Merck Korea (CEO Dr. Woo-Kyu Kim), the Korean subsidiary of Merck, a leading science and technology company, announced the winners of a special award to honor research and development achievements that have contributed to the development of the semiconductor and display industries.

On the 17th, Merck selected Professor Jin-Sung Park of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Professor Tae-Joo Park of the Department of Materials and Chemical Engineering at Hanyang University, Korea, as recipients of the 'Merck Special Award' for their significant technological contributions through the improvement of ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) materials and processes for next-generation electronic technology, and presented them with the award.

Anand Nambia, Global Head of Merck’s Semiconductor Materials Business, congratulated the award winners, stating, “Many researchers with passion and perseverance are making outstanding contributions to the continuous innovation of the electronics industry. This is particularly evident in Korea, one of the world’s major technology hubs.” “It is an honor to honor the achievements of emerging and mid-career researchers who are making a positive difference through the awarding of this prize,” he said.

"As Merck marks its 32nd year of business in Korea, the electronics industry, led by displays and semiconductors, is developing rapidly globally driven by increasing demand for digital devices and technology," said Kim Woo-kyu, CEO of Merck Korea. "Moving forward, Merck plans to support the growth of its Korean customers through scientific achievements in new fields such as healthcare and life sciences, as well as electronics, through continuous and active internal innovation and collaboration with the research community."

Professor Jin-Sung Park of Hanyang University serves as the Director of the Information Materials and Electronic Devices Laboratory and is the Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

Professor Park has been recognized for his research on core materials for advanced ALD and CVD (chemical vapor deposition) thin film applications, and is continuously contributing to the development of the display industry as a board member of the Korea Information of Display Society.

Professor Jin-Sung Park's laboratory is focusing on discovering materials for realizing next-generation IT devices, such as transparent electrode materials for display devices and thin-film encapsulation materials for form factor-free display devices.

Professor Park Jin-sung said, “It is a great honor to receive the Merck Special Award for ALD materials and processes, and I am deeply grateful to the senior and junior ALD researchers around the world who have contributed to this field,” adding, “I will do my best to ensure that ALD materials and processes can be widely applied to the semiconductor and display industries.”

Professor Tae-Joo Park of Hanyang University ERICA, Nano Device Engineering Laboratory, Atomic-level Processing, Novel Devices & MidThe Advanced ALD Research Center, in collaboration with Hanyang University's IUCC, is conducting research at the Korea Research Foundation's Center for Area-Selective Atomic Layer Processes and has received recognition for its research on advanced ALD technology.

Professor Park leads young ALD specialist professors in Korea and focuses on ALD processes and analysis research for semiconductor devices, with an emphasis on powder ALD processes for batteries and CMP slurries.

Professor Park expressed his gratitude, saying, “It is a great honor to receive Merck’s award, and I hope this serves as an opportunity to collaborate extensively with Merck in the field of ALD in the future.”

Merck Electronics Business operates Electronics Technology Centers in Europe, Asia, and the United States.

The advancement of science and technology achieved through research and development networks in key markets has been the driving force that has enabled Merck to become a trusted innovation partner by its customers' side.

Currently, Merck products are used in almost all electronic devices. In a data-driven world, modern society demands functional, high-performance technological infrastructure, and these requirements are continuously rising due to growing trends such as 5G and big data, as well as rapid advancements in application fields such as autonomous driving and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Merck supplies products necessary for all key manufacturing steps of the wafer processing process (patterning, deposition, planarization, etching, cleaning, filling, and packaging), and at Intermolecular, Merck's Silicon Valley innovation hub, it tests and develops advanced materials to drive innovations in next-generation electronics that make human lives more comfortable, enjoyable, and productive.