Ha Sang-hoon, a master’s student in the Department of Intelligent Semiconductors and Displays at the Graduate School of Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul), published a paper as the first author in the July 2026 issue of “ACS Applied Electronic Materials,” an international academic journal published by the American Chemical Society (ACS). An image visualizing the research findings was selected as the journal’s Supplementary Cover Image.

*ACS Applied Electronic Materials* is an international academic journal covering research in the fields of electronic materials and semiconductor devices. The Supplementary Cover Image is a feature that selects an image from among the papers published in a given issue that effectively conveys the core content and academic significance of the research, and features it on the journal’s website and online issue page.

Professor Lee Yoon Jung from Kookmin University’s Semiconductor Devices and Integrated Circuits Laboratory (S!LK) served as the corresponding author for this study, with Professors Kim Dong Myong, Kim Dae Hwan, Choi Sung-Jin, and Lee Junjong participating as co-authors.

The Kookmin University research team investigated methods to enhance the performance and durability of ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs), a next-generation non-volatile memory device. To achieve this, they simultaneously applied ferroelectric domain engineering and interface oxygen vacancy control technology.

The research team utilized a cobalt oxide (CoOx) interfacial layer as an oxygen reservoir and induced interaction with Nb-doped SrTiO₃ (NSTO) electrodes to stabilize the polarization characteristics of the HZO (Hf₀.₅Zr₀.₅O₂) ferroelectric. As a result, they achieved a high tunneling electroresistance (TER) and improved switching stability and durability, demonstrating the potential for performance enhancements in next-generation low-power non-volatile memory devices.

In particular, by simultaneously controlling oxygen vacancies within the domains and at the interfaces of the ferroelectric, they elucidated the operating mechanism of FTJ devices and enhanced their long-term reliability. These research findings are expected to be utilized in the development of next-generation semiconductor technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors, neuromorphic computing, and ultra-low-power non-volatile memory.

This research was conducted with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea’s Individual Research Support Program (Mid-Career Research), and the paper was published in the July 2026 issue of *ACS Applied Electronic Materials*.

△ ACS Applied Electronic Materials ‘Supplementary Cover Image’