β-Ga₂O₃ is an ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor promising for high-power electronic applications; however, heteroepitaxial growth on sapphire is challenging lattice and symmetry mismatch. In this study, β-Ga₂O₃ thin films were grown on C-plane sapphire substrates with various off-axis angles (0–12°) using mist-CVD, and the influence of substrate miscut on structural and optical properties was investigated. All films grown at 900°C exhibited (-201) oriented β phase. The crystal quality was strongly dependent on the off-axis angle, with intermediate off-axis angles (Δ_a = 6–8°) showing the narrowest rocking curve width. Off-axis substrates promoted step-aligned growth behavior compared to on-axis growth. Optical measurements revealed enhanced transmittance and wider bandgap values (4.92–4.95 eV) for off-axis samples compared to the on-axis film (4.69 eV). The findings provide practical guidelines for optimizing heteroepitaxial β-Ga₂O₃ growth on low-cost sapphire substrates for high-performance device applications.

Precise control over the morphology of nanostructures is critical for tailoring their physical and chemical properties. This study addresses the challenge of developing a simple, integrated method for synthesizing both 1D and 2D colloidal Cu nanostructures in a single system, achieving successful tuning of their localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties. A facile hydrothermal synthesis utilizing potassium iodide (KI) and hexadecylamine (HDA) is presented for controlling Cu nanostructure morphologies. The key to achieving 1D nanowires (NWs) and 2D nanoplates (NPs) depends on the controlled adsorption of HDA molecules and iodide (I-) ions on specific crystal facets. Depending on the morphologies, the resultant Cu nanostructures exhibit tunable LSPR peaks from 558 nm [nanoplates (NPs)] to 590 nm [nanowires (NWs)]. These results pave the way for the scalable and cost-effective production of plasmonic Cu nanostructures with tunable optical properties, holding promise for applications in sensing, catalysis, and photonic devices.

We have studied the effects of Ag on the characteristics of Sn₄₈In₅₂Ag_x (wt%) low-melting solders for photovoltaic ribbons. The Sn₄₈In₅₂ (wt%) solder coexisted in the InSn₄ and In₃Sn alloys. Ag atoms added in the solder formed an AgIn₂ alloy by reacting with some part of In atoms, while they did not react with Sn atoms. The addition of Ag atoms in the Sn₄₈In52Agx (wt%) solders showed useful results; an increase in peel strength and a decrease in melting temperature. The peel strength of the ribbon plated with the Sn⁴⁸In⁵² (wt%) solder was 53.6 N/mm², and that of the Sn⁴⁸In⁵²Ag1 (wt%) solder largely increased to 125.1 N/mm². In the meanwhile, the melting temperature of the Sn₄₈In⁵² (wt%) solder was 119.2℃, and that of the Sn48In52Ag1 (wt%) solder decreased to 114.0℃.

Tandem or multijunction solar cells (MJSCs) can convert sunlight into electricity with higher efficiency (η) than single junction solar cells (SJSCs) by dividing the solar irradiance over sub-cells having distinct bandgaps. The efficiencies of various common SJSC materials are close to the edge of their theoretical efficiency and hence there is a tremendous growing interest in utilizing the tandem/multijunction technique. Recently, III-V materials integration on a silicon substrate has been broadly investigated in the development of III-V on Si tandem solar cells. Numerous growth techniques such as heteroepitaxial growth, wafer bonding, and mechanical stacking are crucial for better understanding of high-quality III-V epitaxial layers on Si. As the choice of growth method and substrate selection can significantly impact the quality and performance of the resulting tandem cell and the terminal configuration exhibit a vital role in the overall proficiency. Parallel and Series-connected configurations have been studied, each with its advantage and disadvantages depending on the application and cell configuration. The optimization of both growth mechanisms and terminal configurations is necessary to further improve efficiency and lessen the cost of III-V on Si tandem solar cells. In this review article, we present an overview of the growth mechanisms and terminal configurations with the areas of research that are crucial for the commercialization of III-V on Si tandem solar cells.

The templated grain growth (TGG) method has gained significant attention for its ability to produce highly textured piezoelectric ceramics with significantly enhanced performance, making it a promising method for transducer and actuator applications. However, the texturing process using the TGG method requires the optimization of multiple steps, which can be challenging for beginners in this field. Therefore, in this tutorial, we provide an overview of the TGG method mainly based on our previous published works, including its various processing steps such as synthesizing anisotropic-shaped templates with size and size distribution control using the molten salt synthesis technique, tape casting, and identifying key factors for proper alignment of the templates in the target matrix system. Our goal is to provide a resource that can serve as a basic reference for researchers and engineers looking to improve their understanding and utilization of the TGG method for producing textured piezoelectric ceramics.

Piezoelectric actuators, which utilize piezoelectric crystals or ceramics, are commonly used in precision positioning applications, offering high-speed response and precise control. However, the use of low-performance ceramics and expensive single crystals is limiting their versatile use in the actuator market, necessitating the development of both high-performance and cost-effective piezoelectric materials capable of delivering higher forces and displacements. The use of textured Pb (lead)-based piezoelectric ceramics formed by so-called templated grain growth method has been identified as a promising strategy to address the performance and cost issue. This review article provides insights into recent advances in texturing Pb-based piezoelectric ceramics for improved performance in actuation applications. We discussed the relevant issues in detail focusing on current challenges and emerging trends in the textured piezoelectric ceramics for their reliability and performance in actuator applications. We discussed in detail focusing on current challenges and emerging trends of textured piezoelectric ceramics for their reliability and performance in actuator applications. In conclusion, the article provides an outlook on the future direction of textured piezoelectric ceramics in actuator applications, highlighting the potential for further success in this field.

Calcium fluoride (CaF₂) single crystal is applied to numerous industrial applications, especially for optical uses. To have excellent optical transmission properties, however, CaF₂ crystals should be carefully fabricated through liquid-phase crystal growth techniques. In this study, as one of the early stage research activities to grow CaF₂ crystals with a good transmittance at the ultraviolet wavelength range, computational thermodynamic models were provided to deepen the understanding of the crystal growing processes of CaF₂ under various conditions. To remove point defects and oxygen impurities in the grown CaF₂ crystals, the system was thermodynamically evaluated to get optimal process conditions. From the reviews of previous experimental studies, computational thermodynamic approaches were found to be an effective and powerful tool to understand the meaning of the crystal growth processes and to obtain optimal process conditions.

A 100 mm × 50 mm-sized (100) gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) single crystal ingot was successfully grown by edge-defined film-fed growth (EFG). The preferred orientation and the quality of grown Ga₂O₃ ingot were compatible with a commercial Ga₂O₃ substrate by showing strong (100) orientation behaviors and 246 arcsec in X-ray rocking curve. Raman characterization was also performed for both samples; thereby providing various Raman-active characteristics of Ga₂O₃ crystals. In particular, we observed A_g(5) and A_g(10) peaks of Raman active mode, directly related to the impurity of the grown Ga₂O₃ crystal. Hence, the comparison of the crystal quality and Raman analysis might be useful for further enhancement of Ga₂O₃ single crystal quality in the future.

Single crystal gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) has been an emerging material for power semiconductor applications. However, the defect distribution of Ga₂O₃ substrates needs to be carefully characterized to improve crystal quality during crystal growth. We analyzed the type and the distribution of defects on commercial (-201) Ga₂O₃ substrates to get a basic standard prior to growing Ga₂O₃ crystals. Etch pit technique was employed to expose the type of defects on the Ga₂O₃ substrates. Synchrotron white beam X-ray topography was also utilized to observe the defect distribution by a nondestructive manner. We expect that the observation of defect distribution with three-dimensional geometry will also be useful for other crystal planes of Ga₂O₃ single crystals.

Energy storage capacitors based on dielectric ceramics with superior polarization properties and dielectric constant can provide much higher output power density due to their very fast energy charging/discharging rates, which are particularly suitable for operating pulsed-power devices. For an outstanding energy storage performance of dielectric capacitor, a large recoverable energy density could be derived by introducing a slim polarization-electric field hysteresis loop into dielectric materials by various technical approaches. Many research teams have explored various dielectric capacitor technologies to demonstrate high output power density and ultrafast charging/discharging behavior. This article reviews the recent research progress in high-performance dielectric capacitors for pulsed-power electronic applications.

Recently, as interest in appearance has increased, various studies on treatment method for short stature are being conducted. In this study, the effect of growth plate stimulation on the height growth of children and adolescents was studied. As a result of pre- and post-analysis of the experimental group, it was confirmed that the difference in average height according to growth plate stimulation was relatively large. In addition, in the results of analyzing the effects of demographic factors on the height growth of the experimental group and the control group, weight showed the greatest influence on height growth among the demographic factors affecting the height growth of the experimental group. The effect on the height growth of the control group was found to have an effect in the order of age, weight, and father’s height. The difference in height changed post-mortem between the experimental group and the control group was 1.10 cm for 3 months, and the difference was the result of growth plate stimulation. It was confirmed that growth plate stimulation had a significant effect on the height change of children and adolescents, except for weight, which is a common factor of height change in the experimental and control groups. Therefore, it is expected that it can be used as a treatment method for short stature.

Four types of BaTiO₃ powders are prepared and successfully deposited on glass and Pt/Si substrates using the aerosol deposition process. Particles with sizes of 0.45 μm and 0.3 μm are selected as the starting powder, while those powders are treated using a different milling method. The jet-milled and ball-milled powders not only showed a smaller particle-size distribution, but compared with the non-milled powder, it also had a higher deposition rate using the uniformly generated aerosol. Although the films deposited using particles with size 0.45 μm exhibited some craters on the surface, significantly flat film surfaces were obtained. However, particles with size 0.3 μm create a slightly rough film surface, but the dielectric constant was greater than in the case involving particles with size 0.45 μm. Consequently, a suitably large particle size significantly influences the deposition rate and improvement in the surface roughness, and a uniform particle size distribution appears to contribute to an improved dielectric constant. Therefore, it is believed that the dielectric properties along with the growth characteristics can be enhanced by limiting particle size and shape.

In this study, we performed the deposition of Al thin film using a DC magnetron sputtering method. To evaluate electrical and structural properties, the growth conditions were changed in terms of two functions, namely, sputtering power ranging from 41.6 to 216 W and film growth rate ranging from 5.35 to 26.39 nm/min. The growth rate and the microstructure were characterized by a scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The plane of crystalline growth showed that the preferential (111) direction and defects due to the grain boundary increased with DC power. The resistivity of the Al film over 50 nm showed a constant value by horizontal grain growth. Our results can be applicable for the preparation of nano-templates for anodic aluminum oxide.

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.

The top seeded solution growth (TSSG) method is an alternative technique to grow high-quality SiC crystals that has been actively studied for the last two decades. However, the TSSG method has different issues that need to be resolved when compared to the commercial SiC crystal growing method, i.e., physical vapor transport (PVT). A particular issue of the TSSG method of results from the presence of liquid droplets on the grown crystal that can remain even after crystal growth; this induces residual stress on the crystal surface. Hence, the residual droplet causes several unwanted effects on the crystal such as the initiation of micro-cracks, micro-pipes, and polytype inclusions. Therefore, this study investigated the formation of the residual droplet through multiphysics simulations and lead to the development of a liquid droplet removal method. As a result, we found that although residual liquid droplets significantly apply residual stress on the grown crystal, these could be vaporized by adopting thermal annealing processes after the relevant crystal growing steps.

In order to fabricate high-quality SiC substrates for power electronic devices, various single crystal growing methods were prepared. These include the physical vapor transport (PVT) and top seeded solution growth (TSSG) methods. All the suggested SiC growth methods generally use induction-heating furnaces. The temperature distribution in this system can be easily adjusted by changing the hot-zone design. Moreover, precise temperature control in the induction-heating furnace is favorably required to grow a high-quality crystal. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed the heat transfer in these furnaces to grow SiC crystals. As the growth temperature of SiC crystals is very high, we evaluated the effect of radiation heat transfer on the temperature distribution in induction-heating furnaces. Based on our simulation results, a heat transfer strategy that controls the radiation heat transfer was suggested to obtain the optimal temperature distribution in the PVT and TSSG methods.

We demonstrated a crack-free α-Ga₂O₃ on sapphire substrate by horizontal halide vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). Oxygen-and gallium chloride-synthesized Ga metal and HCl were used as the precursors, and N₂ was used as the carrier gas. The HCl flow and growth temperature were controlled in the ranges of 10~30 sccm and 450~490℃, respectively. The surface of α-Ga₂O₃ template grown at 470℃ was flat and the root-mean-square (RMS) roughness was ~2 nm. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) values for the symmetric-plane diffractions, were as small as 50 arcsec and those for the asymmetric-plane diffractions were as high as 1,800 arcsec. The crystal quality of α-Ga₂O₃ on sapphire can be controlled by varying the HCl flow rate and growth temperature.

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.

We prepared SnS_x thin films on both soda-lime glass (SLG) and molybdenum(Mo)/SLG substrates by a two-step process using a Sn precursor followed by sulfur reaction in rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at different sulfurization temperatures (Ts = 200℃, 230℃, 250℃, and 300℃) and annealing times (t_s = 10 min and 30 min). The single SnS phase was dominant for 200℃≤T_s<250℃, while an additional phase of SnS₂ was appeared at T_s≥250℃ alongside SnS. The SnS grains in all the samples showed strong growth along the preferred [040] direction. The band-gap energy (E_g) of the films was estimated to be 1.24 eV.

We have studied the effects of Ag on the characteristics of Sn₄₃Bi₅₇Ag_x(wt%) lead-free solders for photovoltaic ribbon. Ag atoms in the solder formed an alloy phase of Ag₃Sn after reacting with some part of Sn atoms, while they did not react with Bi atoms, but decreased the mean size of Bi solid phase and the thickness of solder. When Ag atoms of 3.0 wt% was added to eutectic Sn₄₃Bi₅₇(wt%) solder, it showed the optimally useful results that the peel strength of photovoltaic ribbon greatly increased and the sheet resistance of the solder decreased. In the meanwhile, the eutectic Sn₄₃Bi₅₇(wt%) solder showed a low melting temperature of 138.9℃, and showed a very similar result regardless of the added amount of Ag atoms.

Alumina added with Mn3O4 up to 7.5 cat% of Mn was prepared by conventional ceramic processing, and the sintering behavior and the optical properties of which were studied as functions of Mn content. Densification and grain growth of alumina were enhanced by Mn addition up to 0.75 cat% but was leveled off at higher concentrations. XRD revealed that Al₂MnO₄(galaxite) was formed as a second phase in the specimens with more than 0.75 cat% of Mn. Thus it is believed that either the solid solution effect of Mn or the Zener effect of Al2MnO4 becomes predominant in the sintering of Mn-added Al₂O₃ according to the additive concentration. UV-VIS reflectivity(SCI) spectra of Mn-added Al₂O₃ consisted of smooth bottoms in 300~550 nm wavelength range and plateaus at wavelengths longer than 650 nm. The reflectivity spectrum continuously moved downward, and the specimen color became darker and thicker with increasing Mn content. The CIELAB color change with respect to standard white was also dependent on the amount of Mn added: TRIANGLE L^{*} (D65) negatively increased and TRIANGLE E _{ab} ^{*} (D65) positively increased with increasing Mn content, probably due to Mn substitution to Al and/or the mixing effect of black Al₂MnO₄ as a second phase.

Mo-Cu alloys have been widely used for heat sink materials, vacuum technology, automobile, and many other applications due to their excellent physical and electric properties. Especially, Mo-Cu composites with 5 ~ 20 wt.% copper are widely used for the heavy duty service contacts due to their excellent properties like low coefficient of thermal expansion, wear resistance, high temperature strength, and prominent electrical and thermal conductivity. In most of the applications, highly-dense Mo-Cu materials with homogeneous microstructure are required for better performance. In this study, Mo-Cu alloys were prepared by PBM (planetary ball milling) and SPS (spark plasma sintering). The effect of Cu with contents of 5~20 wt.% on the microstructure and thermal properties of Mo-Cu alloys was investigated.

Minimizing the carrier recombination and electrical loss through surface passivation is required for high efficiency c-Si solar cell. Usually, SiN_{X}, SiO_{X}, SiON_{X} and AlO_{X} layers are used as passivation layer in solar cell application. Silicon oxide layer is one of the good passivation layer in Si based solar cell application. It has good selective carrier, low interface state density, good thermal stability and tunneling effect. Recently tunneling based passivation layer is used for high efficiency Si solar cell such as HIT, TOPCon and TRIEX structure. In this paper, we focused on silicon oxide grown by various the method (thermal, wet-chemical, plasma) and passivation effect in c-Si solar cell.

In this work, LiMn2O4 and LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 cathode materials are mixed by some specific ratios to enhance the practical capacity, energy density and cycle performance of battery. At present, the most used cathode material in lithium ion batteries for EVs is spinel structure-type LiMn2O4. LiMn2O4 has advantages of high average voltage, excellent safety, environmental friendliness, and low cost. However, due to the low rechargeable capacity (120 mAh/g), it can not meet the requirement of high energy density for the EVs, resulting in limiting its development. The battery of LiMn2O4-LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 (50:50 wt%) mixed cathode delivers a energy density of 483.5 mWh/g at a current rate of 1.0 C. The accumulated capacity from 1st to 150th cycles was 18.1 Ah/g when the battery is cycled at a current rate of 1.0 C in voltage range of 3.2~4.3 V.

This study examined the size and shape of the nano-silver particle through the analysis of electrical resistance when synthesizing nano-sized silver by using the chemical liquid reduction. Changes in particle behaviors formed according to the changes in electronic characteristics by electric resistance in each time period in the beginning of reduction reaction in a course of synthesizing the nano-silver particle formation were studied. In addition, analysis was conducted on particle behaviors according to the changes in concentration of AgNO3 and in temperature at the time of reduction and nucleation and growth course when synthesizing the particles based on the particle behaviors were also examined. As the concentration of AgNO3 increased, the same amount of resistance of approximately 5 Ω was increased in terms of initial electronic resistance. Furthermore, according to the result of formation of nuclear growth graph and estimation of slope based on estimated resistance, slops of 6.25×10-3, 2.89×10-3, and 1.85×10-3 were derived from the concentrations of 0.01 M, 0.05 M, and 0.1 M, respectively. As the concentration of AgNO3 increased, the more it was dominantly influenced by the nuclear growth areas in the initial phase of reduction leading to increase the size and cohesion of particles. At the time of reduction of nano-silver particle, the increases of initial resistance were 4 Ω, 4.2 Ω, 5 Ω, and 5.3 Ω, respectively as the temperature increased. As the temperature was increased into 23℃, 40℃, 60℃, and 80℃, slopes were formed as 4.54×10-3, 4.65×10-3, 5.13×10-3, and 5.42×10-3 respectively. As the temperature increased, the particles became minute due to the increase of nuclear growth area in the particle in initial period of reduction.

Sintering and microwave dielectric properties of Zn2-2xSil+xO4 (x=O-0.10) ceramics were investigated. The secondary phase of ZnO was observed in the specimen for x=O whereas SiO2 was detected in that for x=0.05. The composition of Zn2SiO4 might be close to x=0.02, i.e., Zn1.96Si1.02O4; the ratio of Zn/Si is 1.922. The insufficient grain growth was observed in the specimen of x=O. For the specimens of x≥0.05 , the grain growth sufficiently occurred through the liquid phase sintering. The value of quality factor of all specimens was dependent on the x value, i.e., the ratio of Zn/Si, whereas that of dielectric constant was independent. Relative density, dielectric constant, and quality factor (Q×f) of the specimen for x=0.05, i.e., Znl.9Si1.05O4, sintered at 1,400℃ were 96.5%, 6.43, and 115,166 GHz, respectively.

The artificial light sources for growth of plant are usually high-pressure sodium lamp, metal haloids lamp, and fluorescent light; however, these light sources have relatively weaker Red and Blue lights that are necessary for growth of plants. Especially the effect of Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD) is pointed out as the weakness. Meanwhile, LED light source can be selected by specific wavelength to greatly improve the effect of PPFD. In this regard, this paper aims to investigate the promotion of plant growth by measuring photosynthetic photon flux density (hereafter referred to as PPFD) according to changes in light quality of the LED light sources. Towards this end, LED light sources for plant growth were produced with 4 kinds of mono-chromatic lights and 6 kinds of combined lights by mixing red, blue, green and white lights. A comparative analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of optical properties and PPFD on plants (green leaf lettuce) using the produced light sources. The results monochromatic light has fastest growth rate, but plant growth conditions have poor. This being so, mixed light is suitable for the green leaf lettuce.

In this paper, plant crops used in the region to grow crops for the LED lighting area of a rectangle to fit the light distribution to maximize the efficiency of a rectangular distribution was made of LED lights. After the fabrication of LED lamps, light distribution, and in the area of 1.2 m × 3 m was the analysis of Illuminance chart. As a result of examining the performance light distribution for total Emin/Eav is 56%, and the target area of the light distribution compared to normal lamps Emin/Eav is improved by about 17%. In addition, plants grown in the area to minimize the outgoing light distribution can be focused on the cultivation area, according to the distance of the plants and be able to have the best luminous efficacy is judged.

Growth mechanism of GS-MBE (Gas source-Molecular Beam Epitaxy) has been investigated. We observed that the growth rate of GaN films is changing from 520 nm/h to 440nm/h by the variation of V/III ratio under nitrogrn-rich growth condition. It was explained the amount of hydrogen on the growth front varies by the ammonia flow, and gallium hydrides are generated on the surface by a reaction of hydrogen and gallium, resultantly the amount of gallium supplying is changing along with the NH3 flow. Reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) observation was used to confirm the N-rich condition. The crystal quality of GaN was estimated by photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).

Single crystalline Au nanowires were successfully synthesized in a tube-type furnace. The Au nanowires were grown by vapor phase synthesis technique using solid-liquid-solid (SLS) mechanism on substrates of corning glass and Si wafer. Prior to Au nanowire synthesis, Au thin film served as both catalyst and source for Au nanowire was prepared by sputtering process. Average length of the grown Au nanowires was approximately 1 μm on both the corning glass and Si wafer substrates, while the diameter and the density of which were dependent on the thickness of the Au thin film. To induce a super-saturated states for the Au particle catalyst and Au molecules during the Au nanowire synthesis, thickness of the Au catalyst thin film was fixed to 10 nm or 20 nm. Additionally, synthesis of the Au nanowires was carried out without introducing carrier gas in the tube furnace, and synthesis temperature was varied to investigate the temperature effect on the resulting Au nanowire characteristics.