A research publication by Prof Zikang Tang and Prof George Wong both of the Department of Physics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) titled ‘Room-temperature ultraviolet laser emission from self-assembled ZnO microcrystallite thin films’ was recognized to be amongst the top 50 most cited papers over the past 50 years in Applied Physics Letters, one of the world’s most esteemed scientific journals. This is also the only research developed in Greater China region that made it into the top 50.
Prof Tang, Prof Wong and their research team discovered room-temperature ultraviolet (UV) lasing using high-quality nano-structured ZnO semiconductors in 1998, defying the norm that for decades, UV lasing of ZnO could only be observed at low temperatures. The groundbreaking discovery has opened up a wide range of potential applications for ZnO semiconductors in UV laser diodes as well as energy-saving semiconductor white light sources.
Remarkable for its high applicability, the breakthrough discovery made by Profs Tang and Wong has been enthusiastically received and recognized by the international community. The Editor of Science, a world-leading journal, has specially devoted coverage to it in an article titled ‘Will UV Lasers Beat the Blues?’ and described the research as ‘a great work’.
Not only has this notable research generated worldwide interest in ZnO research, it also saw Prof Tang and Prof Wong honored with the State Natural Science Award, Second Class in 2003. True to its significance and growing relevance, the paper has been frequently cited, over 1,240 times, and was honored as one of the top 50 of the most highly cited papers over the past 50 years by Applied Physics Letters. For more details, please visit the website: http://apl.aip.org/apl_50th_anniversary.
After receiving the PhD from Tohoku University in 1992, Prof Zikang Tang has been working as a Post doctoral Fellow at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Researchin Japan. He joined HKUST as an Assistant Professor in 1994 and was promoted to Professor in 2005. As an expert in the fabrication and application of nano-structured materials, Prof Tang has received numerous awards for his outstanding research accomplishments, including being named Outstanding Overseas Chinese Young Scholar and appointed as Overseas Expert Assessor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2004. In 2007, he was awarded the Croucher Senior Research Fellowship.
Professor Emeritus George Wong received both his BSc (1969) and PhD (1974) from the University of California, Berkeley. He joined HKUST in 1991 as a founding Professor of Physics. A Fellow of the Alfred P Sloan Foundation and American Physical Society, he taught at Northwestern University for more than two decades prior to joining HKUST. At HKUST, he and his colleagues developed a new generation of UV detectors using Zn based semiconductors. This technology was granted two US patents and commercialized into cost effective UV detectors. His other research interests include nonlinear optics and nanostructures of semiconductors and organic materials.
About Applied Physics Letters
Founded in 1962 by the American Institute of Physics, Applied Physics Letters is amongst the most prestigious and highly cited journals in applied physics. It focuses on significant and leading-edge findings in applied physics encompassing science, engineering and modern technology.
For media enquiries, please feel free to contact :
Mavis Wong
Tel: 2358 6306
Email: maviswong@ust.hk
