Department of Materials Science and Engineering

URL : http://mse.kaist.ac.kr

Summary

The development of human cultures and industries has attributed to the development of materials. Every product is an aggregate of materials made in various types. The Materials Science and Engineering is a field of study mixed between the basic science and the engineering, ranging from examining and understanding the basic natures of materials to the fields of maximizing and using their characteristics for applications. In particular, as an academic field with great industrial fundamentality and importance, it has a large ripple effect on all industries as well as a very broad and intensive scope of study. Materials with new functions are not only the power of creating new equipments, industry and cultures, but also a driving force for a nation’s industrial competitiveness. The Korean government has selected ten areas for the next generation engine of growth, including display-related industries such as LCD, PDP, OLED, digital TV, next generation fuel cells, intelligent robots, space industries, next generation mobile communications. Most of them are related to materials science and engineering. As industries develop, more interests and demands are rapidly drawn to the new materials and process. The Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers both practical and theoretical curricula and research programs on semiconductor, metal, ceramics, polymer, and hybrid materials for R&D of new materials.

Field and research

The department has studied common principles and fundamental principles that induced from structures and properties of materials, “the nature of materials science.” The department is also instructing and researching the basics and applications of core technologies that will lead the 21st century, so called 5Ts- information technology (IT), nanotechnology (NT), biotechnology (BT), environment technology (ET), and space technology (ST).

In order to achieve such core research goals, the department’s curricula are divided into four categories. First category is about core courses that educate basic properties of materials including crystal structures, defect structures, electron structures, thermodynamics, phase transformation, interface properties, mechanical properties and electromagnetic properties. Second category focuses on specialized courses about synthesis and fabrication processes, production and manufacturing processes of materials consisting of experiments of materials science and engineering, design and fabrication of materials, and semiconductor process. The third category is related to microstructures and defect analysis that are commonly required for studying principles and phenomena including diffraction phenomena, optics and electro microscopes, micro-chemical analysis, and nanometer scale surface analysis. Fourth, the new courses are offered to educate basic and applied technologies on 5Ts that will lead the 21st century including nano materials technologies, and nano materials and process simulation, biomaterials, polymers, and electronic components and systems.

The department is actively leading many fields of researches. These researches include areas related to structures and properties such as electro-magnetic materials, nano materials, composite materials, display materials, polymers, analysis, and computer simulation, which are core technologies that will lead the 21st century. The research led by 27 professors in the department is not restricted in a major field but crossed many fields incorporation with other professors in the department and other departments. The fields of core research include areas related to structures and properties of materials such as semiconductor and packaging materials, semiconductor oxides, semi conductor electronic devices, solar cells, sensors, flat panel displays, micro mechanics, ferroelectric devices, ferromagnetic devices, and quantum devices, super heat resistant alloys, light weight alloys, amorphous materials, composite materials, hydrogen storage metals, hybrid materials, fuel cell materials, as well as areas related to fabrication processes such as chemical and physical deposition and coating processes of materials, plasma application processes, crystal growth and alloy fabrication processes, and various phenomena in the metals, ceramics, polymers and semiconductors such as phase transformation, interface movements, phase equilibrium, elasticity and plasticity, corrosion and electro-chemistry, creep and fatigue.

The department has the government-sponsored research and education centers; the Center for Electronic Packaging Materials (CEPM) designated by the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF), the Electronic Components Materials Design Education Center (EMDEC), and Sol-Gel Innovation Project (SOLIP) sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE). Thus, the department is a center for cooperative research among other universities, research institutes, and industries. In addition, the department has four National Research Labs designated by the government such as Materials Interface Lab., Semiconductor Materials Lab., Transmission Electron Microscopy Lab., and Advanced Materials Processing Lab.