The dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the ferroelectric BaTiO₃ were measured and analyzed using both strong and weak electric field conditions. To measure the electric field induced polarizations and strains, a high voltage source and the measuring circuit were used and the dielectric constants were measured with an impedance analyzer. The spontaneous polarization of BaTiO₃ at room temperature was calculated as 17 μC/cm² based on the lattice structure and internal ion location, which is in good agreement with the experimental results. The polarization and strain hysteresis curve according to the electric field were analyzed in terms of lattice structure and ion position. The magnitude of remanent polarization is proportional to the offset distance of Ti⁴⁺ ion from the lattice center. The magnitude of dielectric permittivity is proportional to the degree to which Ti⁴⁺ ion can move freely inside the lattice. The magnitude of piezoelectric constant d₃₃ is proportional to how much Ti⁴⁺ ion distorts the lattice as it moves inside the lattice.

There is an increasing demand for freeform stretchable display technologies capable of overcoming spatial limitations in next-generation platforms such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). To realize such stretchable displays, all constituent materials—including semiconductors, electrodes, insulators, and substrates—must exhibit sufficient mechanical elasticity. To date, stretchable gate insulators have primarily relied on organic polymers such as poly(4-vinylphenol-co-methyl methacrylate) (PVP-co-PMMA). However, their practical application is significantly limited by poor electrical properties, including low dielectric constant and instability. In this work, we propose a novel gate insulator structure that minimizes the use of solution-based processes, which often suffer from poor uniformity and may damage underlying layers during fabrication. The proposed structure integrates the advantages of both organic and inorganic materials by employing a hybrid configuration. Specifically, high-k HfO₂ thin films are deposited on both the top and bottom of an organic layer composed of PVP-co-PMMA, poly(melamine-co-formaldehyde) (PMF) as a crosslinking agent, and propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA) as a solvent. This inorganic–organic–inorganic structure effectively compensates for the inherent electrical limitations of organic materials. As a result, the fabricated thin-film transistors (TFTs) exhibit improved electrical performance and reliability compared to devices employing a single organic gate insulator.

Lead-free bismuth sodium titanate (BNT)-based ceramics have attracted strong attention as environmentally benign dielectric materials for high-efficiency electrostatic energy-storage capacitors. A key challenge is that pristine BNT typically exhibits large hysteresis, high remnant polarization, and limited dielectric reliability, which restrict recoverable energy storage and efficiency under practical electric fields. Here, we present a focused mini-review of recent studies to clarify how composition design, phase boundary tuning, defect chemistry, and microstructural control collectively enable slim or pinched polarization-electric field (P-E) behavior and improved energy-storage functionality in BNT-related bulk ceramics. The reviewed outcomes consistently show that stabilizing relaxor states governed by polar nanoregions (PNRs), often via solid-solution engineering and secondary relaxor/antiferroelectric-like incorporation, suppresses irreversible switching and reduces hysteresis loss, while densification and grain-size control enhance electrical homogeneity and breakdown strength. In addition, defect-mediated tuning of oxygen vacancy-related complexes is highlighted as an independent lever to control relaxor ergodicity and polarization reversibility, providing a complementary route to slim-loop optimization. These insights are expected to guide integrated design strategies that couple phase/relaxor-state engineering with defect and microstructure optimization, accelerating the development of reliable, temperature-robust, lead-free dielectric capacitors based on BNT-related ceramics.

This study investigates the effect of dielectric layer thickness on the electrical and reliability characteristics of BaTiO₃- based X8R multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) for automotive applications. MLCCs with 30 dielectric layers and thicknesses ranging from 5 to 30 μm were fabricated, and key parameters―including capacitance, equivalent series resistance (ESR), insulation resistance (IR), breakdown voltage (BDV), DC-bias characteristics, temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC), and ripple current-induced heating―were evaluated. The dielectric constant (~2,000) and sintering shrinkage (~-25%) were nearly independent of thickness, confirming stable microstructure formation. ESR increased with thickness, while normalized BDV (V/μm) decreased due to defect accumulation. IR improved with increasing thickness but dropped sharply above 125℃. Dielectrics thinner than 10 μm exhibited significant capacitance degradation under DC-bias and temperature variation, reflecting strong internal field effects. Ripple-induced heating correlated directly with ESR. These results indicate that, although thinner layers enhance capacitance density, reducing the thickness below 10 μm compromises bias stability and thermal reliability. A minimum dielectric thickness of 10 μm is therefore recommended to achieve an optimal balance between electrical performance and durability in high-reliability X8R MLCCs.

Breakdown strength is an essential parameter for evaluating the electrical performance and degradation behavior of cable insulation and IEC 60243 also emphasizes its importance for detecting changes in insulation characteristics due to aging. However, the current IEC standards are mainly limited to specifying electrode configurations and test voltage conditions for breakdown tests, while the influence of insulating oil, is not clearly addressed. In this study, the breakdown strength of a 66 kV wet-type submarine cable was experimentally evaluated using insulating oils with different kinematic viscosities of 10, 100, 500, and 1,000 cSt in order to achieve reliable and reproducible breakdown measurements. The experimental results show that the measured breakdown strength decreases by up to approximately 20% depending on the oil viscosity. This indicates that the viscosity of the insulating oil has a significant influence on the measured breakdown strength during breakdown test. Therefore, it is necessary to perform breakdown strength measurements under identical test conditions, including the physical properties of the insulating oil, to ensure reliable comparison and accurate assessment of insulation performance and degradation characteristics.

The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) servers and high-performance computing systems has significantly elevated the technical and reliability requirements for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). In such systems, MLCCs are critical passive components that must deliver high capacitance, fast transient response, and robust insulation performance under high temperature, voltage, and current density. This review examines the material, structural, and process innovations that underpin MLCC performance in AI applications. Key topics include the development of ultrathin dielectric layers (<0.5 μm), rare-earth doped BaTiO₃-based dielectrics with enhanced DC bias stability, and core-shell microstructures designed for temperature and field resilience. The paper also explores insulation degradation mechanisms―such as vacancydriven conduction and demixing―and advanced reliability assessment methodologies, including HALT, TSDC, and the tipping point framework. Comparisons with automotive-grade MLCCs highlight the unique requirements of AI systems, such as ultraminiaturization, high volumetric efficiency, and ppm-level field failure rates. Finally, the review discusses emerging trends in MLCC technology, including particle engineering, interface stabilization, and advanced lamination techniques, and provides insight into the future direction of capacitor development tailored to AI data center environments.

Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) has attracted significant attention as a next-generation insulating material due to its ecofriendly nature and outstanding functionalities. However, conventional kraft insulation paper suffers from limited dielectric breakdown strength and long-term reliability under high-voltage conditions, highlighting the need for alternative materials. In this study, kraft pulp was combined with five types of CNFs (A, B, C: wood-based / D, E: non-wood-based) to fabricate composite insulation papers, and their electrical and mechanical properties were systematically evaluated. The results showed that CNF incorporation generally enhanced density and tensile strength, while certain types contributed to lowering dielectric constant and improving breakdown strength. Among the wood-based CNFs, type C exhibited the most balanced performance in terms of dielectric stability and mechanical reinforcement. Among the non-wood-based CNFs, type E demonstrated notable improvements in structural compactness and tensile strength, suggesting favorable reliability. Therefore, this study identifies CNF C among wood-based types and CNF E among non-wood-based types as the most promising candidates for insulation performance enhancement, suggesting their applicability as next-generation insulating materials for power equipment and ecofriendly electronic devices.

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.

With the expansion of offshore wind farms, research on power cables for delivering electricity from offshore to onshore has become increasingly important. In offshore wind farms, submarine cables are introduced and secured to the platform through J-tube conduits. During this process, the cables are exposed to three distinct thermal profiles: high temperatures in the upper section, temperature fluctuations due to water level changes in the middle section, and low temperatures in the seabed region. This study investigates the impact of thermal variations on the insulation performance of submarine cables. To analyze this effect, accelerated aging tests were conducted on both insulation specimens and actual cables. Additionally, dielectric breakdown tests were performed to quantitatively assess insulation degradation. Experimental results revealed that the insulation performance of the specimens exposed to periodic temperature fluctuations due to water level changes deteriorated by up to 7.5%. Based on these findings, the vulnerable sections of submarine cables in offshore wind farms were identified. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the necessity for monitoring and protective measures to mitigate insulation degradation in these critical regions.

Aggressive device scaling has severely degraded the switching characteristics of CMOS transistors. This issue has led to the development of tunneling FETs (TFETs) as an alternative. TFETs, with their asymmetric doping of the source and drain regions, offer improved subthreshold swing (SS) compared to conventional MOSFETs. However, despite this advantage, TFETs still suffer from ambipolar current, which increases off-state current (IOFF). This paper introduces an approach to applying hetero gate dielectrics (HGDs) in nanosheet (NS) TFETs to reduce ambipolar current characteristics. The magnitude of the drain electric field is reduced by selectively forming a high-k dielectric near the source region This configuration allows the TFETs to avoid unintended band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) and suppress ambipolar current during the off-state.

In parallel with the efforts to improve the device performance in modern integrated circuits, it is necessary to downscale their core components, field-effect transistors (FETs), generally gauged by their physical gate length. Upon such device scaling, the emergence of the short-channel effect impedes further scaling into the nanometer scale in the silicon VLSI (Very-Large-Scale-Integration) system. To address this issue, two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, leveraging their atomically thin thickness and dangling-bond-free characteristics, are being highlighted as a material solution for future scaling technology without severe mobility degradation. Despite the expected ideal physical properties, 2D semiconductors have yet to realize their full potential owing to the limited development of integration technology. In this context, we survey and review the tailored van der Waals integration technologies for 2D FETs. In particular, we provide an in-depth study of both van der Waals integrated contact and dielectric methods along with an explanation of customized materials. In essence, this van der Waals integrationcentered approach will be a core strategy to implement the high-performance 2D transistors that meet the demand of FET miniaturization.

This review addresses the development trends of dielectric ceramics, the key material for Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors (MLCCs), which are essential components in high-performance electronic devices. Traditional MLCCs have employed BaTiO₃ (BT)-based dielectrics to achieve high dielectric constant and low resistance. By minimizing oxygen vacancies and suppressing grain growth in BT materials, the temperature and voltage stability of MLCCs have been improved, leading to the development of MLCCs with diverse properties. However, the maximum dielectric constant of approximately 3000 in BT materials poses a limitation in overcoming the trade-off between rated voltage and capacitance density. Therefore, ultra-high permittivity dielectric materials have gained attention to meet the requirements of ultra-high-performance MLCCs, and ongoing research focuses on enhancing the temperature and frequency stability of these materials. This review analyzes the characteristics and limitations of conventional BT materials and explores recent research trends and future potential in developing new MLCCs based on ultra-high dielectric constant materials.

In this study, Pb(Ni_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ ceramics substituted with Pb(Mg_1/2W_1/2)O₃ were fabricated with the variation of CuO for application to ultrasonic cleaning of removable orthodontic appliances (ROA). And their piezoelectric and dielectric properties were investigated. At the 0.12 wt% CuO added ceramics sintered at 930℃, the excellent values of dielectric constant=2,519, density=7.82 g/㎤, kp=0.64, d₃₃=536 pC/N, Qm=57 were obtained, respectively. These values were suitable for application to ultrasonic cleaning of ROA.

Dielectric resonators with BT (BaTiO₃), TiO₂, and ZrO₂ powders without using the rare earth oxide powders were fabricated for the target relative permittivity of between 30 and 40 and the filter characteristics of metal cavity filter with the dielectric resonators inside were evaluated. Powder characteristics such as particle size distributions and specific surface areas were measured for the composing raw powders to evaluate the powder states. After measuring and comparing the relative permittivity and dielectric losses of the dielectrics of three different compositions, the specific composition was determined (BT:TiO₂:ZrO₂=1:4:1 in mole) and the dielectric resonators were fabricated with that composition, which shows relative permittivity of around 35. The powder characteristics of mixed powders with the determined composition were also evaluated to investigate any agglomerates possibly formed in the process of powder mixing. Dielectric resonators were fabricated by the powder compaction (compaction pressure: 31 MPa) and firing method. The peak firing temperature was 1,300℃ and the holding time at the peak temperature was 3 hours. After firing, cylindrical resonators with one end closed were mechanically machined to eliminate any size differences in dielectric resonator which can be caused by the shrinkage difference during each firing process of resonator fabrication. After measuring the resonator characteristic in the frequency range from 3.6 GHz to 3.8 GHz by changing the height of dielectric resonator, the height of the resonator was determined to be 11.7 mm. Finally, filter characteristics of TM (Transverse Magnetic) mode metal cavity filters with the dielectric inside were measured and evaluated. The metal cavity filters with the dielectric resonators showed the insertion losses of below 1 dB with the band widths of 200 MHz and over 20 dB return losses from 3.6 GHz to 3.8 GHz, whose filter characteristics well satisfied the requirements of the band pass filters for the base stations and it was proved that the dielectrics using the proposed composition could be used as dielectric resonator.

In this study, the electrical properties of a C0G (class 1 ceramic) dielectric composition with internal reducibility, specifically (Ba_0.27CaSr)(Zr_0.95Ti_0.05)O₃, were investigated by fixing Ba at the A site and varying the Ca/Sr molar ratio. The potential application of this composition in high-permittivity C0G MLCCs was examined. The powder was calcined at 1,150℃ for 2 hours, as determined by TG-DTA analysis, and the resulting powder was ground to achieve a particle size (D50) of 0.35 to 0.4 μm and a specific surface area (BET) of 4.5 to 5.0 g/m². With a Ca/Sr molar ratio of 0.3, the composition (Ba0.27Ca0.17Sr0.56) (Zr0.95Ti0.05)O₃ exhibited electrical properties with a permittivity of 41.9, a loss of less than 0.008%, and an insulation resistance exceeding 2.2×10¹³ Ω. The feasibility of using this composition for high-capacitance C0G MLCCs was confirmed.

This research explores the development of [100]-textured barium titanate (BaTiO₃, BT) ceramics using sodium bismuth titanate (Na_0.5Bi_4.5Ti₄O₁₅, NBiT) templates, aimed at leveraging the inherent high dielectric property of BT. However, the attempted texturing was unsuccessful, primarily due to bismuth diffusion from the NBiT templates into the BT matrix below the sintering temperature, at 1,000℃. Systematical exploration about the cause of the failure is involved and alternative approaches are proposed in detail to overcome the challenge. These findings contribute to the understanding of techniques and conditions for textured ceramic fabrication and highlight the need for further research in this area.

As complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) is scaled down to achieve higher chip density, thin-film layers have been deposited iteratively. The poor film uniformity resulting from deposition or chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) significantly affects chip yield. Therefore, the development of novel fabrication processes to enhance film uniformity is required. In this context, high-pressure deuterium annealing (HPDA) is proposed to reduce the surface roughness resulting from the CMP. The HPDA is carried out in a diluted deuterium atmosphere to achieve cost-effectiveness while maintaining high pressure. To confirm the effectiveness of HPDA, time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are employed. It is confirmed that the absorbed deuterium gas facilitates the diffusion of silicon atoms, thereby reducing surface roughness.

Dielectric ceramic capacitors present high output power density due to the fast energy charge and discharge nature of dielectric polarization. By forming dense ceramic films with nano-grains through the Aerosol Deposition (AD) process, dielectric ceramic capacitors can have high dielectric breakdown strength, high energy storage density, and leading to high power density. Dielectric capacitors fabricated by AD process are expected to meet the increasing demand in applications that require not only high energy density but also high power output in a short time. This article reviews the recent progress on the dielectric ceramic capacitors with improved energy storage properties through AD process, including energy storage capacitors based on both leadbased and lead-free dielectric ceramics.

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.

In this paper, we discussed the effect of field plate dielectric materials such as silicon dioxide (SiO₂), aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), and hafnium oxide (HfO₂) on the breakdown characteristics of β-Ga₂O₃ Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs). The breakdown voltage (BV) of the SBDs with a field plate was higher than that of SBDs without a field plate. The higher dielectric constant of HfO₂ contributed to the superior reduction in electric field concentration at the Schottky junction edge from 5.4 to 2.4 MV/cm. The SBDs with HfO₂ field plate showed the highest BV of 720 V, and constant specific on-resistance (R_on,sp) of 5.6 mΩ·㎠, resulting in the highest Baliga’s figure-of-merit (BFOM) of 92.0 MW/㎠. We also investigated the effect of dielectric thickness and field plate length on BV.

A breakdown voltage and breakdown electric field of the transformer insulating oil of liquid dielectric were studied in uniform electric field and non-uniform electric field and the transformer insulating oil was observed by the process reached breakdown. Insulation performance evaluation of the liquid dielectric was evaluated at the electrode spacing of 2.5 mm under the conditions of domestic and international standards (KS C IEC 60156), so a comparative review was conducted at the electrode spacing of 2.5 mm. When the electrode spacing is 2.5 mm, the average breakdown voltage is 38.5 kV for sphere-sphere electrodes, 26.6 kV for plate-plate electrodes, 22.9 kV for needle-needle electrodes, and 24.3 kV for sphere-needle electrodes. 23.7 kV for the sphere-plate electrode, and 20.7 kV for the needle-plate electrode. From these results, it can be seen that the average value of the breakdown voltage at the electrode spacing of 2.5 mm, in ascending order, is sphere-sphere, plate-plate, sphere-needle, sphere-plate, needle-needle and needle-plate. It was found that the breakdown voltage of the unequal field was lower than that of the equal field.

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.

Two-dimensional materials have shown a great promise for the next-generation electronic materials due to their unique optical, physical, and chemical properties that are distinct from their bulk counterparts. Their atomic-level thickness, the feature for flexible tenability, and exposed huge surface allow various approaches for high-performance nanoscale devices. Especially, this review highlights the recent progress on two-dimensional dielectric nanosheets, which are obtained by cheap and mass-producible solution-based exfoliation process, accompanied by the preparation methods, various deposition methods, and the characteristics of devices using a dielectric nanosheet thin films. We also present a perspective on the advantages offered by this two-dimensional dielectric nanosheets for the upcoming future nanoelectonics.

In this work, the (K_1-xAg_x)(Ta_0.8Nb_0.2)O₃ (x=0.1-0.4) ceramics were fabricated using mixed-oxide method, and their structural and electrical properties were measured. All specimens represented a pseudo cubic structure with the lattice constant of 0.3989 nm. When 0.4 mol of Ag was added, second phases induced from metallic Ag and K₂(Ta,Nb)₆O₁₆ phase were observed. Dielectric constant and dielectric loss of K(Ta_0.8Nb_0.2)O₃ specimen doped with 0.3 mol of Ag were 2,737 and 0.446, respectively. The curie temperature was about -5℃, which does not change with Ag addition. The remanent polarization began to decrease sharply around 12~15℃, and the temperature at which the remanent polarization began to decrease as the applied voltage increased shifted to the high temperature side. The electrocaloric effect (ΔT) and electrocaloric efficiency (ΔT/ΔE) of the (K_0.7Ag_0.3)(Ta_0.8Nb_0.2)O₃ ceramics were 0.01024℃ and 0.01825 KmV^-1, respectively.

Theoretical background for the meaning of various piezoelectric properties can be easily found in a number of textbooks and academic papers. In contrast, how they are actually measured and characterized are rarely described, though this information would be the most important especially to the researchers who just started working on the field. It follows that this report was intended to provide a practical guidance for measuring basic but essential properties of ferroelectric-based piezoelectric materials. The discussion begins with how to measurement dielectric properties such as dielectric permittivity and loss (dissipation factor), followed by piezoelectric properties such as piezoelectric constants, electromechanical coupling factor, and quality factor as well as ferroelectric features, i.e., electric field dependent polarization hysteresis. Though our discussion here is limited to the techniques that are already well-standardized, it is expected to make a seed to be developed into more challenging and creative ones.

Field-effect transistors (FETs) are the key elements of conventional electronics; hence, have drawn a lot of research and commercial interests. In recent years, metal halide perovskite materials have achieved a remarkable efficiency of 29.15% in the field of photovoltaics, and have drawn the scientific community’s attention to promote their use in the field of optoelectronics, such as FETs and phototransistors. The MAPbI₃ (methylammonium lead iodide) perovskite TFT has achieved a record hole mobility of 21.41 ㎠/V-s in the year 2020. In this review, we will briefly discuss the physical structure of MAPbI₃ perovskite and the essential factors that stimulate these devices, together with the role of defects, the ion migration concept, and the implication of both dielectric and electrode materials on the device’s performance.

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.

Phase evolution, thermal and microwave dielectric properties of cordierite-Al₂O₃ composite were investigated. As the content of Al₂O₃ increased, mullite, sapphirine, and spinel were formed as secondary phases, implying that cordierite may be decomposed by the reaction with Al₂O₃. All sintered specimens exhibited dense microstructures. The densification occurred through liquid phase sintering. As the content of Al₂O₃ increased, the thermal expansion coefficient and the dielectric constant increased, whereas the quality factor decreased. The thermal expansion coefficient, the dielectric constant, and the quality factor of the 90 wt% cordierite 10 wt% Al₂O₃ composite sintered at 1,425℃ were 2.9×10^-6 K^-1, 5.1, and 34,844 GHz, respectively.

This study reports the fabrication and application of semitransparent Cu nanoparticle layers. Spin coating and subsequent drying of a Cu colloid solution were performed to deposit Cu nanoparticle layers onto Si and glass substrates. As the spin speed of the spin coating increases, the density of the nanoparticles on the substrate decreases, and the agglomeration of nanoparticles is suppressed. This microstructural variation affects the optical properties of the nanoparticle layers. The transmittance and reflectance of the Cu nanoparticle layers increase with increasing spin speed, which results from the trade-off between the exposed substrate area and surface coverage of the Cu nanoparticles. Since the glass substrates coated with Cu nanoparticle layers are semitransparent and colored, it is anticipated that the application of a Cu nanoparticle-dielectric bilayer structure to transparent solar cells will improve the cell efficiency as well as aesthetic appearance.

BaTiO₃ powder was synthesized by a solid-state reaction using BaCO₃ and TiO₂. Different calcination temperatures (800℃, 850℃, 900℃, and 950℃) were set to investigate their effects on the properties of BaTiO₃ powder. The synthesized BaTiO₃ phase was confirmed to be a single phase by XRD, and the tetragonality (c/a) and crystallite size were calculated. Thereafter, each calcinated BaTiO₃ was sintered at five different sintering temperatures (1,100℃, 1,150℃, 1,200℃, 1,250℃, and 1,300℃), and the tetragonality, density, porosity, dielectric constant, and grain size were measured. As the calcination temperature increased, the tetragonality and crystallite size also increased, to 1.008 and 66 nm, respectively, at 950℃. Moreover, most pellets showed increased density, dielectric constant, and tetragonality as the sintering temperature increased up to 1,250℃; the same parameters slightly decreased at 1,300℃. It is noteworthy that the tetragonality of BaTiO₃ at 1,250℃ exhibits a very high c/a value of 1.0084. In addition, the grain size and dielectric constant measured near the Curie temperature increased as the sintering temperature increased.