The present application discloses an oxide semiconductor thin-film and a thin-film transistor consisted thereof. The oxide semiconductor thin-film is fabricated by doping a certain amount of rare-earth oxide (RO) as light stabilizer to metal oxide (MO) semiconductor. The thin-film transistor comprising a gate electrode, a channel layer consisted by the oxide semiconductor thin-film, a source and drain electrode; the thin-film transistor employing etch-stop structure, a back-channel etch structure or a top-gate self-alignment structure.

An SbTe-based alloy sintered compact sputtering target having Sb and Te as main components and which contains 0.1 to 30 at % of carbon or boron and comprises a uniform mixed structure of SbTe-based alloy particles and fine carbon (C) or boron (B) particles is provided. An average grain size of the SbTe-based alloy particles is 3 m or less and a standard deviation thereof is less than 1.00. An average grain size of the C or B particles is 0.5 m or less and a standard deviation thereof is less than 0.20. When the average grain size of the SbTe-based alloy particles is X and the average grain size of the carbon or boron particles is Y, Y/X is within a range of 0.1 to 0.5. This provides an improved SbTe-based alloy sputtering target that inhibits generation of cracks in the sintered target and prevents generation of arcing during sputtering.

An SbTe-based alloy sintered compact sputtering target having Sb and Te as main components and which contains 0.1 to 30 at % of carbon or boron and comprises a uniform mixed structure of SbTe-based alloy particles and fine carbon (C) or boron (B) particles is provided. An average grain size of the SbTe-based alloy particles is 3 m or less and a standard deviation thereof is less than 1.00. An average grain size of the C or B particles is 0.5 m or less and a standard deviation thereof is less than 0.20. When the average grain size of the SbTe-based alloy particles is X and the average grain size of the carbon or boron particles is Y, Y/X is within a range of 0.1 to 0.5. This provides an improved SbTe-based alloy sputtering target that inhibits generation of cracks in the sintered target and prevents generation of arcing during sputtering.

The present invention provides an LGPS-based solid electrolyte production method characterized by having a step in which a mixture of Li.sub.3PS.sub.4 crystals having a peak at 42010 cm.sup.1 in a Raman measurement and Li.sub.4MS.sub.4 crystals (M being selected from the group consisting of Ge, Si, and Sn) is heat treated at 300-700 C. in addition, the present invention can provide an LGPS-based solid electrolyte production method characterized by having: a step in which Li.sub.3PS.sub.4 crystals having a peak at 42010 cm.sup.1 in a Raman measurement, Li.sub.2S crystals, and sulfide crystals indicated by MS.sub.2 (M being selected from the group consisting of Ge, Si, and Sn) are mixed while still having crystals present and a precursor is synthesized; and a step in which the precursor is heat treated at 300-700 C.

The present invention provides an energy storage device comprising a cathode region or other element. The device has a major active region comprising a plurality of first active regions spatially disposed within the cathode region. The major active region expands or contracts from a first volume to a second volume during a period of a charge and discharge. The device has a catholyte material spatially confined within a spatial region of the cathode region and spatially disposed within spatial regions not occupied by the first active regions. In an example, the catholyte material comprises a lithium, germanium, phosphorous, and sulfur (LGPS) containing material configured in a polycrystalline state. The device has an oxygen species configured within the LGPS containing material, the oxygen species having a ratio to the sulfur species of 1:2 and less to form a LGPSO material. The device has a protective material formed overlying exposed regions of the cathode material to substantially maintain the sulfur species within the catholyte material. Also included is a novel dopant configuration of the Li.sub.aMP.sub.bS.sub.c (LMPS) [M=Si, Ge, and/or Sn] containing material.

A solid electrolyte, in which a part of an element contained in a mobile ion-containing material is substituted, and an occupied impurity level that is occupied by electrons or an unoccupied impurity level that is not occupied by electrons is provided between a valence electron band and a conduction band of the mobile ion-containing material, and a smaller energy difference out of an energy difference between a highest level of energy in the occupied impurity level and an energy and a LUMO level difference between a lowest level of energy in the unoccupied impurity level and a HOMO level is greater than 0.3 eV.

A chalcogen-containing compound of the following chemical formula which exhibits an excellent thermoelectric performance index (ZT) through an increase in power factor and a decrease in thermal conductivity, a method for preparing the same, and a thermoelectric element including the same: M.sub.yV.sub.1-ySn.sub.xSb.sub.2Te.sub.x+3, wherein V is vacancy, M is at least one alkali metal, x6, and 0<y0.4.

A process of manufacturing a chromium alloyed molybdenum silicide portion of a heating element comprising the steps of: forming a mixture of a chromium powder and a silicon powder; reacting the mixture to a reaction product in an inert atmosphere at a temperature of at least 1100? C. but not more than 1580? C.; converting the reaction product to a powder comprising CrSi.sub.2; forming a powder ceramic composition by mixing the powder comprising CrSi.sub.2 with a MoSi.sub.2 powder and optionally with an extrusion aid; forming the portion of the heating element; and sintering the portion of the heating element in a temperature of from about 1450? C. to about 1700? C.; characterized in that the chromium powder and the silicon powder are provided separately to the mixture.

A method for producing a solid electrolyte for an all-solid state battery, the solid electrolyte having the following chemical formula XM.sub.2(PS.sub.4).sub.3, where X is lithium (Li), sodium (Na), silver (Ag) or magnesium (Mg.sub.0,5) and M is titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), germanium (Ge), silicon (Si), tin (Sn) or a mixture of X and aluminium (X+Al) and the method including: mixing powders so as to obtain a powder mixture; pressing a component with powder mixture; and sintering component for a period of time equal to or greater than 100 hours so as to obtain the solid electrolyte. The solid electrolyte exhibits the peaks in positions of 2?=13.64? (?1?), 13.76? (?1?), 14.72? (?1?), 15.36? (?1?), 15.90? (?1?), 16.48? (?1?), 17.42? (?1?), 17.56? (?1?), 18.58? (?1?), and 22.18? (?1?) in a X-ray diffraction measurement using CuK? line. The disclosure is also related to a method of producing a solid electrolyte.

Disclosed are a pseudo-ternary thermoelectric material, a method of manufacturing the pseudo-ternary thermoelectric material, a thermoelectric element, and a thermoelectric module. The pseudo-ternary thermoelectric material includes bismuth (Bi), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te), and selenium (Se), and a composition ratio thereof is Bi.sub.xSb.sub.2-xTe.sub.3 in which 0.3x0.6 or (Bi.sub.2Te.sub.3).sub.1-x-y(Sb.sub.2Te.sub.3).sub.x(Sb.sub.2Se.sub.3).sub.y in which 0<x<1 and 0.001y0.05.