Transparent conducting $SnO_2$-based thin films have been coated on float substrates such as fused quartz, and ceramic fiber cloths such as the Nexel and E-glass cloth from tin alkoxides by the sol-gel technique. Also, thin films of alternating layers of $SnO_2$ and $SiO_2$ have been fabricated by dip coating. The sheet resistance and average visible transmittance of the films were investigated in the aspect of the applications as transparent electrodes such as liquid crystal displays, photo-detectors and solar cells. The Nextel and E-glass cloths coated with antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) had sheet resistance of as low as $20 \;ohm/{\Box}$ and $120ohm/\;{\Box}$, respectively. The promotion effects of additives as $La_2O_3$ and Pt on the ethanol gas sensing properties of the films were investigated in the aspects of the applications as an alcohol sensor and a breath alcohol checker. Possible evidence of quantum well effects in the oxide multilayers of $SnO_2$ and $SiO_2$ was investigated.

The variation of electrical conductively and Seebeck coefficient of FeSi2 according to the density of the specimen has been observed over the temperature range 50 to $700^{\circ}C$. A conventional pressureless sintering method with various sintering time (0, 0.5, 1, 5h) at $1190^{\circ}C$ and/or various sintering temperatures(1160, 1175, 1190, $1200^{\circ}C$) for 2 h was carried out to prepare $FeSi_2$ specimens having various densities. The relationship between the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient was investigated after two steps of annealing (at $865^{\circ}C$ and then $800^{\circ}C$ for total 160h) and thermoelectric measurement. The electrical conductivity for the specimens showed a typical tendency of semiconductor, the average activation energy of which in the intrinsic region (above $300^{\circ}C$) was observed approximately as 0.452 eV, and increased slightly with density. On the other hand, the specimen of the lower density showed the higher value of Seebeck coefficient in the intrinsic region. As the temperature fell into the non-degenerate region, the highly densified specimen which had relatively little residual metal phase showed the higher value of Seeback coefficient. The power factor of all specimens showed the optimum value at $200^{\circ}C$. However, the power factor of the specimen of the lower density increased again from $400^{\circ}C$ and that of the higher dense specimen increased from $500^{\circ}C$. The power factor was more affected by Seebeck coefficient than electrical conductivity over all temperature range.

The phase distribution and interface chemistry by the solid-state reaction between SiC and nickel were studied at temperatures between $550 \;and\; 1250^{\circ}C$ for 0.5-100 h. The reaction with the formation of silicides and carbon was first observed above $650^{\circ}C$. At $750^{\circ}C$, as the reaction proceeded, the initially, formed $Ni_3Si_2$ layer was converted to $Ni_2$Si. The thin nickel film reacted completely with SiC after annealing at $950^{\circ}C$ for 2 h. The thermodynamically stable $Ni_2$Si is the only obsrved silicide in the reaction zone up to $1050^{\circ}C$. The formation of $Ni_2$Si layers with carbon precipitates alternated periodically with the carbon free layers. At temperatures between $950^{\circ}C$ and $1050^{\circ}C$, the typical layer sequences in the reaction zone is determined by quantitative microanalysis to be $SiC/Ni_2$$Si+C/Ni_2$$Si/Ni_2$$Si+C/…Ni_2$Si/Ni(Si)/Ni. The mechanism of the periodic band structure formation with the carbon precipitation behaviour was discussed in terms of reaction kinetics and thermodynamic considerations. The reaction kinetics is proposed to estimate the effective reaction constant from the parabolic growth of the reaction zone.

Solid electroyte nasion was synthesized by the optimized solid state reaction minimizing the volume fraction of secondary $ZrO_2$ and glassy phases. To compensate for the evaporation of Na and P during heat-treatment, excess Na and P were added to the starting composition $Na_{1+x} Zr_2 Si_x P_{d-x} O_{12}$ (x=2.1). Phases pure nasicon comparable in volume fraction to the one obtaied from sol-gel process were synthesized after the reaction at $1100~1150^{\circ}C$,$ P_{O2}>=0.1-0.15 $$ZrO_2$ increased with the heat-treatment time due to the decomposition of nasicon phase and that of glassy phase increased as partial oxygen pressure decreased. The synthesized nasion showed a good electrical conductivity of $-1{\times}10^{-2}({\omega}{\cdot}cm)^{-1}$ at $350^{\circ}C$.

In thick film resistors, the characteristics of the frit and the reaction between glass frit and conductor material play an important role for their electrical properties. In this study, various glass frits in the system of $60RO{\cdot}20SiO_2$ $15B_2O_3{\cdot}5Al_2O_3$(RO=PbO, ZnO, CdO; mole%) were mixed with $RuO_2$ and coated on 96% alumina substrate. Only the glass frit containing PbO was reacted with $RuO_2$in$RuO_{2+}$-thick film resistor and produced the new crystalline phase of $Pb_2Ru_2O_{65}$. Their electrical resistivities strongly depend on the amount of $Pb_2Ru_2O_{65}$ crystalline phase obtained, which varied with firing temperature. The sheet resistivities of these resistors were varied from $10^3\; to\; 10^6\;{\Omega}/{\Box}$ depending on heat treatment, and the absolute value of TCR was decreased as the heat treatment temperature increaed. However, $RuO_2$ did not reacted with the glass frits containing ZnO nor CdO, and the resulting showed very high sheet resistivities.

${\alpha}-SiC$ powder with or without the addition of 0.1 wt% of large ${\alpha}-SiC$ partices(seeds) was pressureless-sintered at $1950^{\circ}C$ for 0.5, 2, and 4 h using $Y_3Al_5 O_{12}$ (yttrium aluminum garnet, YAG) as a sintering aid. The materials without seeds had an equiaxed grain struture. In contrast, the materials with seeds sintered for 2 and 4 h had a duplex microstructure with large elongated grains and amall equiaxed grains. Addition of large ${\alpha}-SiC$ seeds into ${\alpha}-SiC$ accelerated the grain growth of some ${\alpha}-SiC$ grains during sintering and resulted in the increased fracture toughness of the sintered materials. The fracture toughnesses of materials with or without seeds sintered for 4 h were 6.6 and $5.2 MPa \;m^{12}$, respectively.

$RuO_2$ thin films deposited directly on Si substrate by RF magnetron sputtering method using $RuO_2$ target have been investigated. Special interest was focused on the effect of process parameter on the surface roughness of $RuO_2$ films. Crystallization behavior and electrical properties of the films deposited at $300^{\circ}C$ were superior to those deposited at room temperature. Metallic Ru phase was formed in pure Ar and this phase had resulted poor adhesion after post annealing process in oxidizing ambient. Microstructural analysis reveals that the size of the $RuO_2$ crystallites gets smaller and the surface becomes smoother as the $O_2$ partial pressure or film thickness decreases. Irrespective of the $O_2/Ar$ ratio, resistivity of $RuO_2$ films ranged in $50~70 {\mu}{\Omega}-cm$. As the film thickness decreases, there is a thickness where the resistivity rises abruptly. Such an onset thickness turned out to be dependent n the $O_2$/Ar ratio.

Ion beam assisted crystallization behavior of sol-gel derived $PbTiO_3$ thin films, deposited on bare silicon(100) substrates by spin-casting method, has been investigated. Ar ion bombardment was directly conducted on the spincoated film surface with or without heating the film from room temperature to $300^{\circ}C$. Ion dose was changed from $5{\times}10^{15}$ to $7.5{\times}10^{16}$ $Ar^-/cm^2$. Formation of (110) oriented perovskite phase was obseerved with ion dose above $5{\times}10^{16}\; Ar^+/cm^2$. Crystallization of $PbTiO_3$ thin film could be enhanced with increasing the Air ion dose, or heating the substrate during ion bombardment. Crystallization of the $PbTiO_3$ films by ion bombardment was related to the local heating effect during ion bombardment.