The main objectives of this study are to clarify, on the basis of the questionnaire survey conducted in 2006, the general characteristics (including strength and weakness) of the innovation processes employed by the members of the Japan Society of Applied Physics, and to pursue the important clues for determining efficient innovation processes.

Unique science activities for promoting science curiosity in children using a mobile laboratory are reported. The mobile laboratory named RIKARANGER is a 4 tons truck equipped with experimental apparatuses, which travels to perform science shows and workshops wherever by request. More than 5000 people participated in our science activities during the last three years. We describe characteristic features of our science activities and discuss the reasons for their popularity.

The youths of our country are considered to be indifferent to science. Many studies for awaking interest in science and technology have been carried out from the view point of practical exercises at a university. In this paper, research experiences at a private company and their application to education at a university are described.

Activities of an undergraduates project “Rika-Kobo” are introduced. Student members of Rika-Kobo are vigorously engaged in developments of programs of science experiment classes to be used for elementary schools and science demonstration events, and actually perform them. The project activities are managed by the student members themselves. Each member acts independently but is required to collaborate with the other members to achieve goals. Through the project activities, the student members can have opportunities of improving various skills and abilities, as well as of obtaining incentives for growing manufacturing and development interests.

Transparent amorphous oxide semiconductors (TAOS) have attracted considerable attention as an emerging technology for thin film transistors (TFTs). Unique features of TAOS compared with conventional amorphous Si are their high performance, low process temperature and transparency. Here, we focus our attention on the low process temperature and transparency of a TAOS TFT and demonstrate the potentiality of the TAOS TFT in an electronic paper application.

First, the manufacturing processes of the recently commercialized CuInSe₂ (CIS)-based thin-film solar modules are described. Then, their new high-efficiency and cost-reduction technologies are shown. Finally, characteristics of CIS as one of the compound semiconductors and the future potentiality of CIS solar cells are reviewed.

The realization of practical three-dimensional Technology Computer Aided Design : TCAD has been expected to reduce the development expenses of semiconductor devices. Domestic main semiconductor makers have cooperated on a project in Selete to realize the practical three-dimensional TCAD for over ten years. On the other hand, an overseas TCAD supplier has been increasing its influences on this field with M&A and establishing a strong relationship with several foundries and design firms. This report shows the applications of the practical three-dimensional TCAD, the main problem in its realization, and the strengthening of domestic TCAD.

The growth kinetics of microcrystalline silicon thin films must be discussed in developing high efficiency solar cells. On the basis of growth-induced surface roughening evaluated using an atomic force microscope, scaling analyses have been carried out on fractal structures on growing surfaces, and scaling exponents give a great insight into the growth kinetics. On the basis of results of scaling analyses in conjunction with Monte Carlo simulations, the growth kinetics of high-growth-rate microcrystalline silicon thin films, actually used for the high-efficiency solar cell, is discussed. Moreover, effects of boron doping on film growth are also presented.

A digital versatile disc-random access memory (DVD-RAM) involves the melt quenching (amorphizing for record) and annealing (crystallization for erase) of chalcogenide materials. It is well known that Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ is one of the well-established commercial media. In this study, we revealed the three-dimensional atomic configuration of amorphous Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ and GeTe by reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) simulation with synchrotron-radiation high-energy X-ray diffraction data. RMC models suggested that amorphous Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ can be regarded as an “even-numbered-ring structure”, because the ring statistics is dominated by four- and six-fold rings analogous to the crystal phase. On the other hand, the formation of Ge-Ge homopolar bonds in amorphous GeTe constructs both odd- and even-numbered rings. The unconventional ring statistics of amorphous Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ is the key structural information for the better understanding of fast crystallization mechanism of the material.

In this study, Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS)-type thin film solar cells composed of abundant materials have been developed. CZTS is a promising material as an absorber in thin film solar cells because of a suitable band gap energy of around 1.5 eV and a large absorption coefficient of more than 10⁴ cm^-1. The main objectives of this study are to fabricate high-quality CZTS thin films, improve reproducibility using an in-line-type apparatus introduced in the fiscal year 2004, and fabricate high-efficiency CZTS-type thin-film solar cells. In our experiments, various parameters in precursor fabrication and sulfurization have been optimized. We achieved a maximum conversion efficiency of 6.77 %, which is the best data obtained in this material system.

The spin Hall effect (SHE) refers to the generation of a spin current from an electric current due to the spin-orbit scattering in a solid. This effect has been predicted to allow the electric control of magnetization dynamics in a magnetic film. The inverse process of SHE (ISHE), namely, the generation of an electric current from a spin current, can directly be applied to the electric detection of a spin current in a solid. We demonstrate these functions of SHE and ISHE using a Ni₈₁Fe₁₉/Pt film, a simple system in which an electric current couples with a spin current and spin dynamics. SHE and ISHE are considered essential in combining spintronics and conventional electronics.