Yunik Son, head of the DRAM Peri (DPERI) team in the R&D department, won the Engineer of Korea Award at the First Half of 2025 Engineer of Korea Awards Ceremony on June 17 in Seoul.
The Engineer of Korea Award, jointly presented by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Industrial Technology Association, is granted to engineers who have achieved exceptional R&D outcomes in their industry. It shines a spotlight on those who have played a key role in enhancing South Korea’s technological competitiveness.
Son, who was honored in the IT Engineer category, has played a pivotal role in driving the development of next-generation AI semiconductor technologies at SK hynix. She was recognized for her contributions to leading the development of HBM1, a key memory product for the AI era, and LPDDR2, a low-power DRAM for mobile devices. Such efforts underline how she consistently challenges the limits of technological innovation.
1High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): A high-value, high-performance product that significantly enhances data processing speeds compared to conventional DRAMs by vertically stacking multiple DRAM chips. There are six generations of HBM, starting with the original HBM, and followed by HBM2, HBM2E, HBM3, HBM3E, and HBM4.
2Low Power Double Data Rate (LPDDR): A DRAM standard for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, featuring low-voltage operation to minimize power consumption. The standard includes the prefix “LP,” which stands for “low power.” The LPDDR standard has been developed in the order of LPDDR1, 2, 3, 4, 4X, 5, and 5X.
Son receives her award from First Vice Minister Chang Yune Lee of the Ministry of Science and ICT
Now in her 19th year at SK hynix, Son has dedicated her career as a device engineer to the development of peri.3 transistors for various DRAM products. Even with the demanding requirements of high performance, low-power consumption, and high reliability, she has demonstrated strong technological leadership in delivering improvements that customers can tangibly experience.
3Peripheral (peri.): The peripheral circuit region that selects and controls the memory cells where data is stored.
For instance, during the development of LPDDR5, Son drew industry attention by successfully adapting the HKMG4 process to DRAM. HKMG is a process that simultaneously improves performance and power efficiency compared to previous processes, significantly enhancing the competitiveness of SK hynix’s memory products.
4High-K Metal Gate (HKMG): A next-generation process that uses a material with a high dielectric constant (K) in the insulating layer inside DRAM transistors. This prevents the leakage of current caused by process miniaturization and improves capacitance, the amount of charge required for data storage, enabling faster processing while reducing power consumption.
The SK hynix Newsroom sat down with Son to hear her thoughts on receiving the award and to learn more about her journey in technology.
Son Shares the Joy of Her Award With Colleagues United by One-Team Spirit
“I want to share the joy of this award with my colleagues,” she said. “Rather than seeing it as my personal achievement, I consider it to be a result of the time we spent thinking and taking on challenges together. I especially recall the moments when we came together to brainstorm solutions whenever we hit a roadblock. Going forward, we will continue to unite through our one-team spirit to pursue technological innovation that drives national industrial development.”
Son expressed her gratitude to the colleagues who achieved this success with her, claiming that their one-team spirit was the core value that established SK hynix’s technological competitiveness.
“Developing LPDDR and HBM was not just about improving performance,” she stated. “It was a difficult challenge that required simultaneously achieving low-power consumption, high reliability, and mass-production capability. Each team pursued SUPEX5 and did their best in their respective areas of expertise. Thanks to mutual understanding and collaboration, we have been able to maintain our AI memory leadership.”
5Super Excellent Level (SUPEX): The highest level of achievement that can be attained, as defined by SKMS, SK Group’s management philosophy.
A Whole New Approach: “Driving Technological Innovation Requires a Paradigm Shift”
The most defining milestone in Son’s journey so far has been the successful adaptation of the HKMG process to DRAM. Originally used in logic semiconductors such as CPUs and application processors (APs), the HKMG process had rarely been attempted in DRAM manufacturing due to numerous constraints. However, Son boldly took on the challenge in pursuit of innovation and ultimately succeeded in significantly improving both product performance and power efficiency.
“Introducing HKMG to DRAM was not merely an expansion of the technology’s application, but a paradigm shift,” she claimed. “We had to minimize the impact on cell transistors while also overcoming the drawbacks of HKMG, such as GIDL6 and reliability issues. By embracing new challenges without fear, we were ultimately able to secure top-tier competitiveness.”
6Gate-Induced Drain Leakage (GIDL): A phenomenon in which voltage applied to the gate electrode induces unintended leakage current between the drain and source regions. It refers to a phenomenon in which current flows between the drain and source due to the gate voltage even when the transistor is in the off state.
Son shown holding her Engineer of Korea Award
Another notable achievement by Son is the continuous research and development of device technologies in the peri. region. These technologies have also played a major role in enhancing the performance of HBM, contributing to innovation across SK hynix’s entire semiconductor lineup.
“High-performance DRAM used in AI applications today requires ultra-high speed and ultra-low power consumption,” she emphasized. “To meet these demands, the performance of the peri. region — which functions as the entry and exit point for data — plays a critical role. If the peri. region is not adequately supported in AI memory, which must process massive volumes of data, bottlenecks are bound to occur. This ultimately makes it impossible to improve overall product performance.”
To address these technical challenges, Son has persistently explored the peri region. Together with her team, she has engaged in constant discussion and research, sometimes developing new technologies and at other times revisiting and reinterpreting previously studied ones. The experience and achievements accumulated through this process have formed the foundation of the “peri expertise” that SK hynix proudly showcases today.
“For Engineers, Belief in Technology and Perseverance After Failure Are Essential”
Now recognized as a leading national engineer, Son also conveyed a strong sense of pride in her profession.
“Engineers solve real-world problems through technology,” she said. “Discovering and realizing new possibilities despite any constraints is the essence of an engineer. To the engineers of the future, I would emphasize the importance of belief in technology and perseverance after failure. Have confidence that the technology you create can change the world and boldly put that conviction into action.”
Lastly, Son shared a message for her fellow SK hynix members as they go through this time of rapid change together.
“We are at a pivotal moment of transition into the AI era,” she claimed. “In the end, technology is built by people, and the passion, focus, and collaboration of every individual are our greatest competitive advantages. Just as the depth of our technology matters, so does the depth of trust and collaboration among colleagues. I hope we will continue to grow as one team by learning from one another, embracing failure, and moving forward together.”
