Professor Han Zheng conducts an experiment at a lab in Shanxi University. [Photo by Li Lian for China Daily]

Fin field-effect transistor, or Fin-FET, is a basic element for nanoelectronic device fabrication. With a history of about two decades in research and one decade in commercialization, the technology is now standing at the forefront of the semiconductor industry.

While developed countries like the United States have led the industry in past decades, China is now at the forefront in at least in one area thanks to the 0.6-nanometer-thin FinFET developed by a scientist in Shanxi.

Han Zheng, a professor at Shanxi University's Institute of Optoelectronics, presented the transistor at the end of 2020. This is by far the thinnest FinFET in the world.

When talking about his course of research in this specialized field, Han said making novel discoveries – new materials with sizes beyond imagination and new structures that do not exist in nature, for instance – can motivate a scientist, especially in the field of physics, to go far.

Han is a native of Jiangsu province. After earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in domestic higher-learning institutions, he secured his PhD degree at Neel Institute in France in 2013 and finished his post-doctorate studies at Columbia University in the US in 2015.

Back in China, he focused his studies on nano science. He joined IOE of Shanxi University in 2020.

"IOE is a great platform for nano science research where you can work with top Chinese scholars in the field, like Professor Peng Kunchi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as sharing your knowledge with young scientists with a keen interest in the field," Han said.

Though a groundbreaking discovery is one of scientists' principal delights, Han said the promising market application of the technology has been an additional bonus.

He said FinFET can be used in a variety of fields including microelectronics, environmental protection, defense, biology and the energy industry.

"Shanxi province, with one of the most developed energy industries in China, has a rich scenario of application," Han said. "In the energy industry, FinFET can be used for making super-capacitors because of its smaller mass and larger area."

Han also praised the fast-growing technology market in Shanxi.

"We have seen high-quality technologies offer stronger support to Shanxi's economy," he said. "The semiconductor industry, which incorporates a great number of cutting-edge technologies like nano science, is becoming an engine for local growth."

Han said he and his team hope to develop commercialized solutions based on FinFET, aiming to promote the technologies to the market in five to 10 years.

Li Lian contributed to this story.