The development of a large-area solution process for CuO nanowires, which are promising p-type thin film transistors (TFT) channel materials, is required. To overcome the limitations of the existing high-vacuum and high-cost deposition process, a large-area Cu nanowire network was formed on the substrate using the Mayer rod coating method, and a CuO channel was implemented by subsequent thermal annealing. Consequently, p-type TFT with an on/off current ratio of 1.4×104 and a field-effect mobility µFE≈10-4 cm2/(V⋅s). was fabricated and optimized. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses showed that the sample annealed at 200°C exhibited an incomplete oxidation state with a mixed Cu/Cu2O phase and a high fraction of M-OH species (58.78%), resulting in a low on/off current ratio (≈1.2). In contrast, annealing at 450°C leads to a CuOdominant phase, where the fraction of lattice oxygen(O1) increases to 31.11% and the oxygen vacancy (VO) component increases to 7.15%, indicating a significant improvement in hole concentration and charge transport. These phase transitions and surface chemical changes are identified as the key mechanisms for the enhanced TFT switching characteristics. The low-cost, large-area Mayer rodbased solution process proposed in this study provides a basic process platform for p-type TFTs applicable to flexible wearables and display technologies and suggests the possibility of commercialization through additional optimization of bias stability in the future.
GaN nanowire (NW)-based hybrid structures have attracted attention for optoelectronic applications due to their high surface area and efficient carrier transport. However, the optical transparency of GaN NWs is often limited by unintended residual species accumulated on the surface and in the inter-wire regions, as well as defect-related absorption, leading to reduced light transmission. In this work, we demonstrate that thermal annealing significantly improves the optical transparency of GaN NWs grown on indium tin oxide (ITO)/glass substrates. The transmittance increased from 47.9% to 78.5% at 550 nm after rapid thermal annealing at 800oC for 3 min, while a comparable value (~75.5%) was achieved at 600oC for 5 min. PbBr3 was deposited onto the GaN NWs to form hybrid structures, and temperature-dependent photoluminescence (TDPL) measurements revealed enhanced emission stability with suppressed peak shift and reduced spectral broadening. Arrhenius analysis based on a two-channel model revealed that the activation energy of the dominant non-radiative recombination pathway increased from 62 meV in the as-grown sample to 85 meV after thermal annealing, while its relative contribution remained nearly unchanged. In contrast, the shallow trap-assisted pathway exhibited a similar activation energy of approximately 6 meV in both samples, but its contribution decreased from 0.35 to 0.17 after annealing. As a result, the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) improved from 75.9% to 87.4%. These results show that thermal annealing improves optical transparency by removing residuals and suppresses defect-related recombination, leading to enhanced carrier dynamics and improved optical performance of PbBr3-based hybrid structures.
The quench behavior of wires for superconducting fault current limiters at DC faults was simulated, with a focus on the effect of capacitor discharge on the quench. The behavior was also expressed in mathematical forms to facilitate a better understanding of the simulation results and for rough analytical estimations of the wire length suitable for the circuit voltage and capacitance. The quench resistance development behavior for various wire lengths and circuit capacitances was simulated using the model developed in the previous work. The quench behavior was expressed in mathematical forms, reflecting the concept of heat balance. During the quench, the wire temperature increased more slowly for longer wires, but was found to increase in a similar pattern. The wire length estimated by the mathematical formula was close to the one obtained by the simulation, with an error range of a few %. The calculations will be used to estimate effectively the length of wires needed to build superconducting fault current limiters for applications in DC power systems.
The search for sustainable and efficient energy conversion technologies is becoming increasingly critical in response to global energy and environmental challenges. Traditional lead-based piezoelectric materials, such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT), have high piezoelectric constant but present significant health problems and environmental risks due to their hazardous metal contaminants. This study addresses these concerns by investigating barium titanate (BTO), a lead-free alternative, and enhancing its performance using anisotropic nanowires (NWs) structures. BTO NWs were synthesized via a two-step hydrothermal method and incorporated into a poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] matrix to fabricate a piezoelectric composite film. The resulting device demonstrated a notable increase in electrical output compared to devices based on isotropic morphology of BTO nanoparticles, exhibiting enhanced performance. These findings suggest that BTO NWs hold significant promise for applications in flexible and wearable electronics, paving the way for further advancements in sustainable energy technology.
MBB (multi-busbar) technology is a module technology to achieve high power, and the use of a number of thin circular metal wires increases light-receiving capacity and reduces resistance. In the process of interconnection using a wire, the stress of the cell increases depending on the degree of coupling between the wire and the cell and the degree of damage caused by heat, or the mobility of current decreases due to poor bonding. The degree of such loss is affected by IR lamp, hot plate temperature and wire thickness. In addition, the values of contact resistance were compared and analyzed to analyze the cause of the decrease in electrical characteristics. In this study, process condition optimization was carried out through peeling test, SEM analysis, EL test, and pre/post bonding efficiency characteristic analysis of the bonded cell according to process conditions, compared the contact resistance.
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.
Underwater wireless communication is a challenging issue for realizing the smart aqua-farm and various marine activities for exploring the ocean and environmental monitoring. In comparison to acoustic and radio frequency technologies, the visible light communication is the most promising method to transmit data with a higher speed in complex underwater environments. To send data at a speedier rate, high-performance photodetectors are essentially required to receive blue and/or cyan-blue light that are transmitted from the light sources in a light-fidelity (Li-Fi) system. Here, we fabricated high-performance organic phototransistors (OPTs) based on P-type donor polymer (PTO2) and N-type acceptor small molecule (IT-4F) blend semiconductors. Bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) PTO2:IT-4F photo-active layer has a broad absorption spectrum in the range of 450~550 nm wavelength. Solution-processed OPTs showed a high photo-responsivity >1,000 mA/W, a large photo-sensitivity >103, a fast response time, and reproducible light-On/Off switching characteristics even under a weak incident light. BHJ organic semiconductors absorbed photons and generated excitons, and efficiently dissociated to electron and hole carriers at the donor-acceptor interface. Printed and flexible OPTs can be widely used as Li-Fi receivers and image sensors for underwater communication and underwater internet of things (UIoTs).
The quench voltage of the second-generation superconducting wire is affected by the resistivity characteristics of the stabilization layer. The specific resistance of the stabilization layer can be changed by the deposition process using RF magnetron sputtering. In this paper, a thin film made of a homogeneous material (Ag) and a dissimilar material (Cu) was deposited on the stabilization layer of the second-generation superconducting wire through RF magnetron sputtering. We found that the specific resistance was reduced by increasing the thickness of the stabilization layer. The reduction in the resistivity of the stabilization layer led to a decrease in the quench voltage of the second-generation superconducting wire. We suggest that various characteristic changes of the second-generation superconducting wire can be expected through the successful change in the resistivity of the stabilization layer of the proposed deposition process.
Hyeon Yeong Lee, Kwangwon Kim, Jiwon Ye, Suhyeon Woo, Geon Lee, Seungah Lee, Seong Rok Jeong, Seon Hye Jeong, Ho Seong Kim, Ga Hyeon Nam, Yun Yeong Jo, Han Seung Choi, Jungho Ryu
J Electr Electron Mater 2021;34(6):495-504. Published online November 1, 2021
Energy Harvesting is a technology that can convert wasted energy such as vibration, heat, light, electromagnetic energy, etc. into usable electrical energy. Among them, vibration-based piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) has high energy conversion efficiency with a small volume; thus, it is expected to be used in various autonomous powering devices, such as implantable medical devices, wearable devices, and energy harvesting from road or automobiles. In this study, wasted vibration energy in an automobile is converted into electrical energy by high-power piezoelectric materials, and the generated electrical energy is found to be an auxiliary power source for the operation of wireless sensor nodes, LEDs, etc. inside an automobile. In order to properly install the PEH in an automobile, vibration characteristics includes frequency and amplitude at several positions in the automobile is monitored initially and the cantilever structured PEH was designed accordingly. The harvesting properties of fabricated PEH is characterized and installed into the engine part of the automobile, where the vibration amplitude is stable and strong. The feasibility of PEH is confirmed by operating electric components (LEDs) that can be used in practice.
In this study, composite transparent electrodes were fabricated either from a conductive polymer poly(3,4- ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) or silver nanowire (AgNW). Three transparent electrodes such as PEDOT:PSS, PEDOT:PSS and AgNW mixture, and AgNW were fabricated. As for a transparent electrode, measured sheet resistance values were 89.6, 60.6 and 28.6 Ω/sq, and the transmittance values were 80.2, 82.0 and 83.8% while surface roughness (Rq) values were 4.1, 8.1, 20.4 nm for PEDOT:PSS, PEDOT:PSS and AgNW mixture, and AgNW, respectively. To verify the overall performance of these composite electrodes, we applied these electrodes to the top electrode of the solution-processed organic solar cells (OSCs). PEDOT:PSS provided the best performance with a fill factor (FF) of 51.2% and a photoconversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.2%, while traditional metal top electrode OSC provided FF of 60.5% and PCE of 3.1%.
The purpose of an electric railway system contact wire is to supply electric energy to trains through a contacted pantograph. This energy is then converted into mechanical energy. Recent developments in overhead contact lines include the increase in the tension force up to 34 kN according to train speeds that reach up to 400 km/h with a verified safety. Rigid conductor catenary (R-Bar) for high speeds of up to 250 km/h have been developed in tunnels to save on construction costs. This is significant because minor defects in R-bars in aspects, such as height and stagger affect installation conditions. In this study, we propose the use of a detector that measures the static characteristics to reduce the R-bar installation errors. This detector has been developed to measure the height and stagger of the contact wire using video images.
The overhead contact line (OCL) is a key piece of equipment for transmitting electrical energy to the pantograph of rail cars. Recently, a 400 km/h OCL was applied to the Honam high-speed line, and its performance was examined by running HEMU-430X. For the study, we analyzed the current of catenary wire concurrently while running HEMU-430X in the Honam high-speed line. Specifically, this study recorded the currents for each speed during operation of the railway vehicle. The analysis of the frequency of line current showed generation of third-harmonics, 15th-harmonics, 17th-harmonics, and 19th-harmonics. The current of catenary wire is a basic technology assessment used to determine the electrical safety of electric railway systems, and it can be used as a technology for analyzing circulating currents generated in the current configuration, as well as for analyzing electric fatigue of the OCL components.
Epitaxial ZnO nanowires (NWs) were synthesized on sapphire (001) substrates using a hydrothermal process. The effects of the pH value of the precursor solution on the structural and optical properties of the resulting NWs was studied. The epitaxial relationship and the domain matching configuration between the sapphire (001) substrate and the as-grown ZnO NWs were determined using synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements. The (002) plane of wurtzite ZnO NW grows in the surface normal direction parallel to the sapphire (001) direction. However, three types of in-plane domain matching configurations were observed, such as the on-position, 30°-rotated position, and ±8.5°-rotated position relative to the on-position, which might be attributed to inheriting the in-plane domain configuration of the ZnO seed layer.
Transparent conductive thin films (TCFs) are essential materials for solar cells, organic light-emitting diodes, and display panels. Indium tin oxide (ITO) is one of the most widely used commercial materials to create TCFs’; however, new materials that can possibly replace ITO at a lower cost and/or those possessing mechanical flexibility are urgently needed. Silver nanowire (AgNW) is one of those promising materials, as it is less expensive and possesses superior mechanical flexibility as compared to ITO. We used AgNW and sol-gel ZnO to fabricate composite thin films by spray coating. We propose two spray-coating methods: the ‘metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD)/AgNW’ method and the Mixture method. These two methods are expected to be commercialized for high-quality and low-cost products, respectively.
The proposed stretchable transparent electrodes based on silver nanowires (AgNWs) were prepared on a polyurethane (PU) substrate. In order toavoid the surface roughness caused by the silver nanowires, a titanium oxide (TiO2) buffer layer was addedby coating and heating the organometallic sol-gel solution. The fabricated stretchable electrodes showedan electrical sheet resistance of 24 Ωsq-1, 78% transmittance at 550 nm, and an average surface roughness below 5 nm. Furthermore, the AgNW-based electrode maintained its initial electrical resistance under 130% strain testing conditions, without the assistance of additional conductive polymer layers. In this paper, the critical role of the TiO2 buffer layer between the AgNW network and the PU substrate has been discussed.
A hybrid transparent electrode was fabricated with graphene and silver nanowires (Ag NWs). Three different processes were used to fabricate the hybrid electrode. Measurements of the sheet resistances, transmittances, and surface roughnesses of the hybrid electrodes were used to identify the optimal fabrication process. The surface roughness of the hybrid electrodes with Ag NWs embedded in a transparent polymer matrix was significantly lower than that of the other hybrid electrodes. A hybrid electrode fabricated by transferring graphene onto Ag NWs after spin-coating the Ag NWs onto the substrate showed the lowest sheet resistance. The transmittance of the hybrid electrodes was comparable to that of Ag NW electrodes.
Due to recent industry 4.0, manufacturing has changed a lot. In particular, it is necessary to control the controller and controller of the control system, to communicate various production information and measurement information, and to produce a database in accordance with the flexible production for a small quantity of various items, and to manage the trend of major parts of production facilities. In this paper, we developed a multiple wireless communication controller for small scale control system for smart factory by applying XBee and microcomputer. This controller is cheap and easy to build multi-radio communication environment of 1: N and can control and monitor control system. In addition, we tested multiple wireless communication controllers by using signal processing device and C++, and constructed network, control, and database for mechanism module, and confirmed effectiveness for industrial application.
Transparent film heaters employing silver nanowires (Ag NWs) have attracted increasing attention because of their widespread applications. However, the low thermal resistance of Ag NWs limits the maximum operating temperature of the Ag NW film heater. In this study, Ag NW film heaters with high mechanical and thermal stability were successfully developed. The thermal power-out characteristics of the Ag NW heaters were investigated as a function of the Ag NW density. The results revealed that the prepared flexible Ag NW heater possessed high thermal stability over 190℃ owing to ZnO encapsulation. This indicates that the Ag NW film with excellent thermal stability have remarkably high potential for use as electrodes in film heaters operating at high temperatures.
This paper introduces a biocompatible packaging system for implantable medical device having a hermetic sealing, such that a perfect physical and chemical isolation between electronic medical system and human body (including tissue, body fluids, etc.) is obtained. The hermetic packaging includes an electronic MEMS pressure sensor, power charging system, and bluetooth communication system to wirelessly measure variation of capacitance. The packaging was acquired by Quartz direct bonding and CO2 laser welding, with a size of width 6 cm × length 10 cm × height 3 cm. Hermetic sealing of the packaged system was tested by changing the pressure in a hermetic chamber using a precision pressure controller, from atmospheric to 900 mmHg. We found that the packaged system retained the same count or capacitance values with sensor 1 - 25,500, sensor 2 - 26,000, and sensor 3 - 20,800, at atmospheric as well as 900 mmHg pressure for 5 hours. This result shows that the packaging method has perfect hermetic sealing in any environment of the human body pressure.
Wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process was evaluated to slice Silicon (Si) for various applications. Specifically, various Si workpieces with various resistances, such as single and multi crystalline Si bricks and wafers were used. As conventional slicing processes, such as slurry-on or diamond-on wire slicing, are based on mechanical abrasions between Si and abrasive, there is a limitation to decrease the wafer thickness as well as kerf-loss. Especially, when the wafer thickness is less than 150 μm, wafer breakage increases dramatically during the slicing process. Single crystalline P-type Si bricks and wafers were successively sliced with considerable slicing speed regardless of its growth direction. Also, typical defects, such as microcracks, craters, microholes, and debris, were introduced when Si was sliced by electrical discharge. Also, it was found that defect type is also dependent on resistance of Si. Consequently, this study confirmed the feasibility of slicing single crystalline Si by WEDM.
Characteristics of a wireless sensor powered by the IDE (interdigitated electrode) embedded piezoelectric cantilever generator were analyzed in order to evaluate its potential for use in wireless sensor applications. The IDE embedded piezoelectric cantilever was designed and fabricated to have a self-resonance frequency of 126 Hz and acceleration of 1.57 G, respectively, for the mechanical resonance with a practical conveyor system in a thermal-power plant. It produced maximum output power of 2.81 mW under the resistive load of 160 Ω at 126 Hz. The wireless sensor module is electrically connected to a rectifier capacitor with capacity of 0.68 farad and 3.8 V for power supply by the piezoelectric cantilever generator. The unloaded capacitor could be charged as a rate of approximately 365 ㎶/s while the capacitor exhibited that of 0.997 mV/min. during communication under low duty cycle of 0.2%. Therefore, it is considered that the fabricated IDE embedded piezoelectric cantilever generator can be used for wireless sensor applications.
Coil specimen was prepared by coating a copper wire with two varnish thin layers: the first was polyamideimide (PAI)/nanosilica (5 wt%) varnish and the second was anti-corona PAI/nanosilica (15 wt%) varnish. Insulation breakdown voltage was investigated under inverter surge condition at 20℃, 70℃, 100℃, 150℃, 200℃, 250℃, respectively. The insulation lifetime of the two layered coil was tens of times longer than that of original PAI coil. And the insulation lifetime decreased with increasing ambient temperature because there was weak binding strength between copper and varnish layer.
Recently, there has been much focus on the controlled alignment and patterning process of nanowires for nanoelectronic devices. A simple and effective method for patterning of highly aligned nanowires using a microcontact printing technique is demonstrated. In this method, nanowires are first directionally aligned by contact printing, following which line and space micropatterns of nanowire arrays are accomplished by microcontact printing with a micro patterned NOA mold.
We developed a Ag nanowire patterning technique using a water-soluble sacrificial layer. To form a water-soluble sacrificial layer, germanium was deposited on the substrate and then water-soluble germanium oxide was simply formed by thermal oxidation of germanium using a conventional furnace. The formation of Ag nanowire patterns with various line and space arrangements was successfully demonstrated using this patterning process. The main advantage of this patterning technique is that it does not use a strong acid etchant, thereby preventing damage to the Ag nanowire during the patterning process.
Among the various physiological information that could be obtained from human body, heartbeat rate is a commonly used vital sign in the clinical milieu. Photoplethysography (PPG) sensor is incorporated into many wearable healthcare devices because of its advantages such as simplicity of hardware structure and low-cost. However, healthcare device employing PPG sensor has been issued in susceptibility of light and motion artifact. In this paper, to develop the real-time heart rate measurement device that is less sensitive to the external noises, we have fabricated an ultra-small wireless LC resonant pressure sensor by MEMS process. After performance evaluation in linearity and repeatability of the MEMS pressure sensor, heartbeat waveform and rate on radial artery were obtained by using resonant frequency-pressure conversion method. The measured data using the proposed heartbeat rate measurement system was validated by comparing it with the data of an commercialized heart rate measurement device. Result of the proposed device was agreed well to that of the commercialized device. The obtained real time heartbeat wave and rate were displayed on personal mobile system by bluetooth communication.
Highly optical transparent photoelectric devices were realized by using a transparent metal-oxide semiconductor heterojunction of p-type NiO and n-type ZnO. A functional template of ITO nanowires (NWs) was applied to this transparent heterojunction device to enlarge the light-reactive surface. The ITO NWs/n-ZnO/p-NiO heterojunction device provided a significant high rectification ratio of 275 with a considerably low reverse saturation current of 0.2 nA. The optical transparency was about 80% for visible wavelengths, however showed an excellent blocking UV light. The nanostructured transparent heterojunction devices were applied for UV photodetectors to show ultra fast photoresponses with a rise time of 8.3 mS and a fall time of 20 ms, respectively. We suggest this transparent and super-performing UV responser can practically applied in transparent electronics and smart window applications.
Transparent Ag nanowire conducting thin films with high surface hardness were fabricated by bar coating method. When coating speed was changed from 35 mm/sec to 50 mm/sec, the transmittance of coated glass increased from 65.3% to 80.8% in visible light range and the surface resistance was changed from 10.1 Ω/sq to 23.3 Ω/sq. The surface hardness and adhesion of thin film were 5H and 5B.
This paper presents an electrical feature analysis of hysteresis curves in memristor differential and intergral control circuit. After making macro model of the memristor device, electric characteristics of the model such as time analysis, frequency dependent DC I-V curves were performed by PSPICE simulation. Also, we made a circuit of memristor-capacitor based on nano-wired memristor device and analyzed the simulated PSPICE results. Finally, we proposed a memristor based differential or integral control circuit, analyzed hysteresis curve characteristic in the control circuit.
This paper presents a ZigBee wireless communication system for remote diagnosis in overhead distribution power lines. The system is divided in three parts in the functional aspect - a host computer module, a remote controller module and a diagnostic system module. The host computer module designed as USB interface transmits control signals and receive data measured by sensor. The remote controller module operates the diagnostic system. Diagnostic system module communicates with internal main controller and host computer USB. Multiple communication channel is adopted for simultaneous operations of several diagnostic system. Dedicated protocol for each module is developed. The system is designed with a focus on low cost and small size suitable for lightweight and small diagnostic system.
Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), which is one of the contending renewable energy sources, have the problem of low efficiency. To improve the efficiency, the fast electron transport and long electron lifetime are required. In this study, one-dimensional sodium hexatitanate, which is expected to have an advantageous structure for electron transports, was synthesized and the feasibility of the material on DSSC was tested. Its physical properties were characterized by the SEM, XRD, and BET method. The dye adsorption and solar cell properties were also characterized. In addition to the expectation of fast electron transport, sodium hexatitanate showed longer electron lifetime: This means sodium hexatitanate can improve the DSSC efficiency. However, it showed low current and voltage because of the low surface area leading to the low amount of dye adsorbed. Therefore, it should be mixed with titanium oxide with high surface area for the optimal performance.