TSMC has previously decided to build the first semiconductor factory in Japan, in order to revive the sluggish Japanese semiconductor industry, can Japan only attract strong overseas companies to build factories in China? Using the experience accumulated in R&D, what kind of goals can Japan achieve through self-reliance? The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Chinese edition: Nikkei Chinese.com) interviewed Hiroshi Amano, a professor at Nagoya University who won the Nobel Prize in physics in 2014 for developing blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and is currently working on the development of new semiconductor materials.
Hiroshi Amano
Reporter: It's been 8 years since you won the Nobel Prize. It is reported that the use of the same material as the blue LED "Gallium nitride (GaN)" is expected to open up new possibilities.
Hiroshi Amano: When it comes to semiconductor materials, people may think of them as silicon materials. However, silicon materials have their suitable uses, there are also unsuitable, and there will be more and more unsuitable uses in the future. Because there is a global trend towards carbon neutrality (net zero greenhouse gas emissions). This area is of great interest to compound semiconductors. Among them, the combination of nitrogen and gallium to form a large market for gallium nitride.
Reporter: What is the difference between silicon and gallium nitride?
Amano: In simple terms, silicon has the property of working efficiently at low voltages and low currents. It is for these reasons that silicon is used in the form of logic elements or memory for the computing processing of personal computers and smartphones.
On the other hand, the demand for high voltage and high current applications will expand in the future. These include pure electric vehicles (EVs), mobile phone base stations, data centers, renewable energy storage and transmission and distribution systems. They use power supply semiconductors or semiconductors used to change voltage and frequency, called power devices, and gallium nitride is suitable for use as a material in this regard. With silicon, resistance causes a lot of power consumption and is very inefficient.
Reporter: Is gallium nitride already in use?
Amano: Most pure electric vehicles still use silicon materials. There are several reasons, the main reason being that gallium nitride is difficult to mass-produce. Research began in the 1990s and it took a long time to achieve stable production of high-quality crystals. Even if there are 100 million to 1 billion "crystal defects" per square centimeter, blue LEDs can emit light, but if they are used in pure electric vehicles, the accuracy needs to reduce the defects to about 10,000.
Reporter: Is it still a long time before mass production can be achieved?
AMANO: Technically, it has now reached a point where it can be used with confidence. Manufacturing technology is no problem, the remaining task is to find a bearer of commercialization.
Although there are many large electromechanical companies that have been carrying out research work together for a long time, commercialization is another matter. Mass production requires tens of billions to 100 billion yen of investment, and it is difficult to move forward. Another reason is that Japanese companies are not as willing to take risks as they used to be.
Reporter: The Japanese government attracted TSMC, the world's largest semiconductor foundry company, with a subsidy of 400 billion yen. TSMC Semiconductor uses silicon.
Amano: Compared to silicon, (gallium nitride) should be invested less. To develop competitive pure electric vehicles, it is easier to differentiate those using gallium nitride power devices. The power loss is small and the device itself is small, so the overall system can be compact and lightweight. Significant cost reductions are possible.
Reporter: It is reported that Chinese mainland are paying attention to compound materials.
Amano: Europe and the United States are also doing it. Japan has the technical experience that these countries have not been able to catch up with for several years. Japan has an advantage in the field of materials. In the field of silicon, Japan's competition with Taiwan, South Korea and Chinese mainland is fierce, and it will be difficult to surpass in the future. Instead of catching up behind, it is better to lead in the new market of gallium nitride. Including gallium nitride, the market size of compound semiconductors is only about one-thousandth of that of silicon semiconductors. But it's also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it would be great if Japanese companies could promote it to the world. Look forward to the Animal Spirits of the past.
Reporter: What do you think will happen to the market other than pure electric vehicles?
Amano: I am afraid that the power supply units of the base station and the data center will be replaced by gallium nitride. In the case of data centers, in order to avoid delays in communication, they are increasingly set up in cities with many users, most of which are not cold areas and require cooling devices. With gallium nitride, it can operate even without air conditioning. For example, if there is an economic circle created by silicon, it is easy to understand if it is driven by gallium nitride. Whether it is 5G or 'Beyond 5G', as long as there is gallium nitride, it can exert its capabilities.
Reporter: It's surprising to have such a powerful technology, and it may also promote Japan's recovery of self-confidence.
Amano: When blue LED was first invented, the popularization speed was very slow. While he was struggling, the phone appeared. The lighting market has also expanded. Needs are linked to social activities. This opportunity is carbon neutral. Thermal power accounts for 75% of Japan's energy mix. Japan urgently needs to switch to renewable energy, and at that time, what materials will the whole country need? Although Japan's influence has declined for a time, it will be rejuvenated if something new is created.
Reporter: For a long time, there have been voices that Japan's research capabilities have deteriorated.
AMANO: There is doubt about the accuracy of the term deterioration. I don't think there's any need to be pes In terms of the number of researchers counted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the total number of researchers in universities, enterprises and public institutions has increased (the average in 2005-2007 compared with the average in 2015-2017). On average, it is not inferior to other countries. The number of papers did decrease, but most likely because companies were strategically reducing their publications in order to prevent technology from being plagiarized. The number of college papers remains the same as before.
Reporter: You put forward the term "good innovation" in your book, would you please tell me what good innovation is?
Amano: I've been thinking about this since the moment I became a researcher. Innovation is "good" and "bad", and what contributes to society is good innovation. If innovation is left to sleep in universities, there is no point. Just as it's not necessarily useful to just have money, it makes sense to drive the economy. Blue LEDs do just that.
In Japan, cash and deposits account for more than 50% of household assets, while the United States accounts for 60% of investment. The United States did not have the kind of monopolies of the European Medici family, so a culture of small sums of money was raised from many people for investment. Japan's history and culture are different from those of Europe and the United States, and it is difficult to create vitality if Japan adheres to a culture of prudent investment. This should also be considered in the future. We look forward to realizing the cycle of strengthening the Japanese economy through investment.
Reporter: It is reported that you are letting graduate school students experience entrepreneurship.
AMANO: I'm training them to build startups. It is the fourth year since its inception, and some students have won prize money or started a business directly in an external competition to compete for business models.
Hopefully, they'll learn the meaning of adventure from their student days. Individuals, businesses and countries are all risk-takers, and researchers should have a business mindset and the ability to judge risks in the future. It's outdated to just be bored with research.
The reporter is Junshi Nakayama, commentator of nihon Keizai Shimbun (Chinese edition: Nikkei Chinese Network).
Hiroshi Amano: Completed the Graduate School of Engineering course at Nagoya University in 1988. He was appointed Professor of the Graduate School of Engineering at the University in 2010 and has been a Professor at the Institute for The Future of Materials and Systems at the University since 2015. In 2014, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics together with Isamu Akasaki (deceased) and Shuji Nakamura for "inventing a high-brightness, energy-efficient white light-emitting diode" for "inventing a high-brightness, energy-efficient white light-emitting diode.". He entered the field of research because of his admiration for Bill Gates. He is 61 years old.
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