Periodical silver nanoparticle (NP) arrays were fabricated by magnetron sputtering method with anodic aluminum oxide templates to enhance the UV light emission from ZnO by the surface plasmon resonance effect. Theoretical simulations indicated that the surface plasmon resonance wavelength depended on the diameter and space of Ag NP arrays. By introducing Ag NP arrays with the diameter of 40 nm and space of 100 nm, the photoluminescence intensity of the near band-edge emission from ZnO was twofold enhanced. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurement and energy band analysis indicated that the UV light emission enhancement was attributed to the coupling between the surface plasmons in Ag NP arrays and the excitons in ZnO with the improved spontaneous emission rate and enhanced local electromagnetic fields.

AlGaN/gallium nitride (GaN) ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFETs) were fabricated as pH sensors. The sensitivity of the AlGaN/GaN ISFETs was evolved with gate recess process and ammonium hydroxide (NH ₄ OH) treatment. By performing the gate recess process, the threshold voltage (V _T ) of the ISFET increased from -3.33 to -0.31 V and the maximum conductance (G _M ) of the ISFET increased from 0.8 to 2 mS, with the current sensitivity of the pH sensor improving from 52.25 to 78.86 μA/pH. Further, after performing the ammonium hydroxide treatment, the V _T of the ISFET increased from -0.33 to -0.14 V, with the current sensitivity of the pH sensor improving from 78.86 to 84.39 μA/pH. To characterize the surface conditions the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was deployed. The results indicated that many nitrogen vacancies (V _N ) were introduced during the recess process, leading to a negative V _T shift and a smaller potential sensitivity (S _V ), which can be improved by ammonium hydroxide treatment.

A metal/n-Ga2O3/p-diamond heterojunction diode with superior high-temperature performance was demonstrated in this work. The p-type diamond was lightly boron doped, and the Ga2O3 film was grown via atomic layer deposition without intentional doping. The forward current density increased with temperature, while the reverse current decreased at elevated temperatures. This behavior was attributed to the distinct carrier ionization dynamics across varying temperature ranges. Under high reverse voltage stress, the reverse current remained relatively stable, with no breakdown occurring up to 498 K. An avalanche breakdown voltage of 186 V at 498 K indicates the diode's robust high-voltage endurance capability. These findings underscore the potential of the metal/n-Ga2O3/p-diamond heterojunction diode for high-temperature and high-voltage applications.

The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing have emphasized the need for efficient optoelectronic artificial synapses, essential elements in neuromorphic computing. This study proposes a solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) photodetector (PD) based on the SrTiO3/AlXGa1−XN heterostructure to serve as an optoelectronic synapse. Under 265 nm illumination, the device demonstrates a remarkably low dark current of 1.08 × 10−11 A and an impressive peak responsivity of 36.43 A/W at −15 V. Notably, the UV PD functions as an optoelectronic synapse that emulates a biological neuron, simulating the fundamental operations of various biological synapses. Moreover, the research extends to the promising field of neuromorphic computing. The photoelectric artificial synapse device achieved an exceptional 97.91% accuracy rate in the challenging MNIST handwritten digit recognition task, further validating its potential in neural computing applications.

This work develops a fluidic soft robotic eel which combines the adaptability of soft material and the flexibility of eel-shaped body together. The soft eel-like robot consists of multiple soft actuation segments each of which is capable of bidirectional bending by two embedded symmetrical fluidic chambers. Propulsion will be produced when proper control rules are applied to the bending angles of the actuation segments. Robot design, prototype fabrication and system integration are described step by step. A motion controller based on central pattern generator (CPG) is designed for the soft eel-like robot by using identified parameters. Substantial experiments are implemented to evaluate the performance of the prototype. It is shown that the soft eel-like robot can flexibly perform linear motion and turning motion. Moreover, the soft eel-like robot keeps good continuity even when the parameters of the CPG-based controller changes. In general, the experimental results verify the effectiveness of the design and control methods for the soft eel-like robot, which provides a potential candidate to underwater exploration with limited space.