Wearable temperature sensors are becoming increasingly important for continuous health monitoring, personalized healthcare, and biointegrated electronic systems. However, conventional temperature-sensing platforms often suffer from limited thermal sensitivity, insufficient mechanical compliance, and unstable performance under repeated deformation, making it difficult to detect subtle physiological temperature variations in real time. Here, this tutorial status report presents a fabrication strategy for highly sensitive wearable temperature sensors based on gold-doped crystalline silicon nanomembranes. Gold diffusion into crystalline silicon introduces deep-level impurity states that modulate the Fermi level and shift the freeze-out region toward the physiological temperature range, enabling an ultrahigh negative temperature coefficient of resistance. By integrating the gold-doped silicon nanomembrane with a polyimide-supported ultrathin platform, neutral mechanical plane design, and serpentine mesh interconnects, the resulting device can provide high thermal sensitivity, fast response, conformal skin attachment, and stable operation under mechanical deformation. This fabrication approach is expected to broaden the use of impurity-engineered silicon nanomembranes in next-generation wearable sensors, flexible bioelectronics, and multifunctional healthcare monitoring systems.

Piezoelectric thin films have become increasingly significant in applications such as MEMS devices, wearable electronics, and lab-on-a-chip systems due to the miniaturization and integration of electronic devices. For piezoelectric thin films, even when an electric signal is applied in the thickness direction, greater deformation can often be observed in the in-plane direction, which is perpendicular to the electric field. Therefore, piezoelectric thin film devices are frequently designed using the transverse mode. As a result, it is crucial to evaluate piezoelectric thin films by measuring their transverse piezoelectric coefficient. This tutorial paper introduces a method for evaluating the effective transverse piezoelectric coefficient (e_31,f) of piezoelectric thin films using laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV). Additionally, the paper outlines a step-by-step procedure for measuring e31,f while using Bi_1/2Na_1/2TiO₃-based piezoelectric thin films as an example. This tutorial is expected to provide a practical and valuable method for measuring and analyzing the transverse piezoelectric properties, thereby supporting the development of new piezoelectric thin film materials.

In this study, we proposed β-Ga₂O₃ JFET using nitrogen doping and analyzed the electrical characteristics. In β-Ga₂O₃, nitrogen ions act as a deep acceptor and are used to implement the current blocking layer. By using this characteristic of the nitrogen ion, in the proposed JFET, nitrogen ions are used to obtain gate control and pinch off the channel of the JFET. The numerical TCAD simulation was performed to design and analyze the proposed JFET. The simulated forward and reverse characteristics of the proposed JFET were obtained as a function of JFET width and nitrogen doping concentration. The maximum breakdown voltage of 1.7 kV was obtained with the on-resistance of 16.7 mΩ·cm² when the channel width was 1.5 μm and nitrogen doping concentration is 1×1018/cm³, respectively.

We investigated the potential of IO:H thin films and hydrogen doping to improve current density and fill factor for enhancing the performance of silicon heterojunction solar cells. We revealed that a transmittance of 86.7% and work function of 5.4 eV could be achieved by injecting 3 sccm of hydrogen gas. The lattice constant of 1.037 nm at the AB site indicates an anion antibonding tendency, and the work function increases as the Fermi level shifts to the valence band. Based on these findings, we fabricated a silicon heterojunction solar cell and achieved an efficiency of 18.53%, while computer simulation confirmed a conversion efficiency of 24.65%, an open-circuit voltage of 724 mV, and a fill factor of 82.72% at a current density of 41.15 mA/㎠.

The transparent electrode characteristics of the SnO₂/AgNi/SnO₂ (OMO) multilayer structures prepared by sputtering were investigated according to the annealing temperature. Ni-doped Ag of various compositions was selected as the metal layer and heat treatment was performed at 100~300℃ to evaluate the thermal stability of the metals. The manufactured OMO multilayer structures were heat treated for 6 hours at 400~600℃ in an N₂ atmosphere. The structural, electrical, and optical properties of the OMO structures before and after annealing were evaluated and analyzed using a UV-VIS spectrophotometer, 4-point probe, XPS, FE-SEM, etc. OMO with Ni-doped Ag shows improved performance due to the reduction of structural defects of Ag during annealing, but OMO structure with pure Ag shows degradation characteristics due to Ag diffusion into the oxide layer during high-temperature annealing. The figure of merit (FOM) of SnO₂/Ag/SnO₂ was highest at room temperature and gradually decreased as the heat treatment temperature increased. On the other hand, the FOM value of SnO₂/AgNi/SnO₂ mostly showed its maximum value at high temperature(~550℃). In particular, the FOM value of SnO₂/Ag-Ni (3.2 at%)/SnO₂ was estimated to be approximately 2.38×10^-2 Ω^-1. Compared to transparent electrodes made of other similar materials, the FOM value of the SnO₂/Ag-Ni (3.2 at%)/SnO₂ multilayer structure is competitive and is expected to be used as an alternative transparent conductive electrode in various devices.

In line with the development of electronic devices and technologies, the demand for improving ferroelectric materials’ performance is increasing. Since K_0.5Na_0.5NbO₃ (KNN), an eco-friendly ferroelectric material that does not use lead and has a high Curie temperature, it is attracting attention to its usability as a high-temperature dielectric, and various studies are being conducted to increase performance. In a KNN having a perovskite structure, there was a simulation result that the KNN has higher spontaneous polarization when the A-site in which sodium ions exist is replaced with lithium ions. If the simulation results can be proven experimentally, the application range of KNN-based ferroelectric materials will increase. To this end, we tried to manufacture a K_1-xLi_xNbO₃ (KLN) with high electrical characteristics by fabricating niobium-deficient and potassium-excessive compositions, which attempt was made to solve the stoichiometry problem by volatilization and suppress secondary phases. If KLN’s secondary phase suppression and relative permittivity improvement are successful, it will contribute to meeting the demand for developing electronic devices.

This work focuses on improving the light-harvesting efficiency of thin-film silicon solar cells through innovative multi-architecture surface modifications. To create a regular optical structure, a lithographic process was performed to form it on a glass substrate through various etching processes, from Etch-1 to Etch-3. AZO was deposited on top of the structures and re-etched to create a multi-architectural surface. These surface-modified structures improved the light absorption and overall performance of the solar cell through changes in optical and physical properties, which we will analyze. In addition, we investigated the effect of post-cleaning on the etched glass structures through EDX analysis to understand the mechanism of the etching action. The results of this study are expected to provide important guidelines for the design and fabrication of solar cells and other photovoltaic devices.

High-energy bandgap material silicon carbide (SiC) is gaining attention as a next-generation power semiconductor material, and in particular, SiC-based MOSFETs are developed as representative power semiconductors to increase the breakdown voltage (BV) of conventional planar structures. However, as the size of SJ (Super Junction) MOSFET devices decreases and the depth of pillars increases, it becomes challenging to uniformly form the doping concentration of pillars. Therefore, a structure with different doping concentrations segmented within the pillar is being researched. Using Silvaco TCAD simulation, a SJ VVD (vertical variation doping profile) MOSFET with three different doping concentrations in the pillar was studied. Simulations were conducted for the width of the pillar and the doping concentration of N-epi, revealing that as the width of the pillar increases, the depletion region widens, leading to an increase in on-specific resistance (Ron,sp) and breakdown voltage (BV). Additionally, as the doping concentration of N-epi increases, the number of carriers increases, and the depletion region narrows, resulting in a decrease in Ron,sp and BV. The optimized SJ VVD MOSFET exhibits a very high figure of merit (BFOM) of 13,400 KW/cm², indicating excellent performance characteristics and suggesting its potential as a next-generation highperformance power device suitable for practical applications.

To evaluate the possibility as a multi-level memory medium for the Ge2Sb2Te5/TiN/W-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 cell structure, the crystallization rate and stabilization characteristics according to voltage (V)- and current (I)- pulse sweeping were investigated. In the cell structures prepared by a magnetron sputtering system on a p-type Si (100) substrate, the Ge2Sb2Te5 and W-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 thin films were separated by a barrier metal, TiN, and the individual thicknesses were varied, but the total thickness was fixed at 200 nm. All cell structures exhibited relatively stable multi-level states of high-middle-low resistance (HR-MR-LR), which guarantee the reliability of the multilevel phase-change random access memory (PRAM). The amorphousto- multilevel crystallization rate was evaluated from a graph of resistance (R) vs. pulse duration (T) obtained by the nanoscaled pulse sweeping at a fixed applied voltage (12 V). For all structures, the phase-change rates of HR→MR and MR→LR were estimated to be approximately t<20 ns and t<40 ns, respectively, and the states were relatively stable. We believe that the doublestack structure of an appropriate Ge-Sb-Te film separated by barrier metal (TiN) can be optimized for high-speed and stable multilevel PRAM.

Direct use of sunlight through the glass windows is an efficient way to reduce the energy consumption related to the heating, cooling, and lighting. Introduction of near-infrared modulating properties through colloidal doped metal oxide nanocrystals into the classical electrochromic materials accelerates the development of next-generation electrochromic devices. There has been a steady enhancement in the performance of electrochromic devices, necessitating a review of the recent progress in next-generation electrochromic devices employing doped metal oxide nanocrystals. This review provides an overview of the current developments in next-generation electrochromic smart windows utilizing colloidal doped metal oxide nanocrystals, with a focus on the key factors for achieving these advanced windows. Colloidal doped metal oxide nanocrystals are a crucial component in realizing and bringing to market the next generation of electrochromic windows, though further research and development are still required in this regard.

The advantage of OTFT technology is that large-area circuits can be manufactured on flexible substrates using a lowcost solution process such as inkjet printing. Compared to silicon-based inorganic semiconductor processes, the process temperature is lower and the process time is shorter, so it can be widely applied to fields that do not require high electron mobility. Materials that have utility as electrode materials include carbon that can be solution-processed, transparent carbon thin films, and metallic nanoparticles, etc. are being studied. Recently, a technology has been developed to facilitate charge injection by coating the surface of the Al electrode with solution-processable titanium oxide (TiOx), which can greatly improve the performance of OTFT. In order to commercialize OTFT technology, an appropriate method is to use a complementary circuit with excellent reliability and stability. For this, insulators and channel semiconductors using organic materials must have stability in the air. In this study, carbon-doped Mo (MoC) thin films were fabricated with different graphite target power densities via unbalanced magnetron sputtering (UBM). The influence of graphite target power density on the structural, surface area, physical, and electrical properties of MoC films was investigated. MoC thin films deposited by the unbalanced magnetron sputtering method exhibited a smooth and uniform surface. However, as the graphite target power density increased, the rms surface roughness of the MoC film increased, and the hardness and elastic modulus of the MoC thin film increased. Additionally, as the graphite target power density increased, the resistivity value of the MoC film increased. In the performance of an organic thin film transistor using a MoC gate electrode, the carrier mobility, threshold voltage, and drain current on/off ratio (I_on/I_off) showed 0.15 cm²/V·s, -5.6 V, and 7.5×10⁴, respectively.

Nitrogen-doped graphene was synthesized by a hydrothermal method using graphene oxide (GO) as the raw material, urea as the reducing agent and nitrogen as the dopant. The morphology, structure, composition and electrochemical properties of the samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), nitrogen adsorptiondesorption analysis, electrical conductivity and electrochemical tests. The results show that urea can effectively reduce GO and achieve nitrogen doping under the hydrothermal conditions. By adjusting the mass ratio of raw materials to dopants, the graphene with different nitrogen doping contents can be obtained; the nitrogen content range is from 5.28~6.08% (atomic fraction percentage).When the ratio of dopant to urea is 1:30, the nitrogen doping content reaches a maximum of 6.08%.The supercapacitor performance test shows that the nitrogen content prepared by the ratio of 6.08% is the best at 0.1 A·g^-1. The specific capacitance is 95.2 F·g^-1.

Owing to carbon materials’ diverse functionalization and versatility, the design and synthesis of carbon-based three-dimensional porous structures have become important foundational research topics across various fields. Among the various methods for producing porous carbon structures, laser-induced graphene (LIG) has garnered attention because of its large surface area, controllable structure, excellent electrical conductivity, scalability, and eco-friendly synthesis process. In addition, recent research results have reported more novel functionalities by advancing further from the unique characteristics of LIG through functionalization or compounding of LIG, making it an attractive material for various applications in electronic devices, sensing, catalysis, and energy storage. This review aims to update the research trends in LIG and its functionalization, providing insights to inspire more interesting studies on functional LIG to expand its potential applications ultimately. Starting with the synthesis method and material characteristics of LIG, we introduce the functionalization of LIG, which is classified into surface modification, heteroatom doping, and hybridization based on the interaction mechanism. Finally, we summarize and discuss the prospects of LIG and its functionalization.

Recently, as the process of the MOS device becomes more detailed, and the degree of integration thereof increases, many problems such as leakage current due to an increase in electron tunneling due to the thickness of SiO₂ used as a gate oxide have occurred. In order to overcome the limitation of SiO₂, many studies have been conducted on HfO₂ that has a thermodynamic stability with silicon during processing, has a higher dielectric constant than SiO₂, and has an appropriate band gap. In this study, HfO₂, which is attracting attention in various fields, was doped with Al and the change in properties according to its concentration was studied. Al-doped HfO₂ thin film was deposited using Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition (PEALD), and the structural and electrical characteristics of the fabricated MIM device were evaluated. The results of this study are expected to make an essential cornerstone in the future field of next-generation semiconductor device materials.

Numerical simulation is a good way to predict the conversion efficiency of solar cells without a direct experimentation and to achieve low cost and high efficiency through optimizing each step of solar cell fabrication. TOPCon industrial solar cells fabricated with n-type silicon wafers on a larger area have achieved a higher efficiency than p-type TOPCon solar cells. Electrical and optical losses of the front surface are the main factors limiting the efficiency of the solar cell. In this work, an optimization of boron-doped emitter surface and front electrodes through numerical simulation using “Griddler” is reported. Through the analysis of the results of simulation, it was confirmed that the emitter sheet resistance of 150 Ω/sq along the front electrodes having a finger width of 20 μm, and the number of finger lines ~130 for silicon wafer of M6 size is an optimized technology for the front emitter surface of the n-type TOPCon solar cells that can be developed.

Generally, diamond-like carbon films (a-C:H, DLC) have been shown to have a low coefficient of friction, a high hardness and a low wear rate. Pd-doped C thin film was fabricated using a dual magnetron sputtering with two targets of graphite and palladium. Graphite target RF power was fixed and palladium target RF power was varied. The structural, physical, and surface properties of the deposited thin film were investigated, and the correlation among these properties was examined. The doping ratio of Pd increased as the RF power increased, and the surface roughness of the thin film decreased somewhat as the RF power increased. In addition, the hardness value of the thin film increased, and the adhesive strength was improved. It was confirmed that the value of the contact angle indicating the surface energy increases as the RF power increases. It was concluded that the increase in RF power contributed to the improvement of the physical properties of Pd-doped C thin film.

In this paper, we investigated current (I)- and voltage (V)-sweeping properties in a double-stack structure, Ge₂Sb₂Te₅/Ti/W-doped Ge₈Sb₂Te₁₁, a candidate medium for applications to multilevel phase-change memory. 200-nm-thick Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ and W-doped Ge₈Sb₂Te₁₁ films were deposited on p-type Si(100) substrate using magnetron sputtering system, and the sheet resistance was measured using 4 point-probe method. The sheet resistance of amorphous-phase W-doped Ge₈Sb₂Te₁₁ film was about 1 order larger than that of Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ film. The I- and V-sweeping properties were measured using sourcemeter, pulse generator, and digital multimeter. The speed of amorphous-to-multilevel crystallization was evaluated from a graph of resistance vs. pulse duration (t) at a fixed applied voltage (12 V). All the double-stack cells exhibited a two-step phase change process with the multilevel memory states of high-middle-low resistance (HR-MR-LR). In particular, the stable MR state is required to guarantee the reliability of the multilevel phase-change memory. For the Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (150 nm)/Ti (20 nm)/WGe₈Sb₂Te₁₁ (50 nm), the phase transformations of HR→MR and MR→LR were observed at t<30ns and t<65ns, respectively. We believe that a high speed and stable multilevel phase-change memory can be optimized by the double-stack structure of proper Ge-Sb-Te films separated by a barrier metal (Ti).

Non-volatile memory is approaching its fundamental limits with the Si3N4 storage layer, necessitating the use of alternative materials to achieve a higher programming/erasing speed, larger storage window, and better data retention at lower operating voltage. This limitation has restricted the development of the charge-trap memory, but can be addressed by using high-k dielectrics. The paper reviews the doping of nitrogen, titanium, and yttrium on high-k dielectrics as a storage layer by comparing MONOS devices with different storage layers. The results show that nitrogen doping increases the storage window of the Gd₂O₃ storage layer and improves its charge retention. Titanium doping can increase the charge capture rate of HfO₂ storage layer. Yttrium doping increases the storage window of the BaTiO₃ storage layer and improves its fatigue characteristics. Parameters such as the dielectric constant, leakage current, and speed of the memory device can be controlled by maintaining a suitable amount of external impurities in the device.

A series of phosphors, SrWO₄:5 mol% Dy³⁺, SrWO₄:5 mol% Sm³⁺, and SrWO₄:5 mol% Dy³⁺:x Sm³⁺ (x＝1~15 mol%), were prepared using a facile co-precipitation. The crystal structure, morphology, photoluminescence properties, and application in anti-counterfeiting fields were investigated. The crystalline structures of the prepared phosphors were found to be tetragonal systems with the dominant peak occurring at the (112) plane. The excitation spectra of the Dy³⁺ singly-doped SrWO₄ phosphors were composed of an intense charge-transfer band centered at 246 nm in the range of 210~270 nm and two weak peaks at 351 nm and 387 nm due to the ⁶H_15/2→⁶P_7/2 and ⁶H_15/2→⁴I_13/2 transitions of Dy³⁺ ions, respectively. The wavelength of 246 nm was optimum for exciting the luminescence of Dy³⁺ and Sm³⁺ co-doped SrWO₄ phosphors. The emission spectra consisted of two intense blue and yellow emission bands at 480 nm and 573 nm corresponding to the ⁴F_9/2→⁶H_15/2 and ⁴F_9/2→⁶H_13/2 transitions of Dy³⁺, and two strong emission peaks at 599 nm and 643 nm originating from the ⁴G_5/2→⁶H_7/2 and ⁴G_5/2→⁶H_9/2 transitions of Sm³⁺, respectively. As the concentration of Sm³⁺ ions increased, the emission intensities of Dy³⁺ rapidly decreased, while the emission intensities of Sm³⁺ gradually increased. These results suggest that the color of the emission light can be tuned from yellow to white by changing the concentration of Sm³⁺ ions at a fixed 5 mol% Dy³⁺. Furthermore, the fluorescent security inks were synthesized for use in anti-counterfeiting applications.

Thermoelectric Bi2Te3 thin films were synthesized by a co-sputtering method at 300℃. A Fe dopant was considered to enhance the thermoelectric properties of the system. The Seebeck coefficient of the Fe-doped films increased whereas the electrical conductivity decreased. As a result, the power factor of the system increased owing to the enhanced Seebeck coefficient. Grain growth inhibition was detected in the Fe-doped system, which produced more grain boundaries in the Fe-doped films than in the undoped system. The increased grain boundary scattering was deemed to be effective for a reduced thermal conductivity. This is advantageous for the preparation of high-performance thermoelectric films.

There is a need for the development of transparent conductive materials that are economical and environmentally friendly with exhibit low resistivity and high transmittance in the visible spectrum. In this study, the deposition rate and uniformity of Al-doped ZnO-thin films were improved by changing the Z-motion of the sputtering system. The deposition rate and the uniformity were determined to be 3.44 nm/min and 1.23%, respectively, under the 10 mm Z-motion condition. During O2 plasma treatment, the intrusion-type metal elements in the thin film were reduced, which contributed to an oxygen vacancy reduction in addition to structural stabilization. Moreover, the sheet resistance was more easily saturated.

We investigated the tribological properties of amorphous carbon (a-C) films deposited with CrC interlayers of various thicknesses as the adhesive layer. A-C and CrC thin films were deposited using the unbalanced magnetron (UBM) sputtering method with graphite and chromium as the targets. CrC films as the interlayer were fabricated under a-C films, and various structural, surface, and tribological properties of a-C films deposited with various CrC interlayer thicknesses were investigated. With various CrC interlayer thicknesses under a-C films, the tribological properties of CrC/a-C films were improved; the increased film thickness exhibited a maximum high hardness of over 27.5 GPa, high elastic modulus of over 242 GPa, critical load of 31 N, residual stress of 1.85 GPa, and a smooth surface below 0.09 nm at the condition of 30-nm CrC thickness.

Ni germanide (NiGe) is a promising alloy material with small contact resistance at the source/drain (S/D) of Ge MOSFETs. However, it is necessary to reduce the specific contact resistance between NiGe and the doped Ge S/D region in high-performance MOSFETs. In this study, a novel method is proposed to reduce the specific contact resistance between NiGe and p-type Ge (p-Ge) using a Tb interlayer. The specific contact resistance between NiGe and p-Ge was successfully decreased with the introduction of the Tb interlayer. To investigate the mechanism behind the reduction in the specific contact resistance, the elemental distribution and crystalline structure of NiGe were analyzed using secondary ion mass spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. It is likely that the reduction in specific contact resistance was caused by an increase in the concentration of boron in the space between NiGe and p-Ge due to the influence of the Tb interlayer.

In a Pb-included piezoelectric composition, Sr_yPb_1-y[(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)_x-(Ni_1/3Nb_2/3)_0.2-(Zr_0.46Ti_0.54)_0.8-x]O₃ was selected in order to attain high piezoelectric properties. According to the PZN ratio (x) and the amount of Sr doping (y), the crystal structure, microstructure and piezoelectric properties were measured and evaluated. In the case of Sr 4 mol% doping, the piezoelectric properties were the highest for a PZN ratio of 0.1. In this condition, the grain size was larger and the intensity was higher. With the PZN ratio fixed and varying the Sr doping, the piezoelectric properties increased until 10 mol% doping and then decreased for over 12 mol% doping. In the case of x＝0.1 and y＝10 mol%, the best piezoelectric properties were obtained, i.e., d₃₃＝660 pC/N and k_p＝68.5%, and these values seem to be related to the grain size and crystal structure.

Various Ni-doped carbon (C：Ni) thin films were fabricated using different Ni target power densities by unbalanced magnetron sputtering (UBM). The effects of target power density on the structural, physical, surface, and electrical properties of C：Ni films were investigated. The UBM C：Ni thin films exhibited uniformly smooth surfaces. The rms surface roughness and friction coefficient values of the C：Ni films decreased with the increase in target power density. The physical properties of the films such as hardness and elastic moduli increased while their electrical properties such as resistivity decreased with the increase in the target power density. These results show that an increase of the power density leads to an increase in the proportion of Ni and nanocrystallization of the amorphous carbon film; this contributes to the changes observed in the physical and electrical characteristics.

Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) films were deposited by an RF magnetron sputtering method on glass substrates using ZnO as a target containing 5 wt% Ga₂O₃ powder (for Ga doping). The structural, electrical, and optical properties of the GZO thin films were investigated as a function of the substrate temperatures. The deposition rate decreased with increasing substrate temperatures from room temperature to 350℃. The films showed typical orientation with the c-axis vertical to the glass substrates and the grain size increased up to a substrate temperature of 300℃ but decreased beyond 350℃. The resistivity of GZO thin films deposited at the substrate temperature of 300℃ was 7×10^-4 Ωcm, and it showed a dependence on the carrier concentration and mobility. The optical transmittances of the films with thickness of 3,000 Å were above 80% in the visible region, regardless of the substrate temperatures.

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy has been used to study the optical properties of Pr³⁺-doped selenide glasses. The complex refractive indexes of Pr³⁺-selenide glasses were measured in a frequency range from 0.3 to 1.5 THz. The real and imaginary refractive indexes increased with increasing frequency and Pr³⁺ ion concentration. The obtained result indicated that the phonon modes of the Pr³⁺-doped selenide glasses shift to lower frequencies with the concentration of Pr³⁺ ions. The theory of far-infrared absorption in amorphous materials was used to analyze the results. The measured data showed that the disorder-induced terahertz absorption increased with increasing Pr³⁺ ion concentration.

Bi₂Te₃-based alloys have been intensively investigated as active materials for thermoelectric power generation devices from low-temperature (< 250℃) waste heat. In the present study, we fabricated Pb-doped, p-type Bi_0.48Sb_1.52Te₃ polycrystalline bulks by using meltsolidification and spark plasma sintering techniques, and evaluated their thermoelectric transport properties in an effort to develop optimized composition for low-temperature power generation applications. The electronic and thermal transport properties of Bi_0.48Sb_1.52Te₃ could be manipulated by Pb doping. As a result, the temperature for a peak thermoelectric performance (zT) gradually shifted toward higher temperatures with Pb content, suggesting that thermoelectric power generation efficiency can be enhanced by controlled Pb doping.

In this work, static characteristics of 4H-SiC SJ-ACCUFETs were obtained by adjusting the p-pillar region. The structure of this SJ-ACCUFET was designed by using a two-dimensional simulator. The static characteristics of SJ-ACCUFET, such as the breakdown voltages, on-resistance, and figure of merits, were obtained by varying the p-pillar doping concentration from 1×10¹⁵ cm^-3 to 5×10¹⁶ cm^-3 and the thickness from 0 μm to 9 μm. The doping concentration and the thickness of p-pillar region are closely related to the break down voltage and on-resistance and threshold voltages. Hence a silicon carbide SJ-ACCUFET structure with highly intensified breakdown voltages and low on-resistances with good figure of merits can be achieved by optimizing the p-pillar thickness and doping concentration.

Because silicon thin film solar cells have a high absorption coefficient in visible light, they can absorb 90% of the solar spectrum in a 1-μm-thick layer. Silicon thin film solar cells also have high transparency and are lightweight. Therefore, they can be used for building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems. However, the contact electrode needs to be replaced for fabricating silicon thin film solar cells in BIPV systems, because most of the silicon thin film solar cells use metal electrodes that have a high reflectivity and low transmittance. In this study, we replace the conventional aluminum top electrode with a transparent aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) electrode, the band level of which matches well with that of the intrinsic layer of the silicon thin film solar cell and has high transmittance. We show that the AZO effectively replaces the top metal electrode and the bottom fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate without a noticeable degradation of the photovoltaic characteristics.