Analysis and enhancement of multi‐channel MAC protocol for ad hoc networks

In this paper, an analytical model is proposed to calculate the network throughput of dedicated control channel protocols that are designed to schedule multiple packets to be transmitted on different data channels simultaneously. Based on the analytical model, a scheme by tuning the initial contention window size is proposed to maximize the network throughput. We also present a novel multi‐channel MAC protocol for single‐hop scenario. Simulation results show that the proposed model is capable of modeling the behaviors of dedicated control channel protocols accurately. Furthermore, the proposed scheme can reduce the cost of collisions and enhance the network throughput up to 22% for 1 kB packet size and 80 nodes. Compared with other dedicated control channel protocols, the proposed protocol can schedule more control packets and use multiple channels more efficiently. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A hidden mutual authentication protocol for low‐cost RFID tags

Radio‐frequency identification (RFID) technology enables the identification and tracking of objects by means of the wireless signals emitted by a tag attached to the objects of interest. Without adequate protection, however, malicious attackers can easily eavesdrop, scan or forge the information within the tag, thereby threatening the integrity of the system. Previous research has shown that the basic security requirements of RFID systems, i.e. identity authentication, information privacy and location privacy, can be satisfied using conventional cryptographic components. However, such components are expensive, and therefore conflict with the general requirement for low‐cost tag designs. Accordingly, this paper presents a low‐cost challenge‐response security protocol designated as the hidden mutual authentication protocol (HMAP) to accomplish both a mutual authentication capability between the tag and the reader and information privacy. The results show that HMAP provides an efficient means of concealing the authentication messages exchanged between the tag and the reader and is robust toward replay attacks. In addition, it is shown that HMAP is easily extended to provide complete location privacy by utilizing a hash function to generate different tag identifiers in each authentication session. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient non-coherent demodulation scheme for IEEE 802.15.4 LR-WPAN systems

An efficient non-coherent demodulation algorithm to compensate for the frequency offset effectively is proposed for IEEE 802.15.4 LR-WPAN systems working in the 868/915 MHz band. In the proposed algorithm, the decision criterion is changed depending on the frequency offset estimated in the preamble, and the received signal is differentially demodulated by using the phase difference between two consecutive bits. Simulation results show that the proposed method achieves better performance compared to conventional non-coherent algorithms, without increasing hardware costs significantly.     

Chiral Stereoisomer Engineering of Electron Transporting Materials for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

A series of chiral stereoisomers of electron transporting materials with two chiral substituents is rationally designed and synthesized, and the influence of stereoisomerism on their physical and electronic properties is investigated to demonstrate highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Compared to mesomeric naphthalene diimide (NDI) derivatives, which have heterochiral side groups with centrosymmetric molecular packing of symmetric‐shaped conformers in the crystalline state, enantiomeric NDI derivatives have homochiral side groups that exhibit non‐centrosymmetric molecular packing of asymmetric‐shaped conformers in the crystalline state and exhibit better solution processability based on one order of magnitude higher solubility. A similar trend is observed in different rylene diimide stereoisomers based on larger semiconducting core perylene diimide. The PSCs based on NDI enantiomers with good film‐forming ability and a very high lowest phase transition temperature (T_lowest) of 321 °C exhibit a high and uniform average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.067 ± 0.654%. These PSCs also have a high temporal device stability, with less than 10% degradation of the PCE at 100 °C for 1000 h without encapsulation. Therefore, chiral stereoisomer engineering of charge transporting materials is a potential approach to achieve high solution processability, excellent performance, and significant temporal stability in organic electronic devices.     

Effect of a policy intervention on handset subsidies on the intention to change handsets and households’ expenses in mobile telecommunications

This study examined effect of a policy intervention that provides an upper limit for handset subsidies on users’ intention to change handset and households’ expenses on mobile telecommunications. The Korean government has prohibited mobile network providers from providing excessive subsidies for mobile handsets to attract subscribers since Nov. 2014 according to the mobile act. Using the exogenous variation, we estimate the impact of the policy on the intention to change handsets and expenses on handset installment, total mobile communications, and online content. The longitudinal data are from the 2014 to 2015 waves of the Korea Media Panel Survey. The mobile act lowered the predicted probability of switching handsets by 0.4% points. Moreover, the mobile act increased the predicted probability of any expense on handset installment by 7.5% points and had a significant impact on the amount of expenses on handset installment, with an increase of 7.8%. The mobile act lowered users’ willingness to switch handsets and increased spending on handset installment. This increased burden in handset installment might shrink the online content market, which has a large need for government support, as well as decrease consumers’ welfare. We assert that the policy intervention on handset subsidies is questionable with regard to both consumer welfare and the healthiness of the ICT ecosystem.     

Resistive switching characteristics of ultra-thin TiOx

We investigated the resistive switching characteristics of Ir/TiO_x/TiN structure with 50 nm active area. We successfully formed ultra-thin (4 nm) TiO_x active layer using oxidation process of TiN BE, which was confirmed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) depth profiling. Compared to large area device (50 μm), which shows only ohmic behavior, 250 and 50 nm devices show very stable resistive switching characteristics. Due to the formation and rupture of oxygen vacancies induced conductive filament at Ir and TiO_x interface, bipolar resistive switching was occurred. We obtained excellent switching endurance up to 10⁶ times with 100 ns pulse and negligible degradation of each resistance state at 85 °C up to 10⁴ s.     

GPS‐Based Orbit Determination for KOMPSAT‐5 Satellite

Korea Multi‐Purpose Satellite‐5 (KOMPSAT‐5) is the first satellite in Korea that provides 1 m resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. Precise orbit determination (POD) using a dual‐frequency IGOR receiver data is performed to conduct high‐resolution SAR images. We suggest orbit determination strategies based on a differential GPS technique. Double‐differenced phase observations are sampled every 30 seconds. A dynamic model approach using an estimation of general empirical acceleration every 6 minutes through a batch least‐squares estimator is applied. The orbit accuracy is validated using real data from GRACE and KOMPSAT‐2 as well as simulated KOMPSAT‐5 data. The POD results using GRACE satellite are adjusted through satellite laser ranging data and compared with publicly available reference orbit data. Operational orbit determination satisfies 5 m root sum square (RSS) in one sigma, and POD meets the orbit accuracy requirements of less than 20 cm and 0.003 cm/s RSS in position and velocity, respectively.     

Fully aromatic polyimide gate insulators with low temperature processability for pentacene organic thin-film transistors

This paper demonstrates the effects of the imidization ratio of polyimide gate insulators on the performance of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). We report the synthetic results of polyimide films imidized at a temperature of 200 °C along with an easily removed organic base catalyst (1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene, DBU), and their application in gate insulators of organic thin-film transistors. The degree of imidization increased to almost 100% after a thermal treatment at 200 °C for 40 min in the presence of DBU. The performance of the pentacene OTFT dramatically improved by using low temperature cured polyimide film as the gate insulator.     

Large-Scale Synthesis of Graphene Films by Joule-Heating-Induced Chemical Vapor Deposition

We report large-area synthesis of few-layer graphene films by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in a cold-wall reactor. The key feature of this method is that the catalytic metal layers on the SiO₂/Si substrates are self-heated to high growth temperature (900°C to 1000°C) by high-current Joule heating. Synthesis of high-quality graphene films, whose structural and electrical characteristics are comparable to those grown by hot-wall CVD systems, was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy images, Raman spectra, and current–voltage analysis. Optical transmittance spectra of the graphene films allowed us to estimate the number of graphene layers, which revealed that high-temperature exposure of Ni thin layers to a carbon precursor (CH₄) was critical in determining the number of graphene layers. In particular, exposure to CH₄ for 20 s produces very thin graphene films with an optical transmittance of 93%, corresponding to an average layer number of three and a sheet resistance of ~600 Ω/square.