• Toward the ultimate performances of image sensors, advanced research activities are being conducted that cover a wide range of technology fields from cleanroom infrastructure, materials, process equipment, process, device, circuit, assembly, signal processing, measurement/evaluation and reliability. Following technologies have been successfully commercialized:
• A fast and accurate measurement technology of electrical characteristics for over 1 million transistors
• A wide dynamic range CMOS image sensor technology capturing images over five decade brightness ranges
• An ultra-fast CMOS image sensor technology with 10 million frames/sec

Followings are available for industry collaborators:
A. 200mm-diameter-wafer silicon device fabrication utilizing the ultra-clean facility including wafer mutual fabrication processing between device manufacturers.
B. Process technology development and various kinds of analyses.
C. Development of new image sensors.

• The high-temperature strength in Co-based alloys is inferior to that in Ni-based superalloys due to no available ’ phase for strengthening Co-based alloys. We have found a new intermetallic compound Co3(Al,W) ’ phase, and /’ Co-Al-W-based wrought and cast alloys show excellent high-temperature strength. The /’ Ir-Al-W-based alloys are also available for high-temperature uses at over 1100 °C. The Co-based alloys also have good wear resistance. For example, friction stir welding (FSW) of high-softening-temperature materials such as steels and titanium alloys is possible using a Co-based alloy tool. We hope to conduct collaborative research with willing company for a practical application of the Co- or Ir-based alloys for high-temperature uses including FSW applications.

• Our research group has succeeded in synthesizing various metal oxide nanoparticles with controlled size and exposure crystal planes by using organic modifiers under supercritical water conditions. The oxygen storage/release capacity of those materials in the low-temperature region is very high, and the reforming reaction of oxidative hydrocarbon proceeds at a significant rate. Besides, by combining the supercritical CO2 drying method, we have succeeded in forming a complex in which oxide nanoparticles are dispersed at a high concentration on the surface of the porous material, realizing both high oxygen storage/release capability and stability.

Low-temperature reforming reaction of biomass wastes, heavy oils, and methane. In the future, it is expected to be a technology that will lead to the construction of a low-carbon society, including CO2-free complete recycling of waste plastics.

• Monoatomic layered materials of Graphene, Transition metal sulfide nanosheet, nanocrystalline active materials, nanoparticles and nanoporous materials are investigated for realizing high capacity, high power, high safety and low cost energy storage devices as a post- Lithium ion battery. Advanced chemistry of functional materials and device processes for All solid state battery, Magnesium battery, fuel cells, supercapacitor and wearable batteries are investigated.

Academia – Industry collaboration with manufacturing companies of functional materials, batteries, and also smart grid, renewable energy, electrical power companies are encouraged for developments of advanced energy materials and post-Lithium ion battery.

• Molecular-scale mechanism of solid-liquid affinity, wettability, thermal boundary resistance and molecular deposition are analyzed by molecular dynamics simulations toward its control. With a background of heat and mass transport and interfacial thermodynamics, transport phenomena of various scales ranging from spin coating of photoresist to SAM (self-assembled monolayer) and hydrophobic/hydrophilic treatment by attaching some molecular basis are studied. Futhermore, the molecular-scale mechanisms which determine thermophysical properties and the molecular structure that realizes desired thermophysical properties are studied. We can conduct effective collaboration and provide academic consultations to companies interested in our research.

• The cold spray (CS) technique is known as a new technique not only for coating but also for thick depositions. It has many advantages, i.e. dense coating, high deposition rate, low oxidation, and no phase transformation. We have been carrying out establishment of innovative preparing and coating techniques using the CS, and maintenance of reliability and safety of the cold sprayed repairing parts and coatings. Moreover, in order to evaluate the compatibility between a substrate material and particles based on an adhesion mechanism and scientific basis, various adhesion conditions are examined a micro / nano-structure observation and a molecular simulation.

Our targets were mainly hot section parts of thermal power plants and reactor piping and tubes etc. Recently, it is possible to make a ceramic coating. Therefore, we accelerate the evolution of the other fields including the creation of the functionality materials in near future.

• General metallic biomaterials, such as stainless steels and conventional CoCr alloys, show a high Young's modulus ten times higher than that of human bones. This is an unfavored feature because it causes the so-called "stress shielding effect" when they are used as implants. β-type Ti alloys have a relatively lower Young's modulus, but they come with a compromise of low wear resistance. The current novel CoCr-based alloys are a breakthrough; they exhibit both a low Young's modulus similar to human bones and a high wear and corrosion resistance. Moreover, they exhibit superelasticity with a huge recoverable strain over 17%, also showing promise as shape memory alloys.

It is the first time that a low Young's modulus, a high corrosion and wear resistance, and a superior superelastic behavior are simultaneously obtained in a single material. The current novel CoCr-based alloys are promising for biomedical applications such as total hip or knee joint replacements, bone plates, spinal fixation devices, and vascular stents.

• The objectives of my researches are the development of high performance magnets and improvement of their magnetic properties. I have already developed following high performance magnets, such as Nd-Fe-B magnets using didymium, Sm-Fe-N high coercive powders prepared by HDDR and Fe-Cr-Co magnets. Recently, I have studied about the reduction of Dy content in Nd-Fe-B magnets for the use of HEV and have succeeded to develop high coercive Dy-free Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets by decreasing the grain size. I have also developed new kinds of microwave absorbers for the use in the frequencies of GHz range using permanent magnetic materials or nanoparticles.

High performance magnetic materials can be used in many applications in automobile, home electronics, IT and medical industries. We hope to conduct collaborative researches with companies producing magnetic materials for the use in these applications, which aims to improve magnetic properties or to develop new magnetic materials.

• Intergranular degradation often results in decreased lifetime, reliability and economical efficiency of polycrystalline materials. In spite of persistent efforts to prevent such degradation, its complete suppression has not yet been achieved. Grain boundary studies have revealed that coincidence-site-lattice (CSL) boundaries have stronger resistance to intergranular degradations than random boundaries. The concept of ‘grain boundary design and control' has been refined as grain boundary engineering (GBE). GBEed materials which are characterized by high frequencies of CSL boundaries are resistant to intergranular degradations. Our group has achieved very high frequencies of CSL boundaries in commercial stainless steels by GBE. GBEed stainless steels showed significantly stronger resistance to intergranular corrosion (see Figs. 1 and 2), weld-decay, knife-line attack, stress corrosion cracking, liquid-metal embrittlement, radiation damage, etc. and much longer creep life (see Fig. 3) than the unGBEed ones.

By using this GBE processing, we expect to conduct effective collaborative research in related fields.

• The cold spray (CS) technique is known as a new technique not only for coating but also for thick depositions. It has many advantages, i.e. dense coating, high deposition rate, low oxidation, and no phase transformation. We have been carrying out establishment of innovative preparing and coating techniques using the CS, and maintenance of reliability and safety of the cold sprayed repairing parts and coatings. Moreover, in order to evaluate the compatibility between a substrate material and particles based on an adhesion mechanism and scientific basis, various adhesion conditions are examined a micro / nano-structure observation and a molecular simulation.

Our targets were mainly hot section parts of thermal power plants and reactor piping and tubes etc. Recently, it is possible to make a ceramic coating. Therefore, we accelerate the evolution of the other fields including the creation of the functionality materials in near future.