In this study, the
objective
is to improve the criteria used for statistical comparison of the VLF tanδ (TD) database and failure rate according to water-tree degradation in underground distribution power cables. The aging condition of the KEPCO criteria is divided into 6 levels using the Weibull distribution, and the “failure imminent” condition is quantified by using the statistical end-point of the lifetime parameter of the VLF big-data group obtained from KEPCO. Moreover, new criteria with a 2-dimensional combination of TD, DTD, and a statistical normalized factor are suggested. These criteria exhibit high reproducibility for the detection of cables in an imminent failure state. Consequently, it is expected that the adoption of the extended VLF-2019 criteria will reduce the asset management cost of cable replacement compared to the VLF-2012 criteria of KEPCO.

Thin film transistors (TFTs) with large-area, high mobility, and high reliability are important factors for next-generation displays. In particular, thin transistors based on IGZO oxide semiconductors are being actively researched for this application. In this study, several methods for improving the reliability of a-IGZO TFTs by applying various materials on a passivation layer are investigated. In the literature, inorganic SiO₂, TiO₂, Al₂O₃, ZTSO, and organic CYTOP have been used for passivation. In the case of Al₂O₃, excellent stability is exhibited compared to the non-passivation TFT under the conditions of negative bias illumination stress (NBIS) for 3 wavelengths (R, G, B). When CYTOP passivation, SiO₂ passivation, and non-passivation devices were compared under the same positive bias temperature stress (PBTS), the Vth shifts were 2.8 V, 3.3 V, and 4.5 V, respectively. The Vth shifts of TiO₂ passivation and non-passivation devices under the same NBTS were -2.2 V and -3.8 V, respectively. It is expected that the presented results will form the basis for further research to improve the reliability of a-IGZO TFT.

Recently, with the increase in the use of urban solar power, solar modules are required to produce high power in limited areas. In this report, we proposed the fabrication of a high-power photovoltaic module using shingles technology, and developed accurate string characteristic simulations based on circuit modeling. By comparing the resistance components between the interconnected cells and the cell strips, the ECA resistance was determined to be 0.003 Ω. Based on the equivalent circuit of the modeled shingled string, string simulation was performed according to the type of cell strip. As a result, it was determined that the cell efficiency of the 4-cell strip was the highest at 19.66%, but the efficiency of the string simulated with the 6-cell strip was the highest at 20.48% in the string unit.

In this study, a patterning method using self-aligned nanostructures was introduced to fabricate GaN-based fin-gate HEMTs with normally-off operation, as opposed to high-cost, low-productivity e-beam lithography. The honeycomb-shaped fin-gate channel width is approximately 40~50 nm, which is manufactured with a fine width using a proposed method to obtain sufficient fringing field effect. As a result, the threshold voltage of the fabricated device is 0.6 V, and the maximum normalized drain current and transconductance of Gm are 136.4 mA/mm and 99.4 mS/mm, respectively. The fabricated devices exhibit a smaller sub-threshold swing and higher Gm peak compared to conventional planar devices, due to the fin structure of the honeycomb channel.

We investigated a solution-driven Yttrium Tin Oxide (YSnO) film that was imprinted using a parallel nanostructure as a liquid crystal (LC) alignment layer. The imprinting process was conducted at the annealing temperature of 100℃. To evaluate the effect of this process, we conducted surface analyses including atomic force microscopy (AFM). During imprinting, the surface roughness was reduced, and anisotropic characteristics were observed. Planar LC alignment was observed at a pretilt angle of 0.22° on YSnO film. Surface anisotropy induced by imprinting method forces LC to align along the direction of the parallel nanostructure, which is an alternative to conventional polyimide treated using a rubbing process.

Oxide (SiO₂)/Metal(Ag)/Oxide(SiO₂, ITO, ZnO) multilayer films were fabricated using a magnetron sputtering technique at room temperature on Si (p-type, 100) and a glass substrate. The electrical and optical properties of the asymmetric multilayer films depended on the thickness of the mid-layer film and the type of oxide in the bottom layer. As the metal layer becomes thicker, the sheet resistance decreases. However, the transmittance decreases when the metal layer exceeds a threshold thickness of approximately 10~12 nm. In addition, the sheet resistance and transmittance change according to the type of oxide in the bottom layer. If the oxide has a large resistivity, the overall sheet resistance increases. In addition, the anti-reflection effect changes according to the refractive index of the oxide material. The optical and electrical properties of multilayer films were investigated using an ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer and a 4-point probe, respectively. The optimum structure is SiO₂ (30 nm)/Ag (10 nm)/ZnO (30 nm) multilayer, with the highest FOM value of 7.7×10^-3 Ω^-1.

An investigation was conducted to determine whether the ratio of the fluid to the charged particles affects the panel reflexibility rate and the drifting current flowing in the panel, in electrophoretic-based electronic paper. In this regard, three panels were produced in this study with the ratio of the charged particles to the fluid set as 1:5, 1:1, and 5:1. Each sample was driven using an identical input pulse, for which the current flowing in the panel and the output voltage of the photodiode were measured for the panel reflexibility rate. Consequently, the drifting current initially exhibited a peak value and a saturated value at a later point. This value was proportional to the ratio of the charged particles, and it was similar to this ratio when it is higher than 1:1. The output voltage of the photodiode due to the panel reflexibility rate was proportional to the ratio of the charged particles. However, the response speed decreased if the ratio was higher than 1:1. It is expected that the results of this study will contribute to the analysis of the charging of charged particles in electrophoretic-based electronic paper, and the selection of an appropriate concentration.

This study investigated the microstructure and piezoelectric properties of lead-free 0.74(Bi_1/2Na_1/2)TiO3-0.26SrTiO₃ (BNST26) piezoelectric ceramics sintered using a microwave furnace. For comparison, specimens were also prepared using a conventional furnace sintering (CFS). Average grain sizes of 2.4 μm and 3.2 μm were obtained in the sample sintered at 1,100℃ for 5 min using microwave sintering (MWS) and at 1,175℃ for 2 h using CFS, respectively. To quantify the changes in the microstructures and electrical properties according to the sintering conditions, the polarization hysteresis, bipolar and unipolar strain curves, and temperature dependence of permittivity were evaluated. As a result, it was determined that the Pmax (maximum polarization), Pr (remanent polarization) and Smax (maximum strain) values tend to increase with the average grain size. Based on these results, it is concluded that the MWS method can produce lead-free ceramics with superior performance in a relatively short time compared to the conventional CFS method.

In this paper, we prepared miniature fuse fabricated with carbon nanotube (CNT) fiber for the use of low rated current under 1 A and high speed operation under 4ms. CNT fuses were fabricated in the form of universal modular fuse (UMF) with different diameter of CNT fibers defined by multiplying the CNT threads. Electrical properties of the CNT fuses were measured such as resistance, rated current, and operation time with current. Resistance of the CNT fuse decreased and rated current increased with the diameter of the CNT fuses, respectively. Consequently, the operation time with current increased with the diameter of the CNT fuses. The CNT fuses fabricated in this work had broad range of low rated current from 0.05 to 1.25 A by multiplying the CNT threads. Operation time was measured about 3.6ms which was applicable to the UMF.

Porcelain insulators have been used for a long time in 154 kV power transmission lines. They are likely to be exposed to sudden failure because of product deterioration. This study was conducted to evaluate the quality of porcelain insulators. After stresses were applied, the damaged regions of aged insulators were investigated in terms of chemical composition, material structure, and other properties. For porcelain insulators that were in service for a long time, the mechanical failure load was 126 kN, whereas the average mechanical failure load was 167.3 kN for new products. It was also determined that corrosion occurred at the metal pin part due to the penetration of moisture into the gap between the pin and the ceramic. Statistical analyses of failure were performed to identify the portion of the insulators that were broken. Cristobalite porcelain insulators fabricated without alumina additives had a high failure rate of 54% for the porcelain component. In the case of the addition of Alumina (Al₂O₃) to the porcelain insulators to improve the strength of the ceramic component, a more frequent damage rate of the cap and pin of 73.3% and 27%, respectively, was observed. This study reports on the material component of SiO₂ and the percentage of alumina added, with respect to the mechanical properties of porcelain insulators.

Porcelain insulators are typically exposed to surface discharge and lightning impulse in service. This study investigates the insulation characteristics of the external and internal discharges of a porcelain insulator with respect to its flashover for a 154 kV transmission line. The experiments are also conducted using a wet flashover test and an impulse test based on the external discharge and the internal penetration, to classify the flashover voltage-time curve of the porcelain insulator. When an impulse with a strength of 2,500 kV/μs was applied three times to 6.5 mm ceramic samples, electrical penetration of approximately 70% occurred. The impulse experiment confirmed that the electrical penetration inside the porcelain insulator coincided with the area where the electric field was concentrated. The wet flashover voltage test revealed that the flashover threshold voltage increases by approximately 7% after cleaning of the surface.

In this study, to develop angle ring pressboards for high voltage transformers, the radius and thickness are modified under the conditions of temperature and humidity. In particular, a pressboard with a thickness of 6 mm and a radius at the angled part were investigated based on the simulation of the principal stress from the angled optimization profile shape. As a result, by the appropriate application of a higher temperature, the solid insulation can be improved to reduce the moisture content for an optimized profile angle of a high voltage transformer. This also results in the improvement of the safety factor by 25%. It is determined that the electrical insulation properties of pressboards in high voltage transformers can be enhanced by improving their properties.

The aim of this study is to improve the fault decision ability of FRTU (Feeder remote terminal unit) in DAS (Distribution automation system). FRTU uses the FI (Fault indicator) algorithm based on fault current pickup and operation of the protection device. Even if the inrush current flows or the protection device is sensitive to the transient current, FRTU may indicate incorrect fault information. To address these problems, we propose an improved fault recognition algorithm that can be applied to FRTU. We will detect a specific wave that is indicative of a fault, and use this information to identify a fault wave. The specific wave-detection algorithm is based on the duration and periodicity of the voltage, current, and harmonic variations. In addition, we propose fault recognition algorithms using voltage factor variation analysis and DWT (Discrete wavelet transform). All the wave data used in this study were actual data stored in FRTU.

In this study, the sterilization property of E. coli was established using a plasma generator with a flexible electrode structure. The bacterial suspension was prepared based on the McFarland standard 0.50 (1.5×10⁸ CFU/mL) concentration and a specific amount was inoculated on the plate medium. After the plasma was discharged 3 cm away from the plasma generator in the range of 30s to 5 min and the results compared to the control group, the observed colonies that were formed decreased significantly as the plasma discharge time increased.

In this study, MOSFETs fabricated on Si-doped, MBE-grown β-Ga₂O₃ are demonstrated. A Si-doped Ga₂O₃ epitaxial layer was grown on a Fe-doped, semi-insulating 1.5 cm × 1 cm Ga₂O₃ substrate using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The fabricated devices are circular type MOSFETs with a gate length of 3 μm, a source-drain spacing of 20 μm, and a gate width of 523 μm. The device exhibited a good pinch-off characteristic, a high on-off drain current ratio of approximately 2.7×10⁹, and a high breakdown voltage of 1,080 V, which demonstrates the potential of Ga₂O₃ for power device applications including electric vehicles, railways, and renewable energy.