Advancing Device Design and Integration Across Functional Material Platforms

Emerging computing and sensing applications increasingly demand electronic devices that operate beyond the limits of conventional CMOS scaling, requiring improved energy efficiency, robustness under extreme conditions, and new modes of integration with biological and physical environments. Addressing these challenges calls for a rethinking of device architecture guided by materials science and device physics rather than continued geometric scaling alone. In this seminar, I will first present my Ph.D. research on ferroelectric memory devices based on wurtzite III-nitride ferroelectrics, with a focus on AlScN-gated ferroelectric FETs, and ferroelectric diodes. By integrating ultrathin ferroelectric layers with emerging channel materials, including two-dimensional semiconductors and oxide channels, these devices demonstrate high performance, scalability, and new functionality enabled by ferroelectric polarization control. I will then outline my broader research vision aimed at expanding electronic systems beyond conventional operating regimes. This includes (i) electronics robust to extreme environments such as high temperature and radiation, (ii) low-temperature and BEOL-compatible device integration for monolithic 3D architectures, and (iii) transient and bio-resorbable electronic systems for healthcare monitoring and space applications. The unifying theme of my work is understanding how device lifetime, material choice, and fabrication strategies should be co-designed based on the intended operational environment and application requirements.

Bio: Kwan-Ho Kim is currently a Postdoctoral Scholar at Northwestern University in the Center for Bio-Integrated Electronics, working with Prof. John A. Rogers. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

His research expertise lies in the design and integration of high-performance electronic devices across diverse material platforms, including III-nitride ferroelectrics, two-dimensional semiconductors, oxide semiconductors, and silicon-based technologies. His work spans ferroelectric memory devices, negative-capacitance transistors, transient bio-integrated electronics, photovoltaic devices, and quantum tunneling devices with an emphasis on device physics, electrostatics, and system-level integration. Through close collaboration with materials experts, his research aims to translate emerging materials into functional electronic systems that address challenges in energy-efficient computing, extreme-environment operation, and bio-integrated applications.