In order to convert solar energy to electric energy, 'solar cell' is necessary. Up to now, silicon solar cell has taken up 95% of the solar cell market. Even though the efficiency of silicon solar cell is low, about 24%, it has raised its market share with its cheap production cost. On the other hand, compound semi-conductor solar cell, although its efficiency is two times as high as silicon solar cell, about 40%, has been limitedly used only in specific areas like artificial satellite due to its high production cost. The commercialization possibility of solar energy depends on solar cell technology.

Can damaged muscle or organ be regenerated? The research focused on this problem is Regenerative Medicine. It aims to regenerate damaged tissues in body. In the past, regenerative medicine was only to use mechanical devices like artificial leg as means to supplement lost or damaged body parts. However, recently, researchers in the field of tissue engineering try to regenerate damaged organs, and recover and improve their bio-function. Especially, with the increase in the average life expectancy of the people over the world, researches in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine get attention as methods of solving degeneration of body function with aging. With researches in the related area being active, Prof. Heungsoo Shin and his team (division of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering) published research findings epochal in tissue engineering field in one of first-rate journal, Advanced Functional Materials.

On June 19, 2010, the Korea-US joint research team consisting of Prof. Ungyu Paik (Hanyang University, Department of Energy Engineering) and Prof. John Rogers (University of Illinois) et al. announced that they developed a core technology to produce solar cells with low cost using compound semi-conductor. ‘Multi-layer growth method’ that compound semi-conductor components are folded into multiple layers on a single wafer is the key part of this technology.

When piling components up with the conventional method, 40 components should be grown onto 40 wafers respectively. However, the multi-layer growth technology Prof. Paik and his team developed makes it possible to grow compound semi-conductor layer and separation layer alternately, piling all 40 components on a single wafer. Through this technology, it is possible to reduce wafer production cost and processing time to a tenth of the conventional method. In addition, since it is available to manufacture solar cell on various substrates like plastic wafer with this technology, it is possible to make bendable solar cells.
Prof. Paik said, "The technology we developed can be applied not only to high-efficiency solar cell, but also to various next-generation components such as next-generation semi-conductor and infrared ray camera, etc." "It is a core fundamental technology serving as a new national growth engine." The paper summarizing research findings was published in Nature, international scientific journal on 20th.
Prof. Paik has been making outstanding achievements in overall industrial and academic areas such as government's key projects, technology transfer, acquisition of patents, and publication of academic papers, etc. Development of high-capacity slurry for semi-conductor for the first time in Korea, and development of production process of cathode material water-borne plastic are some of his representative research achievements. In December 2008, professor Paik won the Prize for Scientist-Technician of This Month awarded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation.