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Joel Yang

YANG Joel

Professor
Associate Head of Pillar (EPD) (Research and Advancement)
Director (Cleanroom)
Cheng Tsang Man Chair Professor
EMAIL
joel_yang
sutd.edu.sg
WEBSITE
OFFICE
1.602.04
CONTACT
+6564994767
RESEARCH AREAS
Optics & Nanophotonics
High Resolution

Biography

Joel Yang received his Master of Science (2005) and PhD (2009) degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He is a Cheng Tsang Man Chair Professor, Cleanroom Director and Associate Head of Department (Research and Advancement) in Engineering Product Development at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). He is recognised for pioneering work in superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs), photonic structural colours, i.e. and holds a joint appointment as Principal Scientist I at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) of A*STAR. He is recognized for pioneering work in plasmonic colour printing, achieving record-level printing resolution at 100,000 dpi and credited for the widely-used “salty-developer” to improve the resolution of electron beam lithography. His research interests include Nanoplasmonics, 2D and 3D printed nano optical design elements (NODE), and sub-10-nm resolution lithography. He serves as Associate Editor of Science Advances, Associate Editor of Optics Express, and member of the Editorial Advisory Board of ACS Photonics. He is Fellow of OSA The Optical Society, NRF Investigator (class of 2020), and A*STAR Investigator (2010). His accolades include the IPS Nanotechnology Medal and Prize (Institute of Physics Singapore), MIT Technology Review TR35 award, and the Singapore Young Scientist Award.
Education background
  • PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 2009
  • MSc, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 2005
  • BEng, Nanyang Technological University, Electrical and Electronic Engineering 2003
Research interests
  • Nano Optics, Nanophotonics, Nanoplasmonics, Plasmonic Color Printing
  • Nanofabrication at sub-10-nm dimensions, Electron-Beam Lithography
  • 3D Nanoprinting, Two-Photon Polymerization Lithography (TPL)
  • Superconducting Quantum Sensors
Awards and achievements
  • 2025-27 Cheng Tsang Man Chair Professor, SUTD
  • 2021-25 World’s Top 2% Scientist released by Stanford University, USA
  • 2024 Best student paper award (Pan Chengfeng) at OPTIC Taipei
  • 2023 Best poster at MRS ICMAT (Singapore) Symposium on Resonant Nanoantennas
  • 2022 Science Mentorship Programme Outstanding Mentor Award
  • 2022 Best posters at International Conference on Materials for Humanity MH22 (PhD student Parvathi Nair, and visiting scholar Tomohiro Mori)
  • 2021 SUTD Provost’s Chair Professorship (first faculty to receive this inaugural prestigious recognition from SUTD)
  • 2020 NRF Investigatorship Award: 3D Nanostructured Optics with Designer Elements (NODE) to Shape and Control Light (Funding of 3M SGD for 5 years)
Patents and patent applications
  • Ruitao Zheng, Sinheng Lim, Wuipin Lee, Md Abdur Rahman, Joel K.W. Yang, “Multi-Spectral Optical Filter and Method For Fabricating The Same” US Patent Application No. 19/009828 Filed: 05/01/2005 NPE-US
  • Ruitao Zheng, Sinheng Lim, Wuipin Lee, Srinivasan Laksmanan Chettiar, Md Abdur Rahman, Joel K.W. Yang, “Method for Manufacturing Multiple Filters with Fabry-Perot Cavity Structure, Multispectral Transmission Filter Array and Multispectral Transmission Filter Structure, US Patent Application No. 2024/0219708 A1, Pub. Date: July 4, 2024.
  • Tan You Sin, Joel K.W. Yang, Liu Hailong, Ruan Qifeng, “Method of Forming a Patterned Structure and Device Thereof”, SG Patent Application No: 10202006116P, 26/06/2020. US patent Application No. 16/919,227 (Granted)
  • Jinfa Ho, Eleen Huey Hong, Zhaogang Dong, Tao Wang and Joel K. W. Yang, “Directed Nanofabrication of Single Crystalline Nanostructured Silver,” SG Patent Application 10202007047W, 23/07/2020.
  • Jinfa Ho, Zhaogang Dong, Joel K. W. Yang, Hai Sheng Leong, and Febiana Tjiptoharsono, “Resonant Wavelength Sensitive Silicon Photodetectors,” TD under evaluation.
  • Zhaogang Dong, Joel K. W. Yang, Ah Bian Chew, Febiana Tjiptoharsono, Hailong Liu and Hong Liu, “Nanoimprinted Plastics with Dye-Free Dual Colors for Anti-Counterfeiting Applications,” TD under evaluation.
  • Ray Ng Jia Hong, Joel Yang, “Security Element based on Covert Visible and Infrared Images”, Patent Application No. 10201902059T, PCT Application pending
  • Yejing Liu, Joel Yang, “3D Printing of Structural Colors via Thermal-Induced Size-Reduction”, Patent Application No. 10201902064X, PCT Application pending
  • Wang Hao, Hailong Liu, Joel Yang, “Holographic Projections with Uniform Off-Axis Illumination Using 3D Direct Laser Writing of Blazed Phase Elements”, Patent Application No. 10201902061R, PCT Application pending
  • Kevin Lim, Hailong Liu, Joel Yang, “A colour microprint containing one or more holograms”, Patent Application No. 10201803137R for TD/DManD/2017/005, PCT application no: PCT/SG2019/050213
  • Solid State Reflective Display Pixel and Filter, Robert Simpson, Weiling Dong, Joel Yang, Hailong Liu, Samsung
  • HO Jin Fa, DONG Zhaogang, Joel YANG Kwang Wei, Eleen KOAY Huey Hong, “Highly Directive Metal-dielectric Hybrid Yagi-Uda Nanoantenna”, Singapore Patent Application No.: 10201800392V, Filed 16 January 2018, ETPL ref: IMR/P/10389/00/SG, IMRE ref: 2017047
  • Joel YANG Kwang Wei, DONG Zhaogang, Ramón PANIAGUA-DOMINGUEZ, Arseniy KUZNETSOV, YU Yefeng, “Magnetic and electric resonances of all-silicon nanostructures for vibrant colour printing beyond the optical diffraction limit”, SG Patent Application No. 10201607372X, Filed 20th Sept 2016 ETPL ref: IMR/P/09398/00/SG IMRE ref: 2015043 PCT PCT/SG2017/050440, Filing date: 5th Sept 2017. Published 8 March 2018 as WO 2018/044240 A1.
  • Rubayn Goh, Z. Dong, Joel K. W. Yang, and Shawn Hoon, “Sub-20-nm direct patterning of recombinant protein via pattern transfer fabrication,” Singapore Patent Application No.: 10201608596S, Filed: October 13, 2016.
  • Mohamed Asbahi, Joel Yang Kwang Wei, Tan Junhao, Shafigh Mehraeen, Tan Mei Chee, “Spreading mediated directed self-assembly of sub-10-nm particles with single particle resolution”, SG Patent Application No. 10201505884U, Filed 28th July 2015
  • Joel YANG Kwang Wei, GOH Xiao Ming, ZHU Di, Shawn TAN, WANG Ying Min, DONG Zhaogang, “Process for plasmonic-based high resolution color printing”, PCT Patent Application No. PCT/ SG2015/050071. Filed 14 April 2015 Published 22 Oct 2015
  • Joel YANG Kwang Wei, WANG Ying Min, Mohamed ASBAHI, ZHANG Yong-Wei, LU Liangxing, SRINIVASAN Bharathi Madurai, “Nano-Aperture Fabrication Using Template Guided Thermal Dewetting”, Singapore Patent Application No. 10201508234T published on 30 May, 2016
  • Joel YANG Kwang Wei, WANG Ying Min, Mohamed ASBAHI, ZHANG Yong-Wei, LU Liangxing, SRINIVASAN Bharathi Madurai, “Nanofabrication at 10nm scale resolution using template guided thermal dewetting”, US Provisional Patent Application No. 62/058,871 Filed 2 October 2014. Published 7 April 2016. US-2016-0097116-A1
  • Joel YANG Kwang Wei, GOH Xiao Ming, ZHU Di, Shawn TAN, WANG Ying Min, DONG Zhaogang, “An approach for high-resolution plasmonic colour prints on solid metal surfaces and films”, SG Patent Application No. 10201401610R Filed April 30th 2014
  • Karthik Kumar, Joel K.W. Yang, Huigao Duan, Mohamed Asbahi, “Method of writing to an optical storage medium, method of reading from an optical data storage medium, and optical data storage medium”, US Patent Application No. 14/039,044 Filed 27 September 2013, Singapore Patent Application No. 201307308-5  (Grant issued 26th June 2015)
  • Joel K.W. Yang, Michel Bosman, Huigao Duan, Karthik Kumar, In Yee Phang, “A process for creating lithographically-defined plasmonic structures with enhanced Q-factors”, Singapore Patent Application No. 201302011-0 Filed 30 October 2013, Grant issued 14 Jan 2016 Grant No: 193737. US Patent Application No. 13/847,193 Grant issued 12 Jan 2016, Grant No: 9,233,393
  • Karthik Kumar, Joel K.W. Yang, Huigao Duan, “High Density Plasmonic Optical Data Storage” Singapore Patent Application No. 201207248-4 filed 9th Oct 2012
  • Huigao Duan, Karthik Kumar, Joel K.W. Yang, “A process to achieve microscopic bright-field color images using plasmonic resonances in nanostructures” Singapore Patent Application IMR/P/06746/00/SG IMRE 201112 September 12, 2011 (Granted Australian Patent Office Grant No.: 2012309205 Grant Date: 27 August 2015, Granted SG Patent Date: 16 August 2016)
  • Joel K.W. Yang, Jaslyn Law Bee Khuan, Low Hong Yee, “A Substrate Having an Image Thereon” Singapore Patent Application ETPL Ref: IMR/P/06133/00/SG; IMR Ref: 201009
  • Joel Yang, Karl Berggren, Yeon Sik Jung, Caroline Ross, “Guided Self-Assembly of Block Copolymer Line Structures for Integrated Circuit Interconnects” United States of America Serial No. 61/361,978, July 7, 2010. Serial No. 12/885,051; filed September 17, 2010 Patent No. 8,309,278; Granted November 13, 2012
  • Ion Bita, Edwin L. Thomas, Joel K.W. Yang, Yeon Sik Jung, Caroline A. Ross, and Karl K. Berggren, “Self-Assembly Technique Applicable to Large Areas and Nanofabrication,” United States of America Serial No. 12/239362, September 26, 2008.
  • Patent Licensed: Vikas Anant, Karl K. Berggren, Eric Dauler, Andrew James. Kerman and Joel Kwang Wei. Yang, “Multi-Element Optical Detectors With Sub-Wavelength Gaps,” United States of America Serial No. 60/916914, May 9, 2007. Publication No. US7638751 B2 Granted Dec 29, 2009
  • Karl K. Berggren, Stefan Harrer, Giovanni Salvatore, Joel Yang “Nanotemplate Aribrary Imprint Lithography,” United States of America Serial No. 11/542474, October 3, 2006. Publication No. US8603381 B2 Granted Dec 10, 2013
Key publications

For most updated list: Google Scholar, Researchgate
  • Wang Zhang, Hongtao Wang, Hao Wang, Son Tung Ha, Lei Chen, Xue Liang Li, Cheng-Feng Pan, Bochang Wu, Md Abdur Rahman, Yujie Ke, Qifeng Ruan, Xiaolong Yang, Thomas Christensen, Joel KW Yang, “Nanoscale 3D printing of glass photonic crystals with near-unity reflectance in the visible spectrum”, Science Advances Vol 11, Issue 21(2025)
  • Wang Zhang, Jiakang Min, Hao Wang, Hongtao Wang, Xue Liang Li, Son Tung Ha, Biao Zhang, Cheng-Feng Pan, Hao Li, Hailong Liu, Hui Yin, Xiaolong Yang, Siqi Liu, Xiaodong Xu, Chaobin He, Hui Ying Yang, Joel KW Yang, “Printing of 3D photonic crystals in titania with complete bandgap across the visible spectrum”, Nature Nanotechnology volume 19, pages1813–1820 (2024)
  • Son Tung Ha, Qitong Li, Joel KW Yang, Hilmi Volkan Demir, Mark L Brongersma, Arseniy I Kuznetsov, “Optoelectronic Metadevices”, Science vol. 386 (6725), eadm7442 (2024)
  • Xiaoyan Zhou, Hongtao Wang, Shuxi Liu, Hao Wang, John You En Chan, Cheng-Feng Pan, Daomu Zhao, Joel KW Yang, Cheng-Wei Qiu, “Arbitrary engineering of spatial caustics with 3D-printed metasurfaces”, Nature Communications 15, Article number: 3719 (2024)
  • Hongtao Wang, Hao Wang, Qifeng Ruan, John You En Chan, Wang Zhang, Hailong Liu, Soroosh Daqiqeh Rezaei, Jonathan Trisno, Cheng-Wei Qiu, Min Gu, Joel KW Yang, “Coloured vortex beams with incoherent white light illumination”, Nature Nanotechnology 18, 264–272 (2023)
  • Jinfa Ho, Zhaogang Dong, Hai Sheng Leong, Jun Zhang, Febiana Tjiptoharsono, Soroosh Daqiqeh Rezaei, Ken Choon Hwa Goh, Mengfei Wu, Shiqiang Li, Jingyee Chee, Calvin Pei Yu Wong, Arseniy I Kuznetsov, Joel KW Yang, “Miniaturizing color-sensitive photodetectors via hybrid nanoantennas toward submicrometer dimensions”, Science Advances 8, 47, (2022)
  • VK Ravikumar, Jiann Min Chin, Winson Lua, Nathan Linarto, Gopinath Ranganathan, Jonathan Trisno, KL Pey, Joel KW Yang, “Super-resolution laser probing of integrated circuits using algorithmic methods”, Nature Communications 13, 1, 1-8 (2022)
  • Sergey S Kruk, Lei Wang, Basudeb Sain, Zhaogang Dong, Joel Yang, Thomas Zentgraf, Yuri Kivshar, “Asymmetric parametric generation of images with nonlinear dielectric metasurfaces”, Nature Photonics 16, 8, 561-565 (2022)
  • Jung, C., Kim, G., Jeong, M., Jang, J., Dong, Z., Badloe, T., Yang, J.K. and Rho, J.,  “Metasurface-driven optically variable devices”, Chemical Reviews, 121(21), pp.13013-13050 (2021)
  • John You En Chan, Qifeng Ruan, Menghua Jiang, Hongtao Wang, Hao Wang, Wang Zhang, Cheng-Wei Qiu, Joel KW Yang, “High-resolution light field prints by nanoscale 3D printing”, Nature Communications, 12, 1, 1-9 (2021)
  • Wang Zhang, Hao Wang, Hongtao Wang, John You En Chan, Hailong Liu, Biao Zhang, Yuan-Fang Zhang, Komal Agarwal, Xiaolong Yang, Hong Yee Low, Qi Ge, Joel K.W. Yang, “Structural Multi-Colour Invisible Inks with Submicron 4D Printing of Shape Memory Polymers”, Nature Communications volume 12, Article number: 112 (2021)
  • Hailong Liu, Weiling Dong, Hao Wang, Li Lu, Qifeng Ruan, You Sin Tan, Robert E Simpson, Joel KW Yang,“Rewritable color nanoprints in antimony trisulfide films”, Science Advances, Volume 6, Issue 51, 2020
  • Y Wu, J Xu, ET Poh, L Liang, H Liu,JKW Yang, CW Qiu, RAL Vallée, X Liu, “Upconversion superburst with sub-2 μs lifetime”,Nature Nanotechnology 14 (12), 1110-1115 (2019)
  • Yejing Liu, Hao Wang, Jinfa Ho, Ryan C Ng, Ray JH Ng, Valerian H Hall-Chen, Eleen HH Koay, Zhaogang Dong, Hailong Liu, Cheng-Wei Qiu, Julia R Greer,Joel KW Yang,“Structural Color Three-Dimensional Printing By Shrinking Photonic Crystals”Nature Communications, volume 10, Article number: 4340 (2019)
  • Hailong Liu, Jiahui Xu, Hao Wang, Yejing Liu, Qifeng Ruan, Yiming Wu, Xiaogang Liu,Joel KW Yang, “Tunable Resonator‐Upconverted Emission (TRUE) Color Printing and Applications in Optical Security”Advanced Materials 31, 1807900 (2019)
  • KTP Lim, H Liu, Y Liu, JKW Yang, “Holographic Colour Prints: Enhanced Optical Security by Combined Phase and Amplitude Control”Nature Communications 10(1) 25 (2019)
  • Anders Kristensen,Joel K. W. Yang, Sergey I. Bozhevolnyi, Stephan Link, Peter Nordlander, Naomi J. Halas, N. Asger Mortensen*, “Plasmonic Colour Generation”,Nature Reviews Materials 2, Article number: 16088 (2016)
  • Kun Huang, Zhaogang Dong, Shengtao Mei, Lei Zhang, Yanjun Liu, Hong Liu, Haibin Zhu, Jinghua Teng, Boris Luk’yanchuk, Joel K. W. Yang, Cheng‐Wei Qiu, “Silicon multi‐meta‐holograms for the broadband visible light,”Laser & Photonics Reviews Volume 10, Issue 3, pages 500–509, (2016)
  • Xiao Ming Goh, Ray Jia Hong Ng, Sihao Wang, Shawn J. Tan, andJoel K.W. Yang, “Comparative Study of Plasmonic Colors from All-Metal Structures of Posts and Pits,”ACS Photonics DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.6b00099 (2016)
  • Zhuo Wang, Zhaogang Dong, Yinghong Gu, Yung-Huang Chang, Lei Zhang, Lain-Jong Li, Weijie Zhao, Goki Eda, Wenjing Zhang, Gustavo Grinblat, Stefan A. Maier,Joel K.W. Yang, Cheng-Wei Qiu, Andrew T.S. Wee, “Giant photoluminescence enhancement in tungsten-diselenide–gold plasmonic hybrid structures,” Nature Communications 7, Article number: 11 (2016)
  • Karthik Kumar, Huigao Duan, Ravi Hegde, Samuel Koh, Jennifer Wei, Joel K.W. Yang, “Printing Color at the Optical Diffraction Limit”, Nature Nanotechnology (2012) doi:10.1038/nnano.2012.128 (Featured on Cover)
  • Huigao Duan, AntonioI. Fernandez-Dominguez, Michel Bosman, Stefan A. Maier, Joel K.W. Yang,“Nanoplasmonics: Classical Down To The Nanometer Scale”, Nano Letters Article 12 (3), 1683-1689 (2012)
  • Huigao Duan, HailongHu, Karthik Kumar, Zexiang Shen, Joel K.W. Yang, “Direct and Reliable Patterning of Plasmonic Nanostructures with Sub-10-nm Gaps”, ACS Nano 2011, 5 (9), pp 7593–7600
  • Joel K. W. Yang, Yeon Sik Jung, Jae-Byum Chang, R. A. Mickiewicz, A. Alexander-Katz, C. A. Ross & Karl K. Berggren, “Complex self-assembled patterns using sparse commensurate templates with locally varying motifs” Nature Nanotechnology 5, 256 – 260 (2010)
  • I. Bita, J. K. W. Yang, Y. S. Jung,C. A. Ross, E. L. Thomas, and K. K. Berggren, “Graphoepitaxy of self-assembled block copolymers on two-dimensional periodic patterned templates,” Science, vol. 321, pp. 939-943, 2008