Seiji Nakashima
Professor | Ph.D. in Engineering
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Course
Electronic Materials and Devices Research Group
Professor Nakashima investigates the electronic properties of materials, the devices built upon them, and the circuits that put those devices to work. He guides students in visualizing the otherwise invisible behavior of electrons, and seeks to draw out new electron functions that could lead to novel electronic devices.
Creation of Novel Solar Cells Using Ferroelectrics
What students can learn
This theme introduces the structure and operating principles of solar cells, semiconductor fabrication processes such as thin-film formation and patterning, and techniques for revealing the otherwise invisible motion of electrons and their energy states.
This research explores ferroelectric solar cells, which generate power through a mechanism fundamentally different from that of conventional solar cells. Ferroelectric materials can generate electricity simply through exposure to light, and high-voltage generation has already been demonstrated. Because this mechanism may make it possible to surpass the Shockley-Queisser theoretical efficiency limit that constrains conventional solar cells, the work aims to develop a new generation of high-efficiency solar cells.
Semiconductors for Brain-Inspired Computing Suitable for AI and Machine Learning
What students can learn
Here, students gain exposure to semiconductor fabrication processes as well as to the techniques for observing electrons and atoms, including through advanced facilities such as SPring-8.
This research develops semiconductor thin films with novel functions and examines their properties by observing atomic and electronic structures at leading-edge facilities. The aim is to create semiconductors whose conductivity can be switched, opening the way toward devices suited to brain-inspired computing in AI and machine learning.
