Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors(SSPDs or SNSPDs) can detect single photons in a wide spectrum range from ultraviolet to mid-infrared wavelengths. We developed SSPDs for the light wavelength of 900-1100 nm, where it is difficult to achieve high detection efficiency by either Si or InGaAs avalanche photodiodes. We designed and fabricated the SSPD with non-periodic dielectric multilayers (DMLs) composed of SiO2 and TiO2 to enhance the optical absorptance in the wavelength range of 900-1100 nm. We measured the detection efficiency (DE) in the wavelength range of 800-1360 nm using a supercontinuum light source and found that the wavelength dependence of DE was in good agreement with the simulated spectrum of the optical absorptance of the nanowire device on the designed DML. The highest system DE was 81.0% for the wavelength of 980 nm.

We describe the preparation of an α-phenyl-4'-(diphenylamino)stilbene (TPA) single crystal and the evaluation of its hole transport property. Based on the characterization using optical microscopy, polarizing microscopy, and X-ray diffraction, a large-scale TPA single crystal of dimensions 7.0×0.9×0.8mm is successfully synthesized using a solution method based on the solubility and supersolubility curves of the TPA. Notably, the current in the long-axis direction is larger than those in the short-axis and thickness directions (i(long) > i(short) > i(thickness)), which reveals the anisotropic charge transfer of the TPA single crystal. The observed anisotropic conductivity is well explained by the orientation of the triphenylamine unit in the TPA single crystal. Furthermore, the activation energy of the long-axis direction in the TPA single crystal is lower than that of the short-axis in TPA and all the axes in the α-phenyl-4'-[bis(4-methylphenyl)amino]stilbene single crystal reported in our previous study.

The physics and applications of superconducting phase shifts and their control in superconducting systems are reviewed herein. The operation principle of almost all superconducting devices is related to the superconducting phase, and an efficient control of the phase is crucial for improving the performance and scalability. Furthermore, employing new methods to shift or control the phase may lead to the development of novel superconducting device applications, such as cryogenic memory and quantum computing devices. Recently, as a result of the progress in nanofabrication techniques, superconducting phase shifts utilizing π states have been realized. In this review, following a discussion of the basic physics of phase propagation and shifts in hybrid superconducting structures, interesting phenomena and device applications in phase-shifted superconducting systems are presented. In addition, various possibilities for developing electrically and magnetically controllable 0 and π junctions are presented; these possibilities are expected to be useful for future devices.

In this review, we present recent advances relating to superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SSPDs or SNSPDs) and their broad range of applications. During a period exceeding ten years, the system performance of SSPDs has been drastically improved, and lately excellent detection efficiencies have been realized in practical systems for a wide range of target photon wavelengths. Owing to their advantages such as high system detection efficiency, low dark count rate, and excellent timing jitter, SSPDs have found application in various research fields such as quantum information, quantum optics, optical communication, and also in the life sciences. We summarize the photon detection principle and the current performance status of practical SSPD systems. In addition, we introduce application examples in which SSPDs have been applied.

Effects of electron beam irradiation at 15 keV on graphene are investigated by optical and electron characterization using Raman and two-terminal resistance measurement and photoconductivity measurement. In Raman spectra, increase of defects in D-peak to G-peak ratio by increase of electron irradiation by 70 mC/cm2 was found. Resistance of graphene showed an increase after the irradiation. Rather sensitive change was found in photoconductivity of irradiated graphene under ultra-violet (UV) illumination, suggesting irradiation induced defects affect a photoconductivity properties of the graphene.

We have investigated the microwave-detected photoconductivity responses from the amorphous In--Ga--Zn--O (a-IGZO) thin films. The time constant extracted by the slope of the slow part of the reflectivity signals are correlated with TFT performances. We have evaluated the influences of the sputtering conditions on the quality of a-IGZO thin film, as well as the influences of gate insulation films and annealing conditions, by comparing the TFT characteristics with the microwave photoconductivity decay ($mu$-PCD). It is concluded that the $mu$-PCD is a promising method for in-line process monitoring for the IGZO-TFTs fabrication.

We have studied photo-induced effects in a p-type transistor based on a [1]benzothieno[3,2-b]benzothiophene (BTBT) derivative. Repetition of blue light irradiation and electrical characterization under dark reveals that its threshold voltage gradually shifts in the positive direction as the cumulative exposure time increases. This shift is slowly reversed when the transistor is stored under dark. The onset voltage defined as the gate bias at which the sub-threshold current exceeds a certain level behaves in a similar manner. Mobility remains more or less the same during this exposure period and the storage period. Time evolution of the threshold voltage shift is fit by a model assuming two charged meta-stable states decaying independently. A set of parameters consists of a decay constant for each state and the ratio of the two states. A single parameter set reproduces the positive shift during the exposure period and the negative shift during the storage period. Time evolution of the onset voltage is reproduced by the same parameter set. We have also studied photo-induced effects in two types of n-type transistors where either a pure solution of a perylene derivative or a solution mixed with an insulating polymer is used for printing each semiconductor layer. A similar behavior is observed for these transistors: blue light irradiation under a negative gate bias shifts the threshold and the onset voltages in the negative direction and these shifts are reversed under dark. The two-component model reproduces the behavior of these voltage shifts and the parameter set is slightly different among the two transistors made from different semiconductor solutions. The onset voltage shift is well correlated to the threshold voltage shift for the three types of organic transistors studied here. The onset voltage is more sensitive to illumination than the threshold voltage and its sensitivity differs among transistors.

Microwave photoconductivity decay (µ-PCD) method was applied to evaluate the effects of chemical composition and Ar+ plasma induced damage on the bulk and the surface states in amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O (a-IGZO) films. It was found that the peak reflectivity signal in the photoconductivity response increased with decreasing the Ga content, and had a strong correlation with the a-IGZO transistor performances. In addition, the peak reflectivity signals obtained after various Ar+ plasma treatment duration were well correlated with the transistor characteristics. With Ar+ plasma treatment, the peak reflectivity signal decreased in accordance with degradation of transistor characteristics. The µ-PCD method was found to be a very useful tool not only to evaluate the bulk and the surface states, but also to predict the performance of a-IGZO transistors subjected to various plasma processes in the production.

This letter presents an efficient method for the maritime Loran-C additional secondary factor (ASF) correction based on equivalent ground conductivity inversion. Using the proposed method, the accuracy of Loran-C system on maritime positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) can be improved significantly with a limited number of surveys. Comparison with measured ASF results shows a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of less than 100 ns in most areas.

In this paper, to clarify the thermal effect of the bridge for long lifetime contacts, the effects of heat conductivity on bridge break at different material contact pairs were discussed experimentally. To examine the relationship between the bridge and material, the electrode materials of the anode and the cathode were chosen as the same and the different material pairs in this experiment. Ag, AgPd60 and Pd were chosen as the electrode materials, because Ag, AgPd60 and Pd had the different thermal diffusivity. Firstly, the voltage waveforms in the bridge with different material pair were compared to the voltage waveform with the same material pair case. Secondary, the effects of heat conductivity on the break of bridge were discussed. In the results, the bridge voltage waveform depends on the electrode material at anode side. The length of the bridge at bridge break depends on the heat conductivity of the electrode material at anode side. This study provides the basic considerations on the thermal condition of the bridge break.

This paper presents the loss factors in the post-wall waveguide-fed parallel-plate slot array antenna in the millimeter-wave band. At first, transmission loss is evaluated per unit length by measuring the losses of post-wall waveguides on various substrates with different thicknesses in different bands. Measured results of the frequency dependence agree with theoretical predictions using the effective conductivity and the complex permittivity obtained by the whispering gallery mode resonator method. Then the authors evaluate the antennas with various sizes at 76.5 GHz. The antenna efficiency is evaluated by taking into account the loss factors related to: the transmission loss both in the feed and the parallel plate waveguides, the aperture efficiency and the insertion loss and the reflection of the transition. Also, the loss due to the locally-perturbed currents by the slot radiation is evaluated. The sum of the losses in the prediction quantitatively agrees with the measurement.

This paper proposes a printed tag antenna for the universal ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) band (860-960 MHz) using the R2R process. To widen impedance bandwidth, a π-shaped matching network is suggested. The overall dimension of the proposed tag antenna is 83.4 mm 30.2 mm and it has a gain of over 1 dBi for the entire UHF RFID band. The performances of the proposed tag antenna, printed with conductivity silver ink using an R2R process, are compared with those of a copper antenna.

This paper presents a measurement method for determining effective conductivity of copper-clad dielectric laminate substrates in the millimeter-wave region. The conductivity is indirectly evaluated from measured resonant frequencies and unloaded Q values of a number of Whispering Gallery modes excited in a circular disk sample, which consists of a copper-clad dielectric substrate with a large diameter of 20-30 wavelengths. We can, therefore, obtain easily the frequency dependence of the effective conductivity of the sample under test in a wide range of frequency at once. Almost identical conductivity is predicted for two kinds of WG resonators (the copper-clad type and the sandwich type) with different field distribution; it is self-consistent and provides the important foundation for the method if not for the alternative method at this moment. We measure three kinds of copper foils in 55-65 GHz band, where the conductivity of electrodeposited copper foil is smaller than that of rolled copper foil and shiny-both-sides copper foil. The measured conductivity for the electrodeposited copper foil decreases with an increase in the frequency. The transmission losses measured for microstrip lines which are fabricated from these substrates are accurately predicted with the conductivity evaluated by this method.

Superconductivity and superconducting electronics have quite a prominent place in the European research environment and can look back onto a successful history. In recent years the European Framework programs helped to enhance the interaction between the different national research institutions, universities and industry. For applications of superconductivity this was accomplished by the European Network of Excellence SCENET and its sister organization ESAS. In this context a virtual European foundry network was established (Fluxonics), which forms a platform for the superconducting electronics activities in Europe and realizes support for the design and the fabrication of superconducting circuits for research laboratories and industry. Lately quite some development on the digital side and the cooling of superconducting electronics devices has taken place in Europe; most of it within the Fluxonics network. Some of these advances will be reported in this overview article.

Microwave measurement methods necessary to characterize copper-clad dielectric laminate substrates are reviewed to realize more precise design of planar circuits: that is, the balanced-type circular disk resonator method for the relative complex permittivity in the normal direction εrn and tan δn, the cavity resonator method and the cut-off waveguide method for one in the tangential direction εrt and tan δt, and the dielectric resonator method for the surface and interface conductivity of copper foil σs and σi. The measured results of the frequency and temperature dependences of these parameters are presented for a PTFE substrate and a copper-clad glass cloth PTFE laminate substrate.

To realize highly conductive and wear-durable thin films, we deposited metal doped carbon films onto silicon substrates by RF sputtering method. The dopant metals were various precious metals and transition metals. The electrical conductivity and wear durability of the deposited films were evaluated. We have found that Ir doping especially increased the electrical conductivity for the given amount of dopant metal. The wear durability of Ir-doped carbon films did not deteriorate even below a 7 at.% Ir concentration, and the conductivity of 7 at.% Ir-doped carbon was twenty times that of a non-doped carbon thin film.

We investigated growth conditions of the ReO3 thin films, as a first step of establishment of artificial superconducting multi-layer with the infinite layer cuprate and ReO3. The layers of ReO3 were expected to work as a charge reservoir block. The films were deposited from a Re metal target by off-axis reactive sputtering. Conductive and preferentially (100) oriented ReO3 thin films were obtained by in-situ post-annealing. The lowest resistivity was 4.4 10-5 ohmcm at room temperature.

Electromagnetic shielding clothes for reducing human exposure to radio waves have been commercialized. However, their effect has so far been confirmed only in the form of the raw material. In this paper, we develop a new compact scheme for measuring electromagnetic radiations using a short dipole antenna and Gaussian pulses in order to evaluate the effect of the shielding clothes over a wide frequency range with the aid of time-domain measurements and FDTD computation. The proposed method is based on a time-domain analysis technique and pulse compression technique, which enables the user to separate the direct transmission wave from the reflection from the floor as well as from the refracted wave around the neck of the clothes. The direct advantage is that measurements can be made in an ordinary laboratory without the function of an electromagnetic anechoic chamber. Also, we can separate direct transmission wave and diffraction wave from the measurement result by using pulse compression technique, then each frequency characteristic of the shielding shirt can be evaluated. The performance of the separation is confirmed by comparing the measurements with those of a shirt with no opening. We further demonstrate the possibility of predicting the effective conductivity of the material as a function of frequency by comparing the measured results with realistic FDTD computations, which will enable us to design a shielding shirt via numerical means.

The DC resistivities of silicon germanium thin films on Si substrates by a non-contact and non-destructive technique using terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) agree with the values obtained by the four-point probe measurement. In the present experiment, the mobility has not been precisely determined owing to the limitation of the frequency range in our equipment (from 0.1 to 1.5 THz). However, when the mobility becomes large enough, this method will be highly useful in evaluating semiconductor thin films, since the method gives the same data as those from Hall measurement without sample processing or electrode contact to sample.

Electron field emission from polycrystalline diamond films has been investigated. Electron emission was measured locally at randomly chosen point on a diamond film fabricated by a microwave plasma chemical deposition method. In the original film, there were some points with a large emission current where flaws were found after the measurements, some points with a small and stable emission current without any flaw, and the other points with no emission. At the point of no emission, the film was electrically broken down by applying a high voltage. After the intentional breaking down, a small and stable emission always appeared there with no flaw. The maximum emission current extracted from an emission site was usually 1µA with no structural flaw found after the measurements. By using a simple model of emission site consisting of a core conductor embedded in insulator, the limitation of emission current is estimated from heating by the current and heat transfer to the insulator.