Associate Professor Gong Xiao’s research group at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has once again demonstrated global leadership in semiconductor innovation with a record-breaking performance at the 2025 Symposium on VLSI Technology, held in Kyoto, Japan from June 8th to 12th. The Symposium on VLSI Technology is one of the two most prestigious conferences in the field of semiconductor devices, where major breakthroughs are showcased by renowned universities, leading industry companies, and research institutes, including TSMC, Samsung, SK Hynix, Intel, and IMEC.
This year, the group had seven papers accepted, positioning NUS as the highest number of accepted papers among all academic institutions worldwide, reaffirming its position at the forefront of advanced electronic device research. Among the highlights of this year’s symposium:
Liu Gan, a Ph.D. student under Professor Gong’s supervision, received the Best Student Paper Award (Technology) for his presentation in Symposium on VLSI Technology last year. His paper, titled “Unveiling the Impact of AC PBTI on Hydrogen Formation in Oxide Semiconductor Transistors” presents a comprehensive analysis of the dynamic behavior of hydrogen under AC stress and its crucial role in the reliability degradation of oxide semiconductor FETs, offering significant insights for the future development of stable and robust devices for 3D integrated circuits. Each year, only one Best Student Paper Award is granted, recognizing the quality of the research and the excellence of the oral presentation. Liu Gan was awarded a certificate and a cash prize of USD 2,000.
Feng Yang won the Best Demonstration Paper Award for her work “Record-high Pr (2Pr > 40 μC/cm²) in 3 nm (Physical) Ferroelectric HZO Annealed at 450°C: High-T (85°C) Electrical Cycling and Oxygen Vacancy Engineering.” She received the highest votes from participants for her engaging interaction and creative demo work during the demo session.
Two other outstanding contributions by Wang Yuxuan and Xu Ying received Best Student Paper Nomination Award as they are among the top 8 highly ranked student papers:
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- Wang Yuxuan’s “BEOL-Compatible ITO FET with Ultra-Short Channel Length of 5 nm”
- Xu Ying’s “First Demonstration of BEOL-Compatible Co-Sputter Deposited Te₁₋ₓSeₓ p-FETs Enabling 3D Stackable Oxide Semiconductor CFET, DRAM, and First CFET-Structured SRAM”
Both works have been recognized as potential candidates for the Best Student Paper Award, underscoring the sustained excellence of Professor Gong’s students.
These accomplishments reflect the group’s strength in pioneering research on BEOL-compatible 3D logic and memory devices, oxide semiconductor FETs, and ferroelectric technologies, all of which are key enablers for the future of high-performance and energy efficient electronics.
With a consistent track record of excellence, Professor Gong Xiao’s team continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in semiconductor technology, further strengthening NUS as a global hub for cutting-edge research in electronic and photonic systems.
