Genome editing to generate nonfoam-forming sake yeast strains.

Mutations frequently occur during breeding of sake yeasts and result in unexpected phenotypes. Here, genome editing tools were applied to develop an ideal nonfoam-forming sake yeast strain, K7GE01, which had homozygous awa1∆/awa1∆ deletion alleles that were responsible for nonfoam formation and few off-target mutations. High-dimensional morphological phenotyping revealed no detectable morphological differences between the genome-edited strain and its parent, while the canonical nonfoam-forming strain, K701, showed obvious morphological changes. Small-scale fermentation tests also showed differences between components of sake produced by K7GE01 and K701. The K7GE01 strain produced sake with significant differences in the concentrations of ethyl acetate, malic acid, lactic acid, and acetic acid, while K701 produced sake with more differences. Our results indicated genuine phenotypes of awa1∆/awa1∆ in sake yeast isolates and showed the usefulness of genome editing tools for sake yeast breeding.

Inkjet printing of single-crystal films.

The use of single crystals has been fundamental to the development of semiconductor microelectronics and solid-state science. Whether based on inorganic or organic materials, the devices that show the highest performance rely on single-crystal interfaces, with their nearly perfect translational symmetry and exceptionally high chemical purity. Attention has recently been focused on developing simple ways of producing electronic devices by means of printing technologies. 'Printed electronics' is being explored for the manufacture of large-area and flexible electronic devices by the patterned application of functional inks containing soluble or dispersed semiconducting materials. However, because of the strong self-organizing tendency of the deposited materials, the production of semiconducting thin films of high crystallinity (indispensable for realizing high carrier mobility) may be incompatible with conventional printing processes. Here we develop a method that combines the technique of antisolvent crystallization with inkjet printing to produce organic semiconducting thin films of high crystallinity. Specifically, we show that mixing fine droplets of an antisolvent and a solution of an active semiconducting component within a confined area on an amorphous substrate can trigger the controlled formation of exceptionally uniform single-crystal or polycrystalline thin films that grow at the liquid-air interfaces. Using this approach, we have printed single crystals of the organic semiconductor 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (C(8)-BTBT) (ref. 15), yielding thin-film transistors with average carrier mobilities as high as 16.4 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). This printing technique constitutes a major step towards the use of high-performance single-crystal semiconductor devices for large-area and flexible electronics applications.

Competition between charge-transfer exciton dissociation and direct photocarrier generation in molecular donor-acceptor compounds.

The interfacial charge-separation and photovoltaic characteristics of a molecular donor-acceptor charge-transfer compound were examined. Measurements of laser beam-induced currents on the single crystals allowed selective detection of hole and electron photocurrents through the metal-semiconductor interfaces. This method also reveals the exceptionally long diffusion length of 20 µm in the crystal. The transition from charge-transfer exciton dissociation to direct photocarrier generation is discussed on the basis of the photon-energy-dependent diffusion length and photon-to-current conversion spectrum.

Fabrication and Evaluation of N-Channel GaN Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors Based on Regrown and Implantation Methods.

We have demonstrated the enhancement-mode n-channel gallium nitride (GaN) metal-oxide field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) on homoepitaxial GaN substrates using the selective area regrowth and ion implantation techniques. Both types of MOSFETs perform normally off operations. The GaN-MOSFETs fabricated using the regrowth method perform superior characteristics over the other relative devices fabricated using the ion implantation technique. The electron mobility of 100 cm2/V·s, subthreshold of 500 mV/dec, and transconductance of 14 µs/mm are measured in GaN-MOSFETs based on the implantation technique. Meanwhile, the GaN-MOSFETs fabricated using the regrowth method perform the electron mobility, transconductance, and subthreshold of 120 cm2/V s, 18 µs/mm, and 300 mV/dec, respectively. Additionally, the MOSFETs with the regrown p-GaN gate body show the Ion/Ioff ratio of approximately 4 × 107, which is, to our knowledge, among the best results of GaN-MOSFETs to date. This research contributes a valuable information for the design and fabrication of power switching devices based on GaN.

Nanoparticle chemisorption printing technique for conductive silver patterning with submicron resolution.

Silver nanocolloid, a dense suspension of ligand-encapsulated silver nanoparticles, is an important material for printing-based device production technologies. However, printed conductive patterns of sufficiently high quality and resolution for industrial products have not yet been achieved, as the use of conventional printing techniques is severely limiting. Here we report a printing technique to manufacture ultrafine conductive patterns utilizing the exclusive chemisorption phenomenon of weakly encapsulated silver nanoparticles on a photoactivated surface. The process includes masked irradiation of vacuum ultraviolet light on an amorphous perfluorinated polymer layer to photoactivate the surface with pendant carboxylate groups, and subsequent coating of alkylamine-encapsulated silver nanocolloids, which causes amine-carboxylate conversion to trigger the spontaneous formation of a self-fused solid silver layer. The technique can produce silver patterns of submicron fineness adhered strongly to substrates, thus enabling manufacture of flexible transparent conductive sheets. This printing technique could replace conventional vacuum- and photolithography-based device processing.

Few-Volt Operation of Printed Organic Ferroelectric Capacitor.

The fabrication of single-crystalline thin-film arrays for an organic ferroelectric small molecule is achieved by a simple solution process without additional thermal annealing. Based on a cooperative proton tautomerism through a hydrogen-bonding network, films show the polarity switching with an operating voltage of less than 5 V at room temperature. This approach provides a low-cost and eco-friendly fabrication of ferroelectric devices.

Simple push coating of polymer thin-film transistors.

Solution processibility is a unique advantage of organic semiconductors, permitting the low-cost production of flexible electronics under ambient conditions. However, the solution affinity to substrate surfaces remains a serious dilemma; liquid manipulation is more difficult on highly hydrophobic surfaces, but the use of such surfaces is indispensable for improving device characteristics. Here we demonstrate a simple technique, which we call 'push coating', to produce uniform large-area semiconducting polymer films over a hydrophobic surface with eliminating material loss. We utilize a poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based trilayer stamp whose conformal contact with the substrate enables capillarity-induced wetting of the surface. Films are formed through solvent sorption and retention in the stamp, allowing the stamp to be peeled perfectly from the film. The planar film formation on hydrophobic surfaces also enables subsequent fine film patterning. The technique improves the crystallinity and field-effect mobility of stamped semiconductor films, constituting a major step towards flexible electronics production.

Polaron motional narrowing of electron spin resonance in organic field-effect transistors.

Polaron states in organic thin-film transistors (TFTs) were investigated by the electron spin resonance (ESR) technique. Gate-field-dependent and temperature-dependent single-Lorentzian ESR spectra were observed for field-induced polarons in pentacene TFTs, demonstrating the effect of motional narrowing due to polaron diffusion. Analyses of the ESR linewidth revealed a considerably long trapping time (tau_(C) approximately 0.7 ns), the variation of which is discussed in terms of the multiple trap-and-release model.