Professor Hiroyuki Matsuhashi of Kyoto Institute of Advanced Science Receives Japan Academy Prize

Professor Hiroyuki Matsuhashi receiving the Japan Academy Prize in the presence of His Majesty the Emperor (Photo provided by The Japan Academy)

Professor Hiroyuki Matsuhashi of the Nagamori Actuator Research Institute at Kyoto Institute of Advanced Science (located in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City; President: Masashi Maeda) has been awarded the Japan Academy Prize and attended the award ceremony held on July 13 at the Japan Academy in Ueno, Tokyo, in the presence of His Majesty the Emperor. The Japan Academy Prize is one of Japan's most prestigious honors, awarded for outstanding academic achievements. This year, it was conferred for his research on 'the development and practical application of silicon carbide devices for power control.' Professor Matsuhashi began focusing on silicon carbide (SiC) as a semiconductor material in 1968 and has continued his research ever since. In 1975, he developed the world's first blue light-emitting diode using SiC. Then, in 1987, he invented the 'Step-Controlled Epitaxy (SCE) method,' enabling high-quality single-crystal growth of SiC, leading to the creation of innovative SiC power semiconductors with high voltage and heat resistance, significantly reducing power loss during operation. Today, SiC power semiconductors are widely used in high-power-consumption applications such as power plants, data centers, trains, and electric vehicles.