The research laboratory of Professor Yasuhisa Fujita and Associate Professor Toshiyuki Yoshida from the Physics and Applied Physics Course, Graduate School of Natural Sciences and Technology, has received the Excellence Award at the Academia Award 2025, one of the main events of SEMICON Japan 2025 (December 17-19, 2025, Tokyo Big Sight), one of the world's largest international semiconductor exhibitions. Established in fiscal year 2022, this award aims to support promising research with long-term perspectives for industries supported by semiconductors, recognizing outstanding semiconductor-related research. The judging process evaluates laboratories exhibiting in the exhibition's Academia Area based on the following criteria: "Innovation and Inventiveness," "Market Potential," "Technical Partner and Network Building Capabilities," "Presentation Skills and Expression," and "Next-Generation Development and Team Capabilities."

After narrowing down to eight laboratories in the initial document screening, our laboratory advanced to the second round. At the exhibition stage, Professor Yasuhisa Fujita, graduate students Daiki Hoshishima, Nanami Hatanaka, Itsuki Harada, and Rizwan Afridi presented on the topic "Acoustic Metastructures Based on Periodic Structures of Semiconductor Crystals and Their Applications in Medical and Quantum Devices." The judging panel highly commended the innovation of applying semiconductor crystal technology to sound waves, the commitment to societal implementation, and the student-led presentation. As a result, our lab received the "Academia Award Excellence Prize." The laboratory achieved the remarkable feat of winning awards for three consecutive years: Excellence Prize two years ago, Grand Prize last year, and Excellence Prize this year-a notable achievement for a regional university. The award ceremony took place at the commemorative banquet "SEMICON Japan GALA" (December 17, 2025, Hotel Okura Tokyo).
https://www.semiconjapan.org/jp/workforce/academia-award

Additionally, Mr. Akira Amari, Honorary Chairman of the Parliamentary Alliance for Promoting Semiconductor Strategy, who delivered the keynote address following the opening ceremony of SEMICON Japan 2025, and Mr. Masahiko Hamajima, Representative of SEMI Japan, visited the Shimane University booth. Students provided explanations and demonstrations of the award-winning technologies from last year and this year. Professor Fujita explained the achievements of Shimane University graduates in the semiconductor industry and how regional universities are fertile ground for future innovation.

The booth in the Academia Area held a three-day exhibition and welcomed many corporate visitors. Notably, we were interviewed by the international industry news platform "Packaging Insights" from the Netherlands and featured in their December 19th news coverage. The coverage highlighted our award-winning technologies: zinc oxide thin-film and nanoparticle-based coating-type light-emitting diodes, thin-film transistors, and high-speed phosphors, which won the Grand Prize at the SEMICON Japan 2024 Academia Awards. As cutting-edge semiconductor packaging technologies pursue higher integration, these innovations gained attention as a new packaging approach. They achieve improved heat dissipation and cost reduction through dispersion.
https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/shimane-zno-semiconductor-nanoparticles-semicon.html

Second-round presentation session

Award Ceremony at Hotel Okura Tokyo (Photo courtesy of SEMI Japan)

Speech at the Award Ceremony (Photo courtesy of SEMI Japan)

Honorary Chairman of the Parliamentary Alliance for Promoting Semiconductor Strategy, Akira Amari, Visits Shimane University Booth (Photo courtesy of SEMI Japan)

Fujita-Yoshida Laboratory Exhibition Booth

Academia Award Trophy