LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Kobayashi Lab
Machine-translated · View original
The lab engineers semiconductor crystals at the electron and photon level.
AboutAbout the lab
Controlling the behavior of electrons and photons
The Kobayashi Lab studies compound semiconductors as a lab in electronic and photonic materials science.
The lab investigates how materials change when electricity or light is applied, and how those changes can be put to use.
The lab fabricates crystals such as semiconductors and creates fine structures and quantum structures in them, aiming to control the behavior of electrons and photons.
Research centers on experiments rather than theory, and is applied to new solar cell materials and semiconductor devices.
Key terms
- Compound semiconductor
- A semiconductor material made of two or more elements
- Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)
- A method of depositing atoms or molecules one layer at a time to build up a clean crystal
- Solar cell
- A device that converts sunlight into electricity
ResearchResearch themes
The lab fabricates a variety of crystals, mainly semiconductors, and creates nanometer-scale microstructures, low-dimensional structures, and quantum structures in them to control the behavior of electrons and photons. The lab currently carries out research in three groups: the MBE group, the close-spaced sublimation group, and the CZTS group.
*Illustrative imageMBE Group: Fabricating Semiconductor Thin Films
The group fabricates semiconductors using a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system. It makes thin films aimed at applications in human body communication devices and in devices that receive terahertz waves.
*Illustrative imageClose-Spaced Sublimation Group: Solar Cell Materials
Using a method called close-spaced sublimation, the group makes thin films of chalcopyrite compounds, which have properties suited to solar cells, and studies their application to solar cells.
*Illustrative imageCZTS Group: New Solar Cell Materials
The group makes solar cells from CZTS (Cu2ZnSnS4), a material composed of elements abundant on Earth. Applying nanoparticles as a coating makes the surface smoother and the film thickness easier to control.
*Illustrative imageFluorescent Nanoparticle Group: Wavelength Conversion of Sunlight
The group researched how to raise energy conversion efficiency by forming a transparent thin film of fluorescent nanoparticles on the surface of a solar cell to change the wavelength of sunlight. This activity is currently suspended.
MembersFaculty
The Kobayashi Lab's members consist of faculty, master's students, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorMasakazu Kobayashi
VoicesStudent voices
Compiled from answers by students who were in the lab. Ratings and reviews reflect individual students' experiences, not the lab's official views.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
On a 4-point scale, ● marks where students' answers fall
Who is this lab for?
What's great about this lab?
What did you learn after joining?
What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
Where do graduates go?
RelatedLabs similar to Kobayashi Lab
Amasawa LabSchool of Advanced Science and Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and BioscienceSustainable social systems and energy
Inoe LabSchool of Advanced Science and Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and BioscienceProbabilistic information processing and machine learning
Iwasaki LabSchool of Advanced Science and Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and BioscienceCellular molecular networks and chronobiology
Okubo LabSchool of Advanced Science and Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and BioscienceElectrical energy storage devices and electrochemistryThe information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Silicon seed crystal puller rod” Warut Roonguthai / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- MBE Group: Fabricating Semiconductor Thin Films: “Dülmen, Hausdülmen, Zaun einer Wiese” Dietmar Rabich / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Close-Spaced Sublimation Group: Solar Cell Materials: “Dry Ice Sublimation 1” Christopher from Salem, OR, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- CZTS Group: New Solar Cell Materials: “Kesterite, Mushistonite-236829” Carles Millan / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Fluorescent Nanoparticle Group: Wavelength Conversion of Sunlight: “Agate luminescence in ultraviolet rays” Dr Anatoly / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Amasawa Lab): “Traditional Japanese wrapping cloth,huroshiki,katori-city,japan” katorisi / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Inoe Lab): “Tabuleiros de Galton (antes e depois)” Exhibit made by Estes Objethos Atelier, photo by Rodrigo Tetsuo Argenton / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Iwasaki Lab): “Cyanobacteria 029” Lamiot / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Okubo Lab): “Lithium-Ion Cell cylindric” RudolfSimon / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
About LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.