Research News
[Prof. Kim, Do-Nyun Research Team] Wins 2024 IEEE TSM Best Paper Award for Semiconductor Lithography Defect Prediction Technolo
Author
김민아
Date
2025-03-28
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SNU College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering Professor Do-Nyun Kim’s Research Team Wins 2024 IEEE TSM Best Paper Award for Semiconductor Lithography Defect Prediction Technology
Key technology for improving semiconductor production yields and reducing costs
▲ (From left) Professor Do-Nyun Kim (corresponding author), Dr. Jaehun Kim (co-first author), and Dr. Jaekyung Lim (co-first author, currently at Samsung Electronics)
Seoul National University College of Engineering announced that a research paper by Professor Do-Nyun Kim’s team from the Department of Mechanical Engineering has been awarded the Best Paper Award in the 2024 IEEE Transactions on Semiconductor Manufacturing (IEEE TSM), an international journal specializing in semiconductor operations.
As one of the most prestigious journals in the field, IEEE TSM covers the latest technologies and applications related to semiconductor processes and manufacturing. Each year, it selects and awards the best paper from all papers published within that year. Notably, another paper from Professor Kim’s team was selected as one of three Honorable Mention Best Papers in 2021, and now, three years later, they have achieved the prestigious Best Paper Award from the same journal.
In their award-winning paper, “Hotspot Prediction: SEM Image Generation with Potential Lithography Hotspots,” the research team proposed a deep learning technology that predicts potential defect-prone areas in the lithography process solely based on lithography pattern data. This technology is expected to play a crucial role in improving semiconductor production yield and reducing costs by enabling proactive design modifications in vulnerable areas.
Dr. Jaehun Kim, co-first author of the paper, expressed his gratitude, saying, “I am deeply honored to receive this meaningful award and would like to sincerely thank everyone who contributed to this research. I will continue to dedicate myself to research on semiconductor process metrology and inspection technologies.” Dr. Kim is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at SNU, where he is working on developing deep learning models capable of learning from limited datasets and expanding their application to real-world industrial environments.
Dr. Jaekyung Lim, co-first author, also shared his thoughts, saying, “I am thrilled that our research has been selected as the Best Paper of 2024. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported our work. Moving forward, I will continue to contribute to advancements in semiconductor manufacturing.” Dr. Lim obtained his Ph.D. from SNU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and is currently working in the Device Solutions (DS) division at Samsung Electronics, where he specializes in detecting semiconductor defects using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron beam inspection.
[Reference Information]
- Award : 2024 IEEE Transactions on Semiconductor Manufacturing Best Paper Award
- Paper Title : Hotspot Prediction: SEM Image Generation with Potential Lithography Hotspots
- DOI : https://doi.org/10.1109/TSM.2023.3327784
- Authors : Jaehun Kim, Jaekyung Lim, Jin-ho Lee, Tae-yeon Kim, Yunhyeong Nam, Kihyun Kim, and Do-Nyun Kim** (*Co-first authors)
[Contact Information]
Professor Do-Nyun Kim, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University / +82-2-880-1647 / dnkim@snu.ac.kr
Key technology for improving semiconductor production yields and reducing costs
▲ (From left) Professor Do-Nyun Kim (corresponding author), Dr. Jaehun Kim (co-first author), and Dr. Jaekyung Lim (co-first author, currently at Samsung Electronics)
Seoul National University College of Engineering announced that a research paper by Professor Do-Nyun Kim’s team from the Department of Mechanical Engineering has been awarded the Best Paper Award in the 2024 IEEE Transactions on Semiconductor Manufacturing (IEEE TSM), an international journal specializing in semiconductor operations.
As one of the most prestigious journals in the field, IEEE TSM covers the latest technologies and applications related to semiconductor processes and manufacturing. Each year, it selects and awards the best paper from all papers published within that year. Notably, another paper from Professor Kim’s team was selected as one of three Honorable Mention Best Papers in 2021, and now, three years later, they have achieved the prestigious Best Paper Award from the same journal.
In their award-winning paper, “Hotspot Prediction: SEM Image Generation with Potential Lithography Hotspots,” the research team proposed a deep learning technology that predicts potential defect-prone areas in the lithography process solely based on lithography pattern data. This technology is expected to play a crucial role in improving semiconductor production yield and reducing costs by enabling proactive design modifications in vulnerable areas.
Dr. Jaehun Kim, co-first author of the paper, expressed his gratitude, saying, “I am deeply honored to receive this meaningful award and would like to sincerely thank everyone who contributed to this research. I will continue to dedicate myself to research on semiconductor process metrology and inspection technologies.” Dr. Kim is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at SNU, where he is working on developing deep learning models capable of learning from limited datasets and expanding their application to real-world industrial environments.
Dr. Jaekyung Lim, co-first author, also shared his thoughts, saying, “I am thrilled that our research has been selected as the Best Paper of 2024. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported our work. Moving forward, I will continue to contribute to advancements in semiconductor manufacturing.” Dr. Lim obtained his Ph.D. from SNU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and is currently working in the Device Solutions (DS) division at Samsung Electronics, where he specializes in detecting semiconductor defects using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron beam inspection.
[Reference Information]
- Award : 2024 IEEE Transactions on Semiconductor Manufacturing Best Paper Award
- Paper Title : Hotspot Prediction: SEM Image Generation with Potential Lithography Hotspots
- DOI : https://doi.org/10.1109/TSM.2023.3327784
- Authors : Jaehun Kim, Jaekyung Lim, Jin-ho Lee, Tae-yeon Kim, Yunhyeong Nam, Kihyun Kim, and Do-Nyun Kim** (*Co-first authors)
[Contact Information]
Professor Do-Nyun Kim, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University / +82-2-880-1647 / dnkim@snu.ac.kr
