Applied Physics Express

Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a novel technique to enhance the performance and reliability of silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices, a key component in power electronics. This breakthrough utilizes a unique two-step annealing process involving diluted hydrogen, to eliminate unnecessary impurities and significantly improve device reliability.

A multi-institutional research team led by Osaka University has engineered a way to preserve the electrical properties of materials as they are shrunk to the nanoscale. The use of the soft substrate hexagonal boron nitride reduces damage to the atomic structure caused by strain, allowing materials to keep their conductive properties as films as thin as 12 nm.

Researchers have discovered that the gemstone spinel is capable of storing quantum information, making it a viable material in the field of quantum technology.

A research team at Osaka University developed a compact microresonator device that generates vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light at 199 nm. This innovation addresses the growing demand for VUV light in fields like micromachining and wafer inspection. Unlike existing gas lasers, this device offers a compact, efficient solution, potentially revolutionizing light source technology and enabling advanced applications like high-resolution medical imaging.

Researchers at Osaka University have developed the world’s first compact, tunable-wavelength blue semiconductor laser, a breakthrough in far-ultraviolet light technology. Utilizing a novel periodically slotted structure, tunable single-mode oscillation was successfully demonstrated. The laser is suitable for pumping compact second harmonic generation devices, and far-ultraviolet light emitted from the combination enables safe, continuous sterilization and disinfection. Its compact, long-lasting design makes it ideal for integration into household appliances, with wide-ranging potential to enhance indoor health and safety.

A research team led by researchers from Osaka University created an aluminum-nitride device that can convert visible light into deep-ultraviolet light through the process of second harmonic generation. This work can lead to the development of practical devices that can sterilize surfaces with ultraviolet radiation while using less energy.

Researchers from The University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science report a machine learning-based model for predicting the bonding properties of materials

A recent study has measured the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of Zinc-Oxide (ZnO) crystals in both the light-emitting process and non-light-emitting process.

Tohoku University researchers have improved a method for probing semiconducting crystals with light to detect defects and impurities. The details of their 'omnidirectional photoluminescence (ODPL) spectroscopy' set-up were published in the journal Applied Physics Express, and could help improve the fabrication of materials for electric cars and solar cells.

A new X-ray imaging technique could identify lesions and tumors before ultrasound or MRI can.

Researchers at Tohoku University have discovered a way to detect carbon impurity in nitride semiconductors using light.

A dietary fibre can help separate out semiconducting carbon nanotubes used for making transistors for flexible electronics.

Tohoku University researchers have developed a technique using a hollow sphere to measure the electronic and optical properties of large semiconducting crystals. The approach improves on current photoluminescence spectroscopy techniques and could lead to energy savings for mass producers, and thus consumers, of power devices.

A team of Japanese researchers has discovered a new mechanism to explain stochastic resonance, in which sensitivity to weak signals is enhanced by noise. The finding is expected to help electronic devices become smaller and more energy-efficient.

Researchers at Tohoku University have, for the first time, successfully demonstrated the basic operation of spintronics-based artificial intelligence.

Researchers at Tohoku University and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Japan, have developed a novel ultra-compact heterogeneous wavelength tunable laser diode.

IOP Publishing congratulates Japanese-born scientists Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura on becoming the latest Nobel prize laureates for their invention of “efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources"

Using a soft X-ray microscope, a Japanese research team has examined the nanostructure of organic solar cells and discovered that different molecules are intermixed in each molecular domain.

Silicon-based semiconductor devices dominate the microelectronics industry and are used for the fabrication of high density integrated circuits comprising of memory and processing devices. However, silicon has an indirect band gap, which severely limits its use for fabricating photonic devices such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) and lasers.

Development of novel transistor with combined logic and memory functions with power consumption reduced to one-millionth that of conventional devices.