On November 7, 2024, our CEO, Zhang Han, received the 2024 The Science and Technology Promotion Foundation of Ibaraki (Director: Leo Esaki).

The award was given for “the practical application of ultra-high brightness nanoemitters that bring technological innovation to electron microscopes,” and the foundation explained the reason as follows:

Modern semiconductor manufacturing and biomedical research require nanoscale operations, and therefore electron microscopes, which act as the “eyes” for these operations, require a high-brightness electron source. However, conventional methods have not been able to ensure stable electron emission characteristics, and practical electron sources have not been realized. The award winner overcame this situation by creating La atomic clusters from LaB6 nanowires, and succeeded in creating a robust and practical ultra-high brightness quantum nanoelectron source. This new method is expected to become the basis for new small electron sources not only for electron microscopes but also for electron accelerators, and to contribute greatly to applied research. This research has realized an electron source essential for electron microscopes that will support future nanotechnology, and its ripple effect on society will be enormous. In addition, a NIMS-originated venture company has already been established and work toward practical application has begun, and future developments are expected.

茨城県科学技術振興財団. “2024年度 江崎玲於奈賞・つくば賞・つくば奨励賞受賞者”. i-step.org. https://www.i-step.org/prize/award/, (参照 2025-03-11) .

The award ceremony and award lecture were held at the Tsukuba International Congress Center on February 26, 2025.