Shunpei Yamazaki
Dr. Shunpei Yamazaki is Chairman and CEO of Semiconductor Energy Laboratory (SEL), Japan. In 1970, he invented a non-volatile memory device using a Si floating gate with a control gate, currently known as a “flash memory” during his doctoral work. In 1980, he established Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. and widespread many significant technologies relating to semiconductor to the society. He received his Ph.D., ME, BE and honorary degrees from Doshisha University, Japan, in 1971, 1967, 1965, and 2011, respectively.
Dr. Yamazaki is a life fellow of the IEEE, distinguished foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, and Academician of World Academy of Ceramics. He was awarded Medal with Purple Ribbon by the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office for the innovation of MOS LSI element technology in 1997. He received the 2015 SID Special Recognition Award for discovering CAAC-IGZO semiconductors, leading its practical application, and paving the way to next-generation displays by developing new information-display devices such as foldable or 8K×4K displays. He also received 1984 Richard M. Fulrath Award, Medal for Leadership in the Advancement of Ceramic Technology (inaugural winner 2016), 2018 W.D. Kingery Award, and 2024 Rustum Roy Lecture Award from the American Ceramic Society.
Dr. Yamazaki holds the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Title as “Most patents credited as inventor”. A total of 20,120 patents was recognized by Guinness World Records in August 2025.
Title: Oxide ceramics LSI devices to mitigate global extreme weather due to computers in the AI era
Shunpei Yamazaki
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
The emerging AI era has led to a significant increase in computer power consumption, contributing to global extreme weather patterns. To address part of this issue, we will present oxide semiconductor LSI (OSLSI) devices using crystalline indium–gallium–zinc oxide (IGZO), which we named CAAC-IGZO, or crystal indium oxide (IO). Our research has revealed that OS transistors exhibit an extremely low off-current of yA (10−24 A)/μm, which is 10 orders of magnitude lower than that of Si FETs. We have also found that crystal IO transistors demonstrate favorable on-state characteristics and excellent frequency characteristics.
We have explored various FET structures achieving a high degree of integration intended for ultra-low power consumption. With the goal of reducing the power consumption of semiconductors, the heart of data centers, to 1/100, we are currently collaborating with LSI and display companies in Taiwan and Korea. This presentation will provide details on how to accomplish ultra-low power consumption using the OSLSI technology based on crystal IO.