Yong-Jihn Kim

Dr. Yong-Jihn Kim read an autobiography of Isaac Newton and was inspired to become a physicist when he was in elementary school. He had a keen interest in knowledge even from a very young age. For instance, when he was five years old, he was on a bus with his mother and saw a man selling a small book filled with practical knowledge for five cents. Nobody bought the book, but he believed it held great value, so he asked his mother to buy it for him, and she did.

He demonstrated exceptional intellectual ability throughout his school years and went on to study Physics at Seoul National University, the top-ranking university in Korea. During his Ph.D., he discovered two new phase transitions between the critical state in the newly discovered quasi-crystals and localized and extended states. This discovery led him to a postdoctoral position in the Physics Department at Harvard University. He later completed a second postdoctoral fellowship at Purdue University under Prof. A. W. Overhauser, a highly innovative condensed matter physicist. Together, they discovered flaws in some prevailing theories of superconductivity and corrected these mistakes. This contribution partially led to Prof. Overhauser receiving the National Medal of Science at the White House from President Bill Clinton.

Dr. Kim continued his groundbreaking research in superconductivity. In 2001, after Japanese Professor Jun Akimitsu discovered 39K superconductivity in MgB₂, it sparked intense scientific interest, culminating in a marathon session dubbed “Woodstock West” during the American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting in Seattle, WA. Dr. Kim invented the Testardi correlation technique and identified the superconducting mechanism of MgB₂, considered the most important scientific problem in MgB₂ research. This work was spotlighted in a review paper by Buzea and Yamashita.

He went on to invent a technique for significantly enhancing the critical current of MgB₂ wires and secured a patent in seven countries: the US, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, China, Japan, and Korea. He then founded Cutting Edge Superconductors (CES), Inc. to commercialize this technology. CES won NSF SBIR Phase I and IB awards in collaboration with LUVATA and GE Global Research, and also received the Frost & Sullivan Innovation Leadership Award for MRI applications based on this patented technology.

In July 2023, LK-99 gained worldwide attention due to the possibility of room-temperature ambient pressure superconductors, which have the potential to transform the world. On September 28, 2023, CES discovered a room-temperature ambient pressure superconductor, named CES-2023, for the first time in the world. CES identified its composition and has now moved toward the mass production of 100% pure bulk samples of CES-2023, which is the final hurdle to commercialization. According to ChatGPT, “Room-temperature superconductors would revolutionize energy, computing, transport, and healthcare, launching a new industrial era of limitless efficiency.” CES-2023 offers three distinct advantages over copper and existing superconductors: no energy loss, no heat generation, and no cooling requirement.

Dr. Kim also invented a superconductor transistor called SOSFET (Superconductor-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) designed to replace the MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor), the cornerstone of the semiconductor chip industry. SOSFET operates at significantly lower voltage and power, with nearly zero energy loss and negligible heat generation, while delivering faster speeds, qualities that can be vital for AI chips. CES-2023 wires will also be crucial for data centers and enable no-cooling MRIs, potentially reducing MRI scan costs by over 60%. Additionally, Dr. Kim invented PCBs with room-temperature superconductor traces instead of copper, which could transform printed circuit boards for smartphones, computers, electric appliances, and electric vehicles. CES-2023 holds the potential to revolutionize tech industries worth over $10 trillion. CES currently has five patents pending on CES-2023 and its related products.

CES is open for collaboration with aspiring individuals to change the world together.