According to the company's website press release on March 28 , 2023, Sumitomo Chemical has decided to start collaborative research projects with the University of Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and RIKEN, respectively, in April of this year, in order to undertake the research and development of strong correlation materials with the aim of developing environment-friendly devices. Research units will be established within the universities and research institute for these projects. Strong correlation materials are expected to become one of the important materials for next-generation quantum devices. While utilizing cross appointment*, in which researchers will conduct research and development in multiple organizations, Sumitomo Chemical will ensure coordination among these projects, as well as strive to maximize research results and quickly implement them in society.
The group of materials that have a strong electron-electron interaction is called “strong correlation materials.” They have garnered attention as quantum materials that can generate innovations in the electronics field, in particular. Since many of their electrons interact in complex ways via electric charges, spins, and orbits, strong correlation materials have potential for exhibiting such characteristics as high speed, power saving, and multiple functions, the likes of which have never been seen in conventional metal or semiconductor materials. In addition, research has shown that these materials could bring forth new physical phenomena that cannot be imagined in conventional materials systems.
(Schematic illustration of a strong correlation materials)
Examples of industrial applications using strong correlation materials include next-generation memory, such as ultra-low power consumption ferroelectric memory and magnetic memory, as well as energy harvesting devices, which can efficiently convert ambient energy, such as light and heat, into electric energy. Sumitomo Chemical believes that strong correlation materials will become an essential technology in the next generation because they could contribute to both energy saving and energy generation. Accordingly, the Company will undertake the development of strong correlation materials and their production processes while conducting proof-of-concept research for environmentally-friendly devices using them.
To set out the research and development, Sumitomo Chemical will establish research units and cooperation programs at the University of Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and RIKEN, which have a strong track record in basic research and applied research in this field, and conduct collaborative research targeting a broad range of themes, from search for principles and material design to proof-of-concept studies. In addition, in order to accelerate the research and development, the Company plans to send its researchers to each research unit and to ensure coordination among the projects. Furthermore, the Company will strive to quickly implement research results by leveraging its core technologies, such as function design for inorganic materials, device design, and analysis and evaluation of physical properties.
* An arrangement for industry-academia collaboration under which a researcher or expert is employed by two or more organizations or institutions, including universities, public research institutes, and companies, and engages in research and development and education activities according to his or her role in the organizations or institutions.
(Summary of the collaborative research projects)
1. Social Cooperation Program with the University of Tokyo
Outline of the program
Name of the program: “Development of Next-Generation Eco-Friendly Device using New Physical Phenomena”
Lead instructor: Professor Eiji Saitoh, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo
Term: From April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2026 (three years)
Research Summary
By searching for novel physical phenomena and extensively studying their principles, Sumitomo Chemical and the University of Tokyo will work on material development, proof of concept studies, and device development for novel devices. These include innovative thermoelectric conversion devices operating based on unprecedented principles and current-driven ferroelectric memory that can operate with ultra-low power consumption. Specifically, focusing on the novel physical properties effected by the lowered crystalline symmetry, the Company will work with the University of Tokyo, which has deep expertise and know-how in this technological field, to search for, verify, and practically implement novel physical phenomena.
2. Collaborative Research Cluster at Tokyo Institute of Technology
Outline of the cluster
Name of the cluster: “Sumitomo Chemical Next-Generation Eco-Friendly Devices Collaborative Research Cluster”
Leader: Professor Masato Sone, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Deputy leader: Satoshi Okamoto, Ph.D., Chief Research Coordinator of Corporate Planning Office, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.
Term: From April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2026 (three years)
Research Summary
Sumitomo Chemical and Tokyo Institute of Technology will work to develop voltage-driven magnetic memory devices with ultra-low power consumption using multiferroic materials, which are classified as one of the strong correlation materials and exhibit both ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity in the same material. This collaborative research is based on the broad expertise of Tokyo Institute of Technology, not only in material design but also in process design and reliability testing, as well as on the results of joint research among Tokyo Institute of Technology and the Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (KISTEC). The Company will establish Sumitomo Chemical Next-Generation Eco-Friendly Devices Collaborative Research Cluster, with support from the Open Innovation Platform of Tokyo Institute of Technology, and strive to quickly implement research results in society through this industry-academia collaboration.
3. Research team at RIKEN under RIKEN’s Integrated Collaborative Research Program with Industry
Outline of the research team
Name of the team: “Correlated-Materials-Based Ecological-Device Laboratory”
Team leader: Satoshi Okamoto, Ph.D., Chief Research Coordinator of Corporate Planning Office, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.
Deputy team leader:
Yasujiro Taguchi, Ph.D., Group Director of Strong Correlation Materials Research Group, Center for Emergent Matter Science, RIKEN
Naoki Ogawa, Ph.D., Team Leader of the Emergent Photodynamics Research Team, Center for Emergent Matter Science, RIKEN
Period: From April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2028 (five years)
Research Summary
Sumitomo Chemical and RIKEN will work on material development, proof-of-concept studies, and device development for new high-efficiency and low energy loss photoelectric conversion devices (such as solar cells and photosensors), focusing on the bulk photovoltaic effect. RIKEN’s research work in recent years has accelerated progress in the theoretical understanding and experimental demonstration of this effect. Additionally, the Company and RIKEN will also work to develop, and search for the principles of, multiferroic materials, which could contribute to the development of novel voltage-driven magnetic memory devices with ultra-low power consumption. The Company will work with RIKEN, which has deep expertise and know-how in this technological field and has proposed and demonstrated a multitude of novel physical phenomena, to conduct collaborative research aimed at practically implementing environmentally-friendly devices using strong correlation materials.
