Research Institute for Surface,
Superatoms and Advanced Materials Engineering (SSAME)

Three pillars supporting
Research Institute for Surface, Superatomｓ and Advanced Materials Engineering

1. We will work with you to research and develop materials that are important and useful for creating new technologies and new industries.
2. We provide consulting services to help you.
3. We hold seminars and study groups for everyone to obtain new information.

Objectives of Research Institute for Surface, Superatoms and Advanced Materials Engineering (SSAME)

Materials are the root of everything, and nothing can be made without them. Eras have been expressed through the main materials used, such as stone tools, bronze tools, and iron tools. Materials that symbolize modern age are silicon and petroleum. By processing these materials, we can create a variety of products that we use.

In today's world where IT and artificial intelligence are important, computers and semiconductor devices are in charge of these things, and these are also made of materials. Room-temperature superconductors, quantum computers, neurocomputers, nuclear fusion power generation, and functional foods, which are expected to change the times, will not be realized without the development of new materials. In this way, materials are the basis of all industries, and a new era cannot be opened without the creation of new materials.

In addition, the surface is the place where the material interacts with the environment in which it is used, and the material is made up of the bulk and the surface. The surface is the place where materials express their own functions, and is extremely important in the industrial field. For example, current semiconductor chips cannot be manufactured without surface processing. Currently, the line width of mass-produced cutting-edge semiconductor chips is 3 nm, and development is progressing to decrease the line width to 2 nm by 2025. This involves the use of cutting-edge surface treatment technologies such as exposure, etching, and plating, and semiconductor chips have become a focal point for cutting-edge surface engineering. Line widths that were previously predicted to be difficult to develop have been achieved, and we are now approaching the line width of 1 nm, which is said to be the limit. To overcome these limitations, semiconductor chips are progressing from processing only the silicon surface to 3D processing and layered processing. Along with this, electronics packaging technology that integrates devices and connects them to products is also progressing, and surface engineering is playing an important role. Similarly, surface engineering that supports surface treatment technology has become indispensable not only in semiconductors but also in other industrial fields.

In this way, SSAME will work together with you to promote research and development with the aim of developing industries that will open up a new era.