Established in 1963, the R&D 100 Awards are sponsored by R&D World Magazine and recognize the world’s 100 most innovative technologies each year. They are often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of Engineering” and “The Oscars of Innovation.”

Researchers from Samsung Research’s Life Solution Team and APL applied nano-engineering techniques to improve the efficiency of Peltier devices by nearly 75% through the use of new thin-film semiconductor materials. Based on this achievement, the team successfully developed and demonstrated a high-efficiency Peltier refrigerator that achieves higher efficiency than traditional vapor compression refrigerators. The result was also published in the prestigious multidisciplinary journal Nature Communications in May 2025.

“Winning the R&D 100 Awards is a testament to the global recognition of our technology for both innovation and practical use,” said Joonhyun Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of the Life Solution Team at Samsung Research. “This achievement strengthens Samsung’s position as a leader in next-generation cooling solutions, and we will continue to pioneer technologies that can create new value for industries and society.”

Peltier cooling is a sustainable, refrigerant-free solid-state cooling technology that enables fast and precise temperature control. Beyond refrigerators, it has the potential to be applied across diverse industries including semiconductors, medical devices, automotive electronics and data centers.

Samsung Electronics will continue to pursue innovative research to develop future-leading technologies that bring a meaningful impact to society.

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland is a not-for-profit university affiliated research center (UARC) that solves complex research, engineering and analytical problems that present critical challenges to our nation. Our scientists, engineers and analysts serve as trusted advisers and technical experts to the government, ensuring the reliability of complex technologies that safeguard our nation’s security and advance the frontiers of space. We also maintain independent research and development programs that pioneer and explore emerging technologies and concepts to address future national priorities.

The study was jointly led by Dr. Jeong-Geun Yun, from Samsung Research, and Junsuk Rho, a professor at POSTECH. Hyunjung Kang, a researcher at POSTECH, served as co-first author. Samsung adopted a comprehensive approach — spanning ideation, implementation and validation — to demonstrate the potential of next-generation photonic device technologies and new opportunities for product differentiation.

In particular, the research shows promise for reducing the thickness and weight of extended reality (XR) devices and lowering the height of smartphone camera modules — offering a possible solution to the so-called “camera bump,” where the camera protrudes from the body of the device. Most notably, the team successfully overcame long-standing technical limitations that had hindered the commercialization of metalenses.

▲ (From left) Professor Junsuk Roh and researcher Hyunjung Kang, both from POSTECH, and Dr. Jeong-Geun Yun from Samsung Research

World’s First Implementation of Two-Third Wavelength Phase Delay

A metalens is an ultra-thin lens that manipulates light using nanostructures — much thinner than a human hair — arranged on a flat surface, rather than relying on curved surfaces like traditional lenses. This design makes metalenses ideal for developing compact and lightweight optical devices.

To control light precisely, a metalens must create a phase delay¹ of one wavelength — the distance light travels in one oscillation. This phase delay ensures light waves overlap properly at the focal point, producing a sharp image. Achieving this has typically required constructing tens of millions of extremely narrow and tall nanostructures with aspect ratios² of at least 1:10. These structures are difficult to fabricate and prone to breakage, posing a major challenge to commercialization.

▲ The operating principle of metalenses

“Metalenses have been difficult to commercialize due to complex fabrication and low mechanical stability. To overcome this, we collaborated with experts in design, simulation, manufacturing and validation to develop a new nanostructure design method.”

— Dr. Jeong-Geun Yun, Samsung Research

The team was the first in the world to propose a method of achieving light diffraction using a phase delay of only two-thirds of a wavelength, rather than the conventional full wavelength. This approach leverages the phenomenon that the nanostructures forming a supercell³ maintain a constant phase gradient even with a two-thirds wavelength phase delay, allowing the wavefront to remain stable in the far field.

Because phase delay is proportional to a nanostructure’s width and height, this method allowed the aspect ratio to be reduced to about 1:5. As a result, the nanostructure height was lowered without compromising optical performance. These improvements reduce fabrication difficulty and defect rates, improve structural stability and boost production and cost competitiveness.

▲ A metalens with reduced nanostructure height achieved aspect ratio adjustment

New Possibilities in Camera Optics

Using the newly developed metalens, the team built an ultra-compact infrared eye camera for XR devices. Despite its thin profile, the camera demonstrated accurate pupil tracking and iris pattern recognition.

By integrating the metalens, the team reduced the camera’s thickness by 20% compared with conventional refractive-lens cameras — from 2.0 millimeters to 1.6 millimeters — resulting in reduced weight and volume. The system also achieved precise gaze tracking and iris feature-point recognition at a wide 120-degree field of view. In addition, modulation transfer function (MTF) performance⁴ improved from 50% to 72%.

A New Pathway to Metalens Commercialization

This study introduces a new design principle for controlling light diffraction — reducing phase delay requirements for while unlocking the potential for high optical performance, mechanical stability and cost efficiency.

Looking ahead, the technology is expected to expand into the visible light spectrum and be applied to minimizing smartphone camera protrusion and miniaturizing a range of imaging sensor systems — paving the way for new forms of device differentiation.

Samsung will continue to pursue diverse research initiatives, including industry-academia collaborations, to secure next-generation technologies that help shape the future.

¹ A phenomenon in which a wave of a single frequency arrives later at another point due to a delay in its propagation
² The ratio of a nanostructure’s height to its width
³ The smallest structural unit that generates diffraction, formed by an arrangement of nanostructures
⁴ A measure of a lens’s ability to reproduce image sharpness

Exploring Next Generation Battery Technology

Lithium-ion batteries were first commercialized in 1991, and widely applied to markets for mobile devices and electric vehicles. However, with standard lithium batteries requiring charging times of at least an hour to fully charge, even with quick charging technology, and considered to have reached their limit for capacity expansion, there have been numerous attempts to explore use of new innovative materials. Among the materials looked at, graphene has widely become the primary source of interest as the representative next generation material.

In theory, a battery based on the “graphene ball” material requires only 12 minutes to fully charge. Additionally, the battery can maintain a highly stable 60 degree Celsius temperature, with stable battery temperatures particularly key for electric vehicles.

In its research, SAIT sought for an approach to apply graphene, a material with high strength and conductivity to batteries, and discovered a mechanism to mass synthesize graphene into a 3D form like popcorn using affordable silica (SiO2). This “graphene ball” was utilized for both the anode protective layer and cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries. This ensured an increase of charging capacity, decrease of charging time as well as stable temperatures.

Dr. Son In-hyuk, who led the project on behalf of SAIT, said, “Our research enables mass synthesis of multifunctional composite material graphene at an affordable price. At the same time, we were able to considerably enhance the capabilities of lithium-ion batteries in an environment where the markets for mobile devices and electric vehicles is growing rapidly. Our commitment is to continuously explore and develop secondary battery technology in light of these trends.”

SAIT’s research results are covered in-depth in this month’s edition of the science journal Nature Communications in an article entitled, “Graphene balls for lithium rechargeable batteries with fast charging and high volumetric energy densities.” SAIT has also filed two applications for the “graphene ball” technology patent in the US and Korea.

*Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms from graphite, and is receiving much attention in the battery and display industry due to its physical, chemical stability. Graphene is 100 times more effective than copper in conducting electricity and displays remarkable electron mobility – 140 times faster than silicon – which makes it an ideal material for fast charge.