Research Accomplishments

Professor Aono - World-famous Pioneer

Professor Aono is a world-famous pioneer of nanoscale science and technology. He was called the “Leader in Atomic-scale Control and Nano-manipulation” in an issue of the American Chemical Society journal (ACS Nano 1, 397 (2007), and when he received the Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology (Foresight Institute, USA), the reason given for him being awarded the prize was: “. . . in recognition of his pioneering and continuing work" and for " . . . his inspiration of an entire generation of researchers, who have made their own ground-breaking contributions to nanotechnology.” (2010). His representative research accomplishments are as shown below.

Atomic Switches

Invention, development,
and practical application
Multiprobe SPMs (STM & SFM)

Nanoscale electrical
conductivity measurement, etc.
Nanochemistry

Controlling chemical reactions
locally at the molecular scale
STM combined with synchrotron X-rays

Elemental identification
in STM images, etc.

Aono Atomcraft Project

Atom manipulation and nanoscale
structure fabrication
Surface & bulk energy band mapping

Angle-resolved
photoelectron spectroscopy
Surface structure analysis

Invention of a special
mode of ion scattering spectroscopy

Academic Honors & Awards

2017	Tsukuba Prize (“Invention, Development and Practical Application of the Atomic Switch”)
2013	Nanoscience Prize, International ACSIN Conference 2013 (“Pioneering Work on Nanoscale Fabrication and Measurement”)
2010	Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology (USA) (“Pioneering and Continuing Work on Various Fields of Nanotechnology”)
2007	Advanced Grant of the World Premier International Center Initiative (WPI Program), Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology of Japan (Inauguration of “MANA” Center)
2007	Fellow of the Applied Physics society of Japan
2007	Outstanding Paper Award, Surface Science Society of Japan (“Atomic Switch: Novel Nanoscale Ionic Device”)
2007	Minister Prize, Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology of Japan (“Development of the Atomic Switch”)
2004	Surface Science Society of Japan Prize (“Distinguished Contributions to Surface Science”)
2004	Fellow of the Institute of Physics (UK)
2004	Fellow of the National Institute for Materials Science (Japan)
2003	Fellow of the American Vacuum Society (AVS)
1992	Advanced Technology Award, Nikkei Business Publishers (“Superconducting Magnetic Shield for Detecting Weak Magnetic Wave from the Human Brain”)
1989	Advanced Grant of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (Aono Atomcraft Project, ERATO Program)
1983	Norio Kumagai Prize, Vacuum Science Society of Japan (“Distinguished Studies on Low-energy Ion Scattering Spectroscopy”)
1983	Minister Prize, Science and Technology Agency of Japan (“Invention of Impact-collision Ion Scattering Spectroscopy”)