Function cultivation of transparent oxides utilizing built-in nanostructure

This review article describes recent progress in our research on cultivation of functionality in crystalline and amorphous transparent oxides utilizing nanostructures embedded in the material itself. It includes the background of our research and approach. Subjects included are material exploration and device application of transparent oxide semiconductors for transparent electronics, function emergence in nano-porous crystal 12CaO center dot 7Al(2)O(3) utilizing active anion species stabilized by sub-nanometer-sized cages, and modified silica glass for vacuum/deep ultraviolet lasers. Our description of each subject include: background and approach, material design concept, fabrication or modification method, properties, and device fabrication. Emphasis is placed on the importance of a variety of built-in nanostructures in transparent oxides for novel function realization and the high potential of transparent oxides as ingredients for an ubiquitous element strategy of material research in this century.