Abstract: Systems and methods for growth of silicon carbide over a layer comprising graphene and/or hexagonal boron nitride, and related articles, are generally described. In some embodiments, a SiC film is fabricated over a layer comprising graphene and/or hexagonal boron nitride, which in turn is disposed over a substrate. The layer and/or the substrate may be lattice-matched with the SiC film to reduce defect density in the SiC film. The fabricated SiC film may then be removed from the substrate via, for example, a stressor attached to the SiC film. In certain cases, the layer serves as a reusable platform for growing SiC films and also serves a release layer that allows fast, precise, and repeatable release at the layer surface.

Abstract: A fabricating apparatus (2) of an sic epitaxial wafer disclosed herein includes: a growth furnace (100A); a gas mixing preliminary chamber (107) disposed outside the growth furnace and configured to mix carrier gas and/or material gas and to regulate a pressure thereof; a wafer boat (210) configured so that a plurality of SiC wafer pairs (200WP), in which two substrates each having an SiC single crystal in contact with each other in a back-to-back manner, are disposed at equal intervals with a gap therebetween; and a heating unit (101) configured to heat the wafer boat disposed in the growth furnace to an epitaxial growth temperature. The carrier gas and/or the material gas are introduced into the growth furnace after preliminarily being mixed and pressure-regulated in the gas mixing preliminary chamber (107) to grow an SiC layer on a surface of each of the plurality of SiC wafer pairs.

Abstract: A semiconductor substrate (1) according to an embodiment includes: a hexagonal SiC single crystal layer (13I); an SiC epitaxial growth layer (12E) disposed on an Si plane of an SiC single crystal layer (13I); and an SiC polycrystalline growth layer (18PC) disposed on a C plane opposite to the Si plane of the SiC single crystal layer (13I). The SiC single crystal layer (13I) includes a single crystal SiC thin layer (10HE) obtained by weakening the hydrogen ion implantation layer (10HI), and a phosphorus ion implantation layer (10PI). The phosphorus ion implantation layer (10PI) is disposed between the single crystal SiC thin layer (10HE) and the SiC polycrystalline growth layer (18PC). Consequently, the present disclosure provides a low-cost and high-quality semiconductor substrate and a fabrication method thereof.

Abstract: A semiconductor substrate (1) disclosed herein includes: an SiC single crystal substrate (10SB); a graphene layer (11GR) disposed on an Si plane of the SiC single crystal substrate (10SB); an SiC epitaxial growth layer (12RE) disposed above the SiC single crystal substrate (10SB) via the graphene layer (11GR); and a polycrystalline Si layer (15PS) disposed on an Si plane of the SiC epitaxial growth layer (12RE). The semiconductor substrate may include a graphite substrate or an silicon substrate disposed on a polycrystalline Si layer (15PS). The semiconductor substrate may further include an SiC polycrystalline growth layer (18PC) disposed on a C plane of the SiC epitaxial growth layer (12RE). Consequently, the present disclosure provides a low-cost and high-quality semiconductor substrate and a fabrication method thereof.

Abstract: A semiconductor substrate (1) includes: an SiC single crystal substrate (10SB), a first graphene layer (11GR1) disposed on an Si plane of the SiC single crystal substrate 10SB; an SiC epitaxial growth layer (12RE) formed above the SiC single crystal substrate via the first graphene layer; and a second graphene layer (11GR2) disposed on an Si plane of the SiC epitaxial growth layer. There is also included an SiC polycrystalline substrate (16P) provisionally bonded onto the SiC epitaxial growth layer via the second graphene layer. The SiC single crystal substrate is able to be reused by being separated from the SiC epitaxial growth layer. This semiconductor substrate further includes an SiC polycrystalline growth layer (18PC) CVD grown on the C plane of the SiC epitaxial growth layer; and the SiC epitaxial growth layer is transferred to the SiC polycrystalline growth layer.

Abstract: A semiconductor substrate includes a drift layer of a first layer formed of a single crystal SiC semiconductor and a buffer layer and a substrate layer of a second layer that is formed of a SiC semiconductor which includes a polycrystalline structure and is formed on the surface of the first layer, in which the second layer (12) is formed on the surface of the drift layer of the first layer by means of CVD growth, the drift layer of the first layer is formed by means of epitaxial growth, and accordingly, defects occurring at a junction interface of the semiconductor substrate including the single crystal SiC layer and the polycrystal SiC layer are suppressed, and manufacturing costs are also reduced.

Abstract: A semiconductor substrate structure includes: a substrate; and an epitaxial growth layer bonded to the substrate, wherein the substrate and the epitaxial growth layer are bonded by a room-temperature bonding or a diffusion bonding.

Abstract: Systems and methods for growth of silicon carbide over a layer comprising graphene and/or hexagonal boron nitride, and related articles, are generally described. In some embodiments, a SiC film is fabricated over a layer comprising graphene and/or hexagonal boron nitride, which in turn is disposed over a substrate. The layer and/or the substrate may be lattice-matched with the SiC film to reduce defect density in the SiC film. The fabricated SiC film may then be removed from the substrate via, for example, a stressor attached to the SiC film. In certain cases, the layer serves as a reusable platform for growing SiC films and also serves a release layer that allows fast, precise, and repeatable release at the layer surface.

Abstract: A semiconductor substrate structure includes: a substrate; and an epitaxial growth layer bonded to the substrate, wherein the substrate and the epitaxial growth layer are bonded by a room-temperature bonding or a diffusion bonding

Abstract: A target is irradiated in a time-shared manner with a visible-light-range illumination light source and an infrared laser beam for Raman scattering, and a target image is formed with an image-capturing lens on a CIGS image sensor provided with a visible-light-range filter, a narrow-band infrared filter for Raman-scattered light measurement, and a near-band reference narrow-band infrared filter that does not let Raman-scattered light pass through. In a preliminary measurement, a plurality of normal sections are measured and averaged, and by using the same as a reference, an actual measurement of Raman scattering is performed. In displaying a visible-light image with the CIGS image sensor, superimposed display is performed to specify sections where Raman scattering is detected, and superimposed display positions are corrected in association with focusing and zooming. The displaying of the visible-light image is continued even during the detection of Raman scattering.

Abstract: A preference-information gathering system is capable of gathering information on every commodity and/or every service, which are each of interest to a user, as user's preference information. The preference-information gathering system includes a user portable terminal capable of storing a user identifier uniquely identifying the user, an information searching apparatus and a preference-information management apparatus for managing the information on preferences with the user. The information searching apparatus has a search-information inputting unit for requesting a user to enter search information to be used in a process to search for information desired by the user and a user-identifier acquisition unit for acquiring a user identifier.

Abstract: The inventive photoelectric conversion device includes a substrate, a lower electrode layer provided on the substrate, a CIGS compound semiconductor layer provided on the lower electrode layer as covering the lower electrode layer, and a transparent electrode layer provided on the compound semiconductor layer, wherein the compound semiconductor layer has a maximum Ga content variation of not less than 5% as measured in a layer thickness direction, and a maximum In content variation of not less than 6% as measured in the layer thickness direction.

Abstract: A target is irradiated in a time-shared manner with a visible-light-range illumination light source and an infrared laser beam for Raman scattering, and a target image is formed with an image-capturing lens on a CIGS image sensor provided with a visible-light-range filter, a narrow-band infrared filter for Raman-scattered light measurement, and a near-band reference narrow-band infrared filter that does not let Raman-scattered light pass through. In a preliminary measurement, a plurality of normal sections are measured and averaged, and by using the same as a reference, an actual measurement of Raman scattering is performed. In displaying a visible-light image with the CIGS image sensor, superimposed display is performed to specify sections where Raman scattering is detected, and superimposed display positions are corrected in association with focusing and zooming. The displaying of the visible-light image is continued even during the detection of Raman scattering.

Abstract: The inventive photoelectric conversion device includes a substrate, a lower electrode layer provided on the substrate, a CIGS compound semiconductor layer provided on the lower electrode layer as covering the lower electrode layer, and a transparent electrode layer provided on the compound semiconductor layer, wherein the compound semiconductor layer has a maximum Ga content variation of not less than 5% as measured in a layer thickness direction, and a maximum In content variation of not less than 6% as measured in the layer thickness direction.

Abstract: A photoelectric converter according to the present invention includes a substrate, a lower electrode layer arranged on the substrate, a compound semiconductor layer of a chalcopyrite structure arranged on the lower electrode layer to cover the lower electrode layer and partitioned into a plurality of pixels, a transparent electrode layer arranged on the compound semiconductor layer, and a shielding layer arranged around each of the pixels on the compound semiconductor layer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a display terminal device including a display operating unit (12), a first communication unit (22), a reader/writer circuit (24) and a controller (26). The display operating unit is provided on a main body unit (11) to display advertisement data, and the first communication unit communicates with a host device. The reader/writer circuit is provided on the main body unit (11) and communicated with the memory from the display operating unit (12) side to write and/or read out data relevant to the advertisement data. The controller allows advertisement data received by the first communication unit (22) to be displayed on a display operating unit (12). The controller causes data written and/or read out by the reader/writer circuit (24) to be transmitted to or received from a host device or another device via the first communication unit (22).

Abstract: A preference-information gathering system is capable of gathering information on every commodity and/or every service, which are each of interest to a user, as user's preference information. The preference-information gathering system includes a user portable terminal capable of storing a user identifier uniquely identifying the user, an information searching apparatus and a preference-information management apparatus for managing the information on preferences with the user. The information searching apparatus has a search-information inputting unit for requesting a user to enter search information to be used in a process to search for information desired by the user and a user-identifier acquisition unit for acquiring a user identifier.

Abstract: A photoelectric converter according to the present invention includes a substrate, a lower electrode layer arranged on the substrate, a compound semiconductor layer of a chalcopyrite structure arranged on the lower electrode layer to cover the lower electrode layer and partitioned into a plurality of pixels, a transparent electrode layer arranged on the compound semiconductor layer, and a shielding layer arranged around each of the pixels on the compound semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A preference-information gathering system is capable of gathering information on every commodity and/or every service, which are each of interest to a user, as user's preference information. The preference-information gathering system includes a user portable terminal (102) capable of storing a user identifier uniquely identifying the user, an information searching apparatus (104) and a preference-information management apparatus (114) for managing the information on preferences with the user. The information searching apparatus (104) has a search-information inputting unit (108) for requesting a user to enter search information to be used in a process to search for information desired by the user and a user-identifier acquisition unit (110) for acquiring a user identifier.

Abstract: A method for distributing advertisement data to display terminal devices from a distribution server via a relay server. The relay server receives status notifications of the display terminal devices and transmits a tenor of receipt of the status notifications to the display terminal devices. The distribution server receiving status notifications and transmits the tenor of receipt of the status notifications to the relay server. The distribution server determines whether the reproduction schedule of the advertisement data has been changed and transmits a notification on a change. If the distribution server receives a request for acquisition of the as-changed reproduction schedule, the distribution server sends the as-changed reproduction schedule to the relay server. If the relay server determines that the reproduction schedule acquired from the distribution server has been changed, the relay server transmits the notification on the change of the reproduction schedule.