Objective

Syllabus
Starting with the introduction of different types of Intellectual Property (IP), such as patents, trademarks, registered design, copyright and trade secret, etc., from legal regulations, going through case studies and the best practices of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and enforcement, to establish a foundation for the proactive management of IP and commercialization of technologies and innovations.

This course covers the following elements:

1. Introduction of different types of IP from legal definition, requirements, and scope of protection
2. Enforcement of different types of IP and the economic impact of IP
3. IP information analysis and applications
4. IP valuation and finance
5. IP exploitation and anatomy of licensing agreement
6. Formulating IP management strategy

Learning Outcome
This course aims to raise awareness of the principal concepts of Intellectual Property Management (IPM) and its importance as a spur to human creativity and the advancement of economic and social development. It also provides explanation on the development and implementation of an IPM strategy including the management of intellectual property (IP) in a company or an organization.

After going through the course, students are able :

• To identify the proper types of IP protection for an innovation
• To formulate a strategy to exploit a technology with IP protection
• To use IP information for planning and decision making
• To handle IP transactions through licensing
• To establish an IP management strategy for an organization

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Objective

Syllabus
Comparison between different lighting sources, lighting standards, basics of all-solid-state lamps, solid-state lighting systems, sensor fundamentals, signal conditioning, functional aspects of different sensors, sensor device examples, technology trend and challenges of solid-state lighting and sensor devices.

Learning Outcome
By the end of the course, students should demonstrate the following outcomes:

• have a brief picture of the technology aspects of various solid-state lighting systems and sensor devices;
• clear understanding on the physics of light generation from semiconducting junctions, important parameters governing the performance of high-power light-emitting diodes, system design consideration;
• clear understanding on the operation principles of common sensor devices and their design considerations;
• appreciation of technology trend and challenges of solid-state lighting and sensor device technologies.

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Objective

Syllabus
Overview of optical fibre communications. Types and properties of fibres. Optical transmitters, receivers, and repeaters. Passive optical component. Optical modulation and multiplexing techniques. Fibre communication systems. Optical networks. Introduction to optical interconnects. Silicon photonics. Active optical cables. Recent trends in optical interconnects.

Learning Outcome
By the end of the course, students should obtain an overall picture of the history and recent developments of optical communications, and understand its advantages and limitations. They will acquire knowledge on the operating principle and technology of different key components in an optical communication system and optical interconnects. They should be able to apply skills for the design of basic fibre components, systems, and networks and carry out qualitative and quantitative analyses on their performances.

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Objective
This course introduces solar cell and other technologies for low-carbon energy systems. It starts with a review of semiconductors, with a focus on the fundamentals for solar cell development. The content covers such as electron and hole, Fermi energy, generation and recombination, p-n junction, and the optical and optoelectronic properties. The course then elaborates the solar cell technology in-depth – covering (i) the basic principles of photovoltaic devices, including absorption, photo-electric conversion, conversion efficiency, loss mechanism, carrier collection and device characterization; (ii) the four generations of solar cell technology, e.g., monocrystalline solar cells, thin-film solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, organic solar cells; and (iii) other related engineering topics such as concentrated solar power, management techniques, manufacturing systems, reliability, life-cycle analysis, markets and policies. Beyond the solar cell technology, the course continues with discussions on other low-carbon energy technologies, for instance, thin-film transistors, ultralow-power flexible electronics, light-emitting diodes, and nanoenergy harvesting technologies. In the end, the course concludes with fabrication towards large-scale, low-cost and green manufacturing, including the key considerations in developing large-scale, flexible devices and the emerging printing techniques.

Syllabus
Review of Semiconductors:

• Basics: Semiconductor crystals, two types of current carriers in semiconductors: intrinsic and doped semiconductors, electron and hole generation and recombination in thermal equilibrium; modelling the diffusion: diffusion-current equation, continuity equation, and doping profiles; drift current.
• Carrier mobility: Effective mass, thermal velocity and drift velocity; mobility; scattering: dependence of mobility on temperature and doping concentration; mobility versus diffusion coefficient: Haynes-Shockley experiment and Einstein relationship.
• Energy-Band model: Energy bands – quantum mechanics background; the population of energy bands: Fermi-Dirac distribution and Fermi level; energy bands with the applied electric field. Solar cell technologies:
• Introduction to solar irradiation; basic principles of photovoltaics, theoretical efficiency limit, and light management; crystalline solar cells, thin-film solar cells, organic and nanostructure-based solar cells, material factors, device design and fabrication methods. Module design and manufacturing, solar panels, system components and building (or grid) integration, scaling, life cycle assessment, and cost. Low-carbon energy technologies beyond solar cells
• Technologies beyond solar cells, including thin-film transistors, flexible and wearable electronics, light-emitting diodes, and nanoenergy harvesting;
• Manufacturing: Materials and the fabrication considerations and methods for large-scale, low-cost and green manufacturing;
• Printed electronics: Printable electronic materials, inks and formulations, printing technologies, and printable applications.

Learning Outcome
By the end of the course, students should be able to

• Gain the fundamental knowledge and skills in understanding the operation principles of solar cells and other related low-carbon energy technologies,and note the scope and limitation of the solar cells and beyond technologies.
• Apply the learned knowledge and skills in solid state devices for analysis in various types of solar cells and devices and their basic functionalities, basic device characterization techniques, and advanced device fabrication methods.
• Understand the technological impact of low-carbon energy technologies to the society.
• Understand the basic physical principles and the engineering know-how of low-carbon energy technologies for further specialization in areas related to display technology, solid state lighting technology, photovoltaic technology.

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