Dye adsorption is one of the most time-consuming processes in the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), typically requiring approximately 24 h at room temperature. In this study, the effect of adsorption temperature and time on photovoltaic performance of DSSCs was investigated in order to reduce processing time and improve device productivity. Nanoporous TiO₂ photoelectrodes were immersed in N719 dye solution at 60°C for 3 h, 10 h, 17 h, and 24 h, and their performance was compared with that of cells sensitized at room temperature for 24 h. Photovoltaic characterization under AM 1.5 illumination showed that DSSCs sensitized at 60°C exhibited improved performance compared to those sensitized at room temperature. The device sensitized at 60°C for 3 h showed comparable or higher conversion efficiency than the reference cell sensitized for 24 h at room temperature. The improvement in device performance is attributed to enhanced dye adsorption kinetics resulting from increased reaction rate between the carboxyl groups of N719 dye molecules and hydroxyl groups on the TiO₂ surface. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis revealed reduced recombination resistance at the TiO₂/dye/electrolyte interface for cells sensitized at elevated temperature. UV–Vis absorption analysis confirmed increased dye loading on the TiO₂ surface for the 60°C condition. These results demonstrate that elevated temperature dye adsorption significantly reduces processing time while maintaining photovoltaic performance, providing an effective strategy for improving manufacturing efficiency of DSSCs.

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.

Bismuth layer-structured ferroelectrics with high Curie temperatures have recently attracted significant attention as promising candidates for high-temperature piezoelectric applications. However, the conventional solid-state reaction method entails high-temperature processing that induces bismuth volatilization, thereby degrading device reliability. In this study, we employed a co-precipitation method enabling atomic-level mixing to significantly lower the synthesis temperature of Nb/Tadoped Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ ceramics compared to the solid-state reaction method. Experimental results demonstrated that the coprecipitation method yielded a pure single phase at 600℃ without intermediate phases. Furthermore, the synthesized nanopowders, with an average size of 100 nm, lowered the onset temperature of sintering shrinkage to 650℃, approximately 200℃ lower than that of the solid-state counterpart. The low-temperature synthesis process proposed in this work is expected to contribute to the performance enhancement of high-temperature piezoelectric devices by effectively suppressing bismuth volatilization and ensuring compositional stability.

(La_1-xBi_xSr_0.3)FeO₃ ceramics exhibiting excellent magnetoresistance were synthesized via the conventional solid-state reaction method. The structural and electrical properties were investigated as a function of Bi³⁺ content to evaluate their potential application as temperature sensors. And the sintering temperature and time were 1,200℃ and 4 h, respectively. The structural and electrical properties were investigated as a function of Bi content. With increasing Bi substitution, a slight enhancement in both average grain size and relative sintered density was observed. In particular, the specimen with x = 0.3 exhibited an average grain size of approximately 0.82 μm. All samples demonstrated negative temperature coefficient of resistance (NTCR) behavior, and the electrical resistivity decreased with increasing Bi content. The resistivity of the (La_0.4Bi_0.3Sr_0.3)FeO₃ composition was 4.68 mΩ-cm at 25°C. Additionally, the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and the B_25/75-value, which quantify the sensitivity of resistivity to temperature variations, were found to increase with Bi content. (La_0.4Bi_0.3Sr_0.3)FeO₃ sample exhibited a TCR of 0.43%/°C and a B_25/75-value of 1,096 K at room temperature. The electrical conduction mechanism of the (La_1-xBi_xSr_0.3)FeO₃ system was well described by the small polaron hopping model, wherein thermally activated charge carriers hop between localized Fe-O-Fe sites via electron-phonon interactions.

NTC (negative temperature coefficient) thermistors are semiconductor ceramics whose resistance decreases with increasing temperature, making them essential components in various temperature sensing applications. Typically, ceramic materials are sintered at high temperatures exceeding 1,150°C. However, in laminated devices incorporating internal electrodes, co-sintering can lead to cracking and mechanical failure due to mismatches in the thermal expansion coefficients between the ceramic layers and metal-based electrodes. Moreover, the use of noble metal electrodes increases production costs. To address these challenges, a low-temperature sintering approach is required. Previous studies have demonstrated that incorporating glass frit can reduce the sintering temperature of ceramics, although this often results in increased electrical resistance. In this study, NiMnCoO₄ (NMC) ceramics, as a representative NTC thermistor composition, were prepared with the addition of 10 wt% glass frit. To mitigate the resulting increase in resistivity, trace amounts (1 wt%) of various metal oxides, including CuO, ZnO, and MnO, were introduced. Among these, the addition of CuO notably decreased both the resistivity and B constant values. In contrast, MnO had little effect on resistivity, while ZnO led to an increase. With respect to the B25/85 constant, samples containing MnO and ZnO exhibited higher values than those without metal oxide additives. These findings indicate that the incorporation of 1 wt% CuO is effective in reducing the increased resistivity in NMC ceramics subjected to low-temperature sintering via glass frit addition.

With the ongoing rise in renewable energy demand, offshore wind farms are rapidly expanding, increasing the need for advanced development and diagnostic techniques for submarine cables. These cables are essential for efficient and reliable power transmission. A critical issue with these submarine cables is the formation of internal hot spots, which can deteriorate the insulation’s performance and negatively impact the overall reliability of offshore wind energy infrastructure. This research focuses on developing an innovative real-time monitoring system to detect hot spots within submarine cable insulation under varying electrical loads. Experimental tests were conducted on a 66 kV-grade wet-type submarine cable specifically designed for offshore wind applications, applying incremental current loads ranging from 200 A to 500 A. Temperature changes within the insulation due to the generated heat were continuously monitored using Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS). Additionally, to evaluate the DTS system’s precision, repeatability, and overall reliability, the measured temperatures were compared against values obtained from validated spot-type sensors. Experimental results showed a discrepancy of less than 1% between DTS and spot-type sensor measurements at a reference temperature of 60℃, demonstrating the high accuracy and reliability of the developed DTS-based monitoring system. The outcomes of this study suggest that the proposed monitoring system can significantly enhance the capability for early detection and continuous monitoring of hot spots, thereby improving the operational reliability of submarine cables employed in offshore wind energy installations.

The increasing demand for renewable energy is driving the rapid expansion of the offshore wind industry, leading to intensified research on subsea cables. These cables endure combined thermal, electrical, and mechanical stresses, with mechanical stress being a critical failure factor. Environmental changes, such as seabed scouring, free spans, and seismic activity, accelerate cable degradation by introducing additional dynamic loads. Conventional monitoring systems primarily track thermal stress, lacking the ability to assess mechanical impacts. This study develops a system to simultaneously measure thermal and mechanical stress in subsea cables. Laboratory experiments confirm the system’s reliability, showing a temperature measurement error within 0.8% at 60℃ and a strain measurement error within 13% at 378 με. The proposed system aims to enhance failure prediction and maintenance strategies for offshore wind subsea cables.

This study developed a dielectric composition for high-capacitance MLCCs with C0G and U2J temperature compensation characteristics (Class I) under reducing conditions. The potential application of this composition in highpermittivity class I MLCCs was examined. Using (Ba₀.₂₄Ca₀.₁₆Sr₀.₆)(TiₓZr₁₋ₓ)O₃. XRD analysis showed that secondary phases like Sr₂TiO₄ and TiO₂ formed at higher Ti content, affecting the stoichiometric balance. Adjusting the Ti/Zr molar ratio resulted in a dielectric constant of 41.2 ~ 105, a dielectric loss of 0.082 ~ 0.174%, and insulation resistance above 1.6 × 10¹³ ohms at 25℃. The TCC shifted from C0G to U2J as the Ti/Zr ratio increased, but the composition enabled the design of high-capacitance and high-voltage MLCCs with favorable dielectric and electrical properties.

NTC thermistors are essential components widely used for temperature sensing in various electronic sensor applications. However, conventional NTC thermistor ceramics typically require high sintering temperatures above 1150℃, necessitating the use of high-cost noble metal electrodes such as palladium (Pd) or platinum (Pt), which increases the overall manufacturing cost. In this study, low-melting-point oxides were successfully introduced as sintering aids to reduce the sintering temperature of NiMnCoO₄-based semiconducting ceramics. As the additive content increased, the B constant and average grain size exhibited an increasing trend, while the sample containing 5 wt% additives showed the lowest room-temperature resistivity. Furthermore, samples sintered at 1000℃ demonstrated slightly higher room-temperature resistivity and B constant values compared to those sintered at 1150℃. These results confirm that the addition of low-melting-point oxides is effective in lowering the sintering temperature of NiMnCoO₄ ceramics, suggesting the potential for reducing production costs and improving design flexibility in thermistor fabrication.

The continuous and long-lasting monitoring of physiological signals induced from the human body is crucial for health monitoring, disease diagnosis, and treatment. In this study, we have reported the Seebeck effect-based flexible selfpowered temperature sensor which can convert the electric signals from lateral temperature difference. For demonstrating temperature sensor arrays, the p-type thermoelectric (TE) composite films were fabricated by dispersing the Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ (BST) powders inside poly-vinylidene fluoride matrix and subsequently attached to the patterned electrode foils. The inorganic BST powders-embedded TE composite films with activated area of 0.5 × 1 cm² harvest a maximum voltage of 1.7 mV, a maximum current of 5.6 mA, and an output power of 2.6 nW from the temperature gradient (ΔT) of 20 K. Finally, the fabricated selfpowered temperature sensor array well detected the pattern images of external thermal source of ΔT = 20 K. This study manifests flexible temperature sensor array which paves the way for further advancements in this field.

The composite specimens of (1-x)(La_0.7Sr_0.3)MnO₃-xBaTiO₃ (x = 0.05 ~ 0.3) were synthesized using the conventional solid-state reaction method, and the sintering temperature and time were 1,300℃ and 3 hours, respectively. As a result of observing the structural characteristics, the crystal structure of LSMO-BT solid solution was shown in which the rhombohedral LSMO phase and the tetragonal BT phase were separated and distributed, respectively. And fine grains having relatively small and uniformly distributed grains with sizes ranging from approximately 0.4 to 0.5 μm and pores within the specimens were observed. Notably, variations in the BT content did not significantly affect the grain size or porosity distribution, and a relative density of about 90% or more was shown. The resistivity, temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), and B_25/65-value of the 0.7LSMO-0.3BT specimen at room temperature showed the highest values of 1.94 Ω-cm, 0.292 %/℃, and 464 K, respectively. The resistivity behavior of the LSMO-BT composites matched well with the small polaron hopping conduction model.

Recently, oxide semiconductors have assumed a pivotal role in electronic displays and transparent electronic devices such as amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO), characterized by high electron mobility and excellent stability. a- IGZO is very suitable for next-generation applications such as flexible displays because it is possible to manufacture highperformance transistors even at low temperatures. However, since the electrical properties tend to deteriorate in hightemperature environments, research aimed at improving thermal stability is needed. In this study, a low-temperature plasma annealing process was introduced to improve the high-temperature stability of the a-IGZO thin film. This process enhances electron mobility by reducing defects in the a-IGZO film and provides stable device performance even under high-temperature conditions. As a result of the experiments of 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, and 20 min, the a-IGZO TFT, which was subjected to plasma annealing at 160℃ for 5 min, showed the best electrical performance, especially in charge mobility and current-voltage characteristics. The technical potential for improving the performance of a-IGZO-based display device was emphasized, and the foundation for applying this power generation to flexible displays and next-generation electronic devices was laid. Future research will focus on determining the optimal annealing conditions by exploring various temperature ranges and plasma parameters to integrate these results into the actual device manufacturing process. These efforts are expected advance significantly to advancing next-generation high-performance display technology.

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the fire detection characteristics between conventional fire detector sensors and an Si-based color sensor. With the rapid industrial development in modern society, the concentration of urban populations and the expansion of building sizes have accelerated, leading to an increased frequency of large-scale fires. As a result, the importance of fire detection technologies has been emphasized. However, conventional detectors continue to experience issues such as false alarms and malfunctions. To address these challenges, a novel fire detection technology utilizing an Si-based color sensor, which is effective for fire detection, is proposed. To evaluate the fire detection performance of each sensor, a fire detection test apparatus was developed, and experiments were conducted separately under smoke and flame conditions to analyze the fire detection capabilities of the Si-based color sensor, temperature sensor, and flame detection sensor. The experimental results demonstrated that detection speed and sensor values varied depending on the type of combustible material. Specifically, in the smoke and flame tests, the Si-based color sensor detected fires 26.7 and 43.7 seconds faster than the temperature sensor, and 26.6 and 15.4 seconds faster than the flame detection sensor, respectively. Therefore, it was confirmed that the Si-based color sensor proposed in this study is an effective detection technology that is expected to provide improved performance compared to conventional fire detectors.

The display industry has recently been at the forefront of innovative advancements in modern electronic devices. Technological progress such as flexible display holds significant potential across various application fields, particularly in wearable devices and rollable displays. A low-temperature process is essential for fabricating such displays. One of the key technologies in displays is the thin film transistor (TFT), with amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) receiving particular attention. a-IGZO is widely applied in high-performance displays due to its high charge mobility and stability. While a thermal treatment above 350℃ is typically required to maximize the electrical performance of a-IGZO TFTs, such high temperatures pose challenges for utilizing polymer substrates like plastics. Here, we thesis investigates the simultaneous lowtemperature plasma annealing process to develop next-generation high-performance flexible display devices. To define the optimal temperature, devices were fabricated and analyzed at varying temperatures of 40℃, 80℃, 120℃, and 160℃. Experimental results indicated that devices fabricated at 160℃ and 80℃ exhibited superior performance, with those at 160℃ demonstrating better performance in terms of current ratio, threshold voltage, and subthreshold swing. These findings confirm that the simultaneous low-temperature plasma annealing process is effective for next-generation high-performance displays.

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.

The expansion of lithium-ion battery usage beyond portable electronic devices to electric vehicles and energy storage systems is driven by their high energy density and favorable cycle characteristics. Enhancing the stability and performance of these batteries involves exploring solid electrolytes as alternatives to liquid ones. While sulfide-based solid electrolytes have received significant attention for commercialization, research on amorphous-phase glass solid electrolytes in oxide-based systems remains limited. Here, we investigate the glass transition temperatures and sintering behaviors by changing the molecular ratio of Li₂O/B₂O₃ in borate glass comprising Li₂O-B₂O₃-Al₂O₃ system. The glass transition temperature is decreasing as increasing the amount of Li₂O. When we sintered at 450℃, just above the glass transition temperature, the samples did not consolidate well, while the proper sintered samples could be obtained under the higher temperature. We successfully obtained the borate glass ceramics phases by melt-quenching method, and the sintering characteristics are investigated. Future studies could explore optimizing ion conductivity through refining processing conditions, adjusting the glass former-to-modifier ratio, and incorporating additional Li salt to enhance the ionic conductivity.

In this paper, the electrical properties of liquid insulating oil were analyzed by changing the ambient temperature change at 10℃ in-tervals from 0℃ to 30℃ through an insulation breakdown experiment in order to analyze the insulation performance of liquid in-sulating oil that varies according to temperature changes. As a result, it was confirmed through experiments that the lower the am-bient temperature, the higher the insulation breakdown voltage, depending on both the electrode shape and the electrode interval, and it was determined that the lower the ambient temperature, the higher the insulation performance of the liquid insulating oil.

The low-temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) is a crucial factor in the development of space-grade resistors for temperature stability. Consequently, extensive research is underway to achieve zero TCR. In this study, resistors were deposited by co-sputtering nickel-chromium-based composite compositions, metals showing positive TCR, with SiO₂, introducing negative TCR components. It was observed that achieving zero TCR is feasible by adjusting the proportion of negative TCR components in the deposited thin film resistors within certain compositions. Additionally, the correlation between TCR and deposition conditions, such as sputtering power, Ar pressure, and surface roughness, was investigated. We anticipate that these findings will contribute to the study of resistors with very low TCR, thereby enhancing the reliability of space-level resistors operating under high temperatures.

The size of semiconductor devices has been scaled down to improve packing density and output performance. However, there is uncontrollable spreading of the dopants that comprise the well, punch-stop, and channel-stop when using hightemperature annealing processes, such as rapid thermal annealing (RTA). In this context, low-temperature deuterium annealing (LTDA) performed at a low temperature of 300℃ is proposed to reduce the thermal budget during CMOS fabrication. The LTDA effectively eliminates the interface trap in the gate dielectric layer, thereby improving the electrical characteristics of devices, such as threshold voltage (VTH), subthreshold swing (SS), on-state current (ION), and off-state current (IOFF). Moreover, the LTDA is perfectly compatible with CMOS processes.

The effects of the annealing temperature on the structural, morphological, and luminescent properties of SrWO₄:Sm³⁺ thin films grown on quartz substrates by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering were investigated. The thin films were annealed at various annealing temperatures for 20 min in a rapid thermal annealer after growing the thin films. The experimental results showed that the annealing temperature has a significant effect on the properties of the SrWO₄:Sm³⁺ thin films. The crystal structure of the as-grown SrWO₄:Sm³⁺ thin films was transformed from amorphous to crystalline after annealing at 800℃. The preferred orientation along (112) plane and a significant increase in average grain size by 820 nm were observed with increasing the annealing temperature. The average optical transmittance in the wavelength range of 500~1,100 nm was decreased from 72.0% at 800℃ to 44.2% at an annealing temperature of 1,000℃, where the highest value in the photoluminescence intensity was obtained. In addition to the red-shift of absorption edge, a higher annealing temperature caused the optical band gap energy of the SrWO₄:Sm³⁺ thin films to fall rapidly. These results suggest that the structural, morphological, and luminescent properties of SrWO4:Sm3+ thin films can be controlled by varying annealing temperature.

Demand and necessity for eco-friendly offshore wind farms have been increasing. Research on submarine cables is constantly being considered for a reliable and stable power transmission. This study aimed to evaluate the thermal aging characteristic of submarine cables inside the J-tube of offshore wind farms. In this study, a submarine cable was set in three sections: The first is the part exposed to the air above the sea level at high temperature. The second is the section exposed to repeated temperature fluctuation as the sea level rises and falls. The third is the part submerged at low temperature below the sea level. Aged samples were tested by using the method of electrical evaluation to obtain insulation characteristics. The experimental results show that the dielectric breakdown of the sample with temperature fluctuation was 7% lower than the sample with a constant temperature; thereby, demonstrating that the section where the temperature fluctuation occurred in the submarine cables was weaker than the other. The sections of submarine cable with temperature fluctuations are believed as a weak point during operation; therefore, this part should be monitored preferentially.

La_0.7Sr_0.3-xMg_xMnO₃ (LSMMO) (x=0.05~0.20) specimens are fabricated by a solid phase sintering method, and the sintering temperature and time are 1,300℃ and 2 hours, respectively. The dependence of the crystalline structure according to the amount of Mg²⁺ contents is not observed, and all specimens show a polycrystalline rhombohedral crystal structure, the X-ray diffraction (110) peaks move to the high angle side with increasing the amount of Mg²⁺ contents. LSMMO specimens exhibit a granule-shaped microstructure with an average grain size of 1 μm or less. Resistivity gradually decrease as the amount of Mg²⁺ contents increased. And in the La_0.7Sr_0.1Mg_0.2MnO₃ specimen, resistivity and B_25/65-value are 36.7 Ω-cm and 394 K at room temperature, respectively. LSMMO specimens show a variable-range hopping (VRH) electrical conduction mechanism, and the negative temperature of coefficient of resistance (NTCR) is approximately 0.37~0.38%/℃.

We studied the various characteristics of Sn-In (wt%) Pb-free solders for photovoltaic ribbon application. The solders near the eutectic composition of Sn₄₈In₅₂ (wt%) existed in InSn₄ and In₃Sn alloy phases, and in In crystal phase, but not in Sn crystal phase. In addition, the InSn4 phase (γ-alloy) existed separately from the In₃Sn (β-alloy) and the In phase confirmed by an SEM-EDS-mapping. The melting temperature of the eutectic solder of Sn₄₈In₅₂ (wt%) was 119.2℃, and when the Sn content decreased in reference to the eutectic composition, it slightly increased to 121.4℃, but when the Sn content increased, it remained almost constant at 119.1℃. The peel strength of the ribbon plated with the Sn₄₂In₅₈ (wt%) solder was 38.7 N/㎟, and it tended to increase when the Sn content increased. The peel strength of the eutectic Sn₄₈In₅₂ (wt%) solder was 53.6 N/㎟, and that of the Sn₅₁In₄₉ (wt%) solder was 61.6 N/㎟ that was the highest.

Ultrasonic sensor is suitable as a next-generation autonomous driving assist device because its lower price compared to that of other sensors and its sensing stability in the external environment. Although Pb(Zr, Ti)O₃ (PZT)-relaxor ferroelectric system has excellent piezoelectric properties, the change in capacitance is large in the daily operating temperature range due to the low phase transition temperature. Recently, many studies have been conducted to improve the temperature stability of ferroelectric ceramics by controlling the grain size and crystal structure, so it is necessary to study the effect of the grain size on the piezoelectric properties and the temperature stability of PZT-relaxor ferroelectric system. In this study, the piezoelectric properties, phase transition temperature, and temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC) of 0.9 Pb(Zr_1-xTi_x)O₃-0.1 Pb(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ (PZT_x-PZN) ceramics with various grain sizes were investigated. PZT_x-PZN ceramics with larger grain size showed higher piezoelectric properties and temperature stability, and are expected to be suitable for ultrasonic devices in the future.

We prepared carbon nanotube (CNT) paper by a vacuum filtration method for the use of a chip-typed resistor as a precision passive device with a constant resistance. Hybrid resistor composed of the CNT resistor with a negative temperature coefficient of resistance (T.C.R) and a metal alloy resistor with a positive T.C.R could lead to a constant resistance, because the resistance increase owing to the temperature increase at the metal alloy and decrease at the CNT could counterbalance each other. The constant resistance for the precision passive devices should be maintained even when a heat was generated by a current flow resulting in resistance change. Performance reliabilities of the CNT resistor for the precision passive device applications such as electrical load limit, environmental load limit, and life limit specified in IEC 60115-1 must be ensured. In this study, therefore, the rated power determination and T.C.R tests of the CNT paper were conducted. -900~-700 ppm/℃ of TCR, 0.1~0.2 A of the carrying current capacity, and 0.0625~0.125 W of the rated power limit were obtained from the CNT paper. Consequently, we confirmed that the application of CNT materials for the precision hybrid passive devices with a metal alloy could result in a better performance reliability with a zero tolerance.

In this study, we measured and comparatively analyzed the characteristics of MPS (Merged Pin Schottky) diodes in 4H-SiC by changing the areal ratio between the Schottky and PN junction region. Increasing the temperature from 298 K to 473 K resulted in the threshold voltage shifting from 0.8 V to 0.5 V. A wider Schottky region indicates a lower on-resistance and a faster turn-on. The effective barrier height was smaller for a wider Schottky region. Additionally, the depletion layer became smaller under the influence of the reduced effective barrier height. The wider Schottky region resulted in the ideality factor being reduced from 1.37 to 1.01, which is closer to an ideal device. The leakage saturation current increased with the widening Schottky region, resulting in a 1.38 times to 2.09 times larger leakage current.

Phase evolution, sintering behavior, microstructure, and microwave dielectric properties of (1-x) mol Ba₃V₄O₁₃ - (x) mol BaV₂O₆ system were investigated. The sintered specimens of all compositions consisted of Ba₃V₄O₁₃ and BaV₂O₆, and no secondary phase was observed. As x increased, the linear shrinkage decreased to the composition of x=0.5, and then increased again, implying that Ba₃V₄O₁₃ and BaV₂O₆ phases interfered mutually with each other during sintering. All compositions showed a dense microstructure with a large grain growth. Cracks were observed in some compositions because of the relatively high sintering temperature of 620~640℃. As x increased, the dielectric constant increased, while the quality factor was maintained from about 50,000 GHz to about 70,000 GHz up to the composition of x=0.9, and then decreased to 20,987~27,180 GHz at the composition of x=1.0. As x increased, the temperature coefficient of the resonance frequency showed a (+) value from a (-) value. The dielectric constant, the quality factor, and the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency of x=0.7 composition sintered at 640℃ for 4 hours were 10.61, 71,126 GHz, and -4.9 ppm/℃, respectively. This composition showed a good chemical compatibility with Al powder, indicating that the Ba₃V₄O₁₃-BaV₂O₆ ceramics are a candidate material for ULTCC (Ultra-Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics) applications.

Inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) of copper thin films patterned with SiO₂ hard masks was carried out using piperidine/O₂/Ar gas mixture. The etch rate, etch selectivity, and etch profile of copper thin films were investigated by varying gas concentration in piperidine/O₂/Ar gas mixture. In addition, the etch parameters including ICP RF power, DC-bias voltage to substrate, and process pressure were varied to examine the etch characteristics. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and optical emission spectroscopy were employed to elucidate the etch mechanism under piperidine/O₂/Ar gas chemistry. Finally, 150 nm-line patterned copper thin films were successfully etched using piperidine/ O₂/Ar etch gas under the optimized etch conditions.

CNT fiber has been in the spotlight as a conductor, but the conductivity of CNT fibers do not match that of CNT. This study reveals that the conductivity of CNT fiber can be improved by depositing Al/Cu through vacuum evaporation. Cu is commonly used for deposition on CNT fibers. But low bonding strength of the interface between CNT and Cu could be a disadvantage. To overcome this, Al was deposited on the CNT fiber for forming aluminum carbide islands to increase the interfacial bonding strength. The conductivity characteristics were improved as the deposition time increased. The resistance was measured as a function of temperature, demonstrating that the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) is improved to be 241 ppm/℃ in comparison with that of as-received CNT fibers at -1,251 ppm/℃, when the CNT fibers are deposited with Al and Cu, respectively, for 90s and for 540s.

An increase in the temperature of photovoltaic (PV) modules causes reduced power output and shorter lifetime. Because of these characteristics, demands for the heat dissipation of PV modules are increasing. In this study, we attached a heat dissipation sheet to the back sheet of a shingled PV module and observed the temperature changes. The PV shingled module was tested under Standard Test Conditions (STCs; irradiance: 1,000 W/m², temperature: 25℃, air mass: 1.5) using a solar radiation tester, wherein the temperature of the PV module was measured by irradiating light for a certain duration. As a result, the temperature of the PV module with the heat dissipation sheet decreased by 3℃ compared to that without a heat dissipation sheet. This indicated that the power loss was caused by a temperature increase of the PV module. In addition, it was confirmed that the primary parameter contributing to the reduced PV module output power was the open circuit voltage (Voc).