To ensure the long-term reliability of flexible photovoltaic (FPV) modules, it is crucial to develop an effective moisture barrier layer that prevents the infiltration of moisture and oxygen. We developed such a layer composed of parylene (700 nm) and AlOx (70 nm), optimizing its material properties, moisture-blocking performance, and processing conditions. The barrier layer applied to the Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) substrate demonstrated a water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of 6.33 × 10-2 g/m²/day and an average visible light transmittance (AVT) of 85.3% over the 380-780 nm wavelength range. For the FPV module with this barrier, Damp/Heat (DH) reliability testing was conducted at 85℃ and 85% relative humidity for up to 1,000 hours. During testing, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) decreased slightly from 25.4% (0 hr) to 24.7% (1,000 hr), reflecting a minimal reduction of only 0.7%. The primary cause of degradation was identified as a -4% relative change in shortcircuit current density (JSC) before and after DH testing. Consequently, the ETFE/parylene/AlOx multilayer moisture barrier proved highly effective in ensuring the long-term reliability of solar modules.
Cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy provides valuable insights into the optical and electronic properties of materials by analyzing photon emission induced by electron beam excitation. In this study, we present a novel CL detection system integrated into a transmission electron microscope (TEM) specimen stage, enabling high-resolution optical analysis of internal microstructures. The system features a parabolic mirror, a focusing lens, and a UV-VIS range optical fiber to maximize light collection and transmission efficiency, with performance further enhanced by a liquid nitrogen cooling setup. Using this system, we successfully performed CL mapping of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) and GaN thin films. The results revealed that threading dislocations act as non-radiative centers in GaN and locally increase the bandgap energy in InGaN MQWs, causing a blue-shift in CL emission. These findings support a model in which dislocations induce carrier delocalization, preserving high radiative efficiency despite high dislocation densities. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of the TEM-integrated CL system for nanoscale optical characterization, offering a new pathway for studying defect-related phenomena in semiconductor materials.
The utilization of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) in conjunction with cathodoluminescence (CL) has emerged as a valuable tool for the investigation of material optical properties. In recent years, this technique has facilitated significant advancements in the fields of plasmonics and quantum emitters by surpassing prior technical restrictions. The review commences by providing an outline of the diverse STEM-CL operating modes and technical aspects of the instrumentation. The review explains the fundamental physics of light production under electron beam irradiation and the physical basis for interpreting STEM-CL experiments for different types of excitations. Additionally, the review compares STEM-CL to other related techniques such as scanning electron microscope CL, photoluminescence, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy.
Smart livestock, which combines information and communication technology (ICT) with livestock, can be said to be an effective solution to existing livestock problems such as productivity improvement, odors, and diseases. So far, it has hardly been universalized; thus, it is necessary to develop automation devices to reduce labor by localizing automation devices to expand the distribution of ICT technology to farms, and to advance precise specifications and health management technology using biometric information. Weighing scales currently being used in livestock farms are to prevent the spread of diseases by diagnosis and preparation for AI and other diseases in advance, using information on the growing weight of duck breeding. However, accurate values cannot be obtained due to poor breeding conditions. In this paper, we developed a separate data transmission system kit for the weighing scale and placed the sensor on top of the weighing scale so that the sensor wire is not affected by pollutants or ducks on the floor. A display function was provided, and a method of receiving and analyzing the serial port data of the weighing device, and then transmitting them to the data collection server was implemented.
The insulator used for the transmission line is a device that is bonded with a cap, pin, ceramic, and cement to withstand insulation capacity and mechanical load. The insulator design can help to reduce the dispersion of the electric field; thus, the optimization of today’s design, especially as demanded power grows, is critical. The designs of four manufacturers were used to perform a comparative analysis. Under dry circumstances of the new product, an electric field distribution study was done with no pollutants attached. Manufacturer D’s design has the best voltage uniformity of 24.33% and the arc length of 500 mm or more. Manufacturer C’s design has an equalizing voltage of more than 2% higher than that of other manufacturers. The importance of the design of the insulator and the number of connections according to the installation conditions is very efficient for transmission lines that will increase in the future.
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.
We investigated the electrical characteristics of amorphous silicon-zinc-tin-oxide (a-SZTO) thin films deposited by RF-magnetron sputtering at room temperature depending on the deposition time. We fabricated a thin film transistor (TFT) with a bottom gate structure and various channel thicknesses. With increasing channel thickness, the threshold voltage shifted negatively from -0.44 V to -2.18 V, the on current (Ion) and field effect mobility (μFE) increased because of increasing carrier concentration. The a-SZTO film was fabricated and analyzed in terms of the contact resistance and channel resistance. In this study, the transmission line method (TLM) was adopted and investigated. With increasing channel thickness, the contact resistance and sheet resistance both decreased.
We prepared ZnS thin films via chemical bath deposition (CBD) in an aqueous solution of ammonia (NH3) and hydrazine (N2H4). The composition ratio of hydrazine used was 0%, 17%, 22%, 29%, or 50%. We investigated the effects of hydrazine and ammonia on the growth, and the structural and optical properties of ZnS in terms of surface uniformity, voids, and grain size. We found that during the growth of ZnS films, hydrazine was very effective for improving the surface morphology and layer uniformity with fast layer formation, while it had no effect on the bandgap energy, Eg.
In order to acquire clear images capable of diagnosing cracked tooth by light transmission, the optical properties of LED light source were examined. Based on the results, the prototype which basically consisted of LED light source, bandpass filter and commercial compact camera module was designed and manufactured. The wavelength and optical power of the LED in the prototype were 850 nm and 7 mW/Sr, respectively. In evaluation of the prototype using microscope, the observation of the crack with width of above 17 μm was possible. In addition, image analysis to obtain shape information on the observed tooth cracks was carried out.
Among the various physiological information that could be obtained from human body, heartbeat rate is a commonly used vital sign in the clinical milieu. Photoplethysography (PPG) sensor is incorporated into many wearable healthcare devices because of its advantages such as simplicity of hardware structure and low-cost. However, healthcare device employing PPG sensor has been issued in susceptibility of light and motion artifact. In this paper, to develop the real-time heart rate measurement device that is less sensitive to the external noises, we have fabricated an ultra-small wireless LC resonant pressure sensor by MEMS process. After performance evaluation in linearity and repeatability of the MEMS pressure sensor, heartbeat waveform and rate on radial artery were obtained by using resonant frequency-pressure conversion method. The measured data using the proposed heartbeat rate measurement system was validated by comparing it with the data of an commercialized heart rate measurement device. Result of the proposed device was agreed well to that of the commercialized device. The obtained real time heartbeat wave and rate were displayed on personal mobile system by bluetooth communication.
For the measurements of surface shape milled using FIB (focused ion beam), the silicon bulk,Si3N4/Si, and Al/Si samples are used and observed the shapes milled from different sputtering rates,incident angles of Ga+ ions bombardment, beam current, and target material. These conditions also can beinfluenced the sputtering rate, raster image, and milled shape. The fundamental ion-solid interactions ofFIB milling are discussed and explained using TRIM programs (SRIM, TC, and T-dyn). The damagedlayers caused by bombarding of Ga+ ions were observed on the surface of target materials. The simulatedresults were shown a little bit deviation with the experimental data due to relatively small sputtering rateon the sample surface. The simulation results showed about 10.6% tolerance from the measured data at200 pA. On the other hand, the improved analytical model of damaged layer was matched well withexperimental XTEM (cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy) data.
Design of a Current-Transformer Based Inductive Coupler for Power-Line Communications Petrus A. Janse Van Rensburg, Bradley P. Watkins, Sanath Alahakoon IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery.2023; 38(3): 1788. CrossRef
Development of Communication Joint Tools for Implementing a Legacy-line Communication System in a Train Hyun Sik Kim, Soo Hoon Park, Seog Geun Kang Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering.2015; 19(4): 877. CrossRef
A Powerline-based Legacy-line Communication System for Implementation of a Communication Network in Ship Hyun-Sik Kim, Seog Geun Kang Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering.2015; 19(8): 1831. CrossRef
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