personal thanks to Mr. Lee."
Most silicon-based semiconductors in today's electronics, such as those found in
computer microprocessor chips and transistors, are highly inefficient in their
use of energy. New processors that use GaN as a wide band-gap semiconductor
offer increased data processing capabilities while using minimal power. GaN is
one of the most important next-generation semiconductor materials because it can
be used for high-frequency, high-power transistors capable of operating at high
temperatures.
"This endowment by Seoul Optodevice Company is critically important because our
research in gallium nitride semiconductors places the college at the forefront
of energy efficiency technology," said Rod Alferness, dean of the College of
Engineering. "Professor Speck is leading this charge and understands how our
relationship with industry is a driving force behind discoveries in solid state
lighting."
Speck's research focuses on the relationship between thin-film electronic
materials growth, and microstructure, as well as the link between microstructure
and physical properties. He has worked extensively on the materials science of
GaN and related alloys, and has consistently been lauded for his research. Among
his many honors, Speck received the Quantum Device Award from the International
Symposium on Compound Semiconductors in 2007. In 2010, he received the IEEE
Photonics Society Aron Kressel Award for his work on nonpolar and semipolar GaN-
based materials and devices.
"Jim Speck is the world's leading expert in gallium nitride (GaN) materials and
crystal growth," said Steven DenBaars, co-director of SSLEC, a professor of
materials, and of electrical and computer engineering, as well as the Mitsubishi
Chemical Professor in Solid State Lighting & Display. "SSLEC is very fortunate
to have him."
5 comments on this article. Read/Add
# # # #
|
