Hong Koo Kim Co-Director; Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Research
Nano-optics/plasmonics; nanoelectronics; nanosystems-on-a-chip
Professor Kim's research in nano-optics area focuses on: elucidation of the mechanisms of the interactions of light and metal at nanoscale; visualization of surface plasmon dynamics and interplays between polarization charges, electromagnetic fields, and energy flow on nanostructured surfaces of metal and dielectrics; utilization of these interactions in a controlled manner to enable novel functions of beam shaping and spectral filtering that can go beyond the conventional diffractive/refractive optics limits.
His research in nano-electronics area deals with developing a new class of devices that offer femtosecond transit time operating at a single-electron level at room temperature. The operating principle involves ballistic transport of electrons in localized nanochannels. This study aims at developing a fundamental understanding of the charge transport process and its application to ultrafast, low power device operation.
In nanosystems-on-a-chip research his group investigates multiscale integration of nanostructures into hierarchical systems involving various functional materials such as wide bandgap semiconductors, ferroelectric films, and plasmonic nanostructured materials. Single-domain ordered nanochannel arrays with controlled symmetry have been developed on macroscale area of wafer surface using a directed self-organization method, and have been investigated as an interaction medium in optical, electrical, chemical, and biological domains. Surface-plasmon phenomena occurring in nano-optic structures are of particular interest, since many novel properties can be derived from those and can be incorporated into an on-chip configuration for interaction with other functional materials. His group investigates plasmonics as an enabling technology for implementing nanosystems-on-a-chip that offer multifunctionality across the heterogeneous domains. He has authored five patents in nanotechnology area: self-organized nanostructured wafers; metal nanolenses; chip-scale optical spectrum analyzers and multispectral imaging devices; nano-optics enabled photovoltaic devices; single-electron-level ballistic devices.
Publications
- M. Biswas, Y. S. Jung, H. K. Kim, K. Kumar, G. J. Hughes, S. Newcomb, M. O. Henry, and E.McGlynn, “Microscopic origins of the surface exciton photoluminescence peak in ZnO nanostructures,” Phys.Rev. B 83, 235320 (10) (2011).
- D. Li, Y. S. Jung, S. Tan, H. K. Kim, E. Chory, and D. A. Geller, “Negligible absorption of radiofrequency radiation by colloidal gold nanoparticles,” J. Colloid Interface Sci. 358, 47-53(2011).
- Y. Xi, Y. S. Jung, and H. K. Kim, “Interaction of light with a metal wedge: the role of diffraction in shaping energy flow,” Optics Express 18, 2588-2600 (2010).
- Y. S. Jung, J. Wuenschell, H. K. Kim, P. Kaur, and D. H. Waldeck, “Blue-shift of surface plasmon resonance in a metal nanoslit array structure,” Optics Express 17, 16081-16091 (2009).
- T. B. Hur, H. K. Kim, and J. Blachere, “Epitaxial growth of Ag films on native-oxide-covered Si substrates,” Phys. Rev. B 75, 205306 (5) (2007).
- A. Kubo, K. Onda, H. Petek, Z. Sun, Y. S. Jung, and H. K. Kim, “Femtosecond imaging of surface plasmon dynamics in a nano-structured silver film,” Nano Lett. 5, 1123-1127 (2005).
- Z. Sun and H. K. Kim, “Refractive transmission of light and beam shaping with metallic nanooptic lenses,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 85, 642-644 (2004).
- M. Liu and H. K. Kim, “Ultraviolet detection with ultra-thin epitaxial ZnO films treated with oxygen plasma,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 173-175 (2004).
- Z. Sun and H. K. Kim, “Growth of ordered, single-domain, aluminum nanopore arrays with holographically patterned aluminum films,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 81, 3458-3460 (2002).
- A. Nahhas, H. K. Kim, and J. Blachere, “Epitaxial growth of ZnO films on Si substrates using an epitaxial GaN buffer,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 78, 1511-1513 (2001).
Education
PhD, Carnegie Mellon University, 1989
MS, KAIST, 1983
BS, Seoul National University, 1981
Lab Members
Postdoctoral Fellows
Yun Suk Jung
Dongxiao Li
Graduate Students
Myungji Kim
Jinxuan Wu
