• New Physics: Sae Mulli
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• v.68 no.12
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• pp.1281-1287
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• 2018

In this study, $Al_xGa_{1-x}N$ films were grown on (0001) sapphire substrates by using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The crystallinity of the grown films was examined with X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. The surfaces and the chemical properties of the $Al_xGa_{1-x}N$ films were investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The optical properties of the $Al_xGa_{1-x}N$ film were studied in a wide photon energy range between 2.0 ~ 8.7 eV by using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) at room temperature. The data obtained by using SE were analyzed to find the critical points of the pseudodielectric function spectra, $<{\varepsilon}(E)>=<{\varepsilon}_1(E)>+i<{\varepsilon}_2(E)>$. In addition, the second derivative spectra, $d^2<{\varepsilon}(E)>/dE^2$, of the pseudodielectric function for the $Al_xGa_{1-x}N$ films were numerically calculated to determine the critical points (CPs), such as the $E_0$, $E_1$, and $E_2$ structure. For the four samples (x = 0.18, 0.21, 0.25, 0.29) between a composition of x = 0.18 and x = 0.29, changes in the critical points (blue-shifts) with increasing Al composition at 300 K for the $Al_xGa_{1-x}N$ film were observed via ellipsometric measurements for the first time.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.226-233
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• 2008

The nucleation and evolution process of Ge nano-islands on Si(001) surfaces grown by chemical vapor deposition have been explored using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The Ge nano-islands are grown by exposing the substrates to a mixture of gasses GeH4 and H2 at pressure of 0.1-0.5Torr and temperatures of $600-650^{\circ}C$. The effect of growth conditions such as temperature, Ge thickness, annealing time on the shape, size, number density, and surface distribution was investigated. For Ge deposition greater than ${\sim}5$ monolayer (ML) with a growth rate of ${\sim}0.1ML/sec$ at $600^{\circ}C$, we observed island nucleation on the surface indicating the transition from strained layer to island structure. Further deposition of Ge led to shape transition from initial pyramid and hut to dome and superdome structure. The lateral average size of the islands increased from ${\sim}20nm$ to ${\sim}310nm$ while the number density decreased from $4{\times}10^{18}$ to $5{\times}10^8cm^{-2}$ during the shape transition process. In contrast, for the samples grown at a relatively higher temperature of $650^{\circ}C$ the morphology of the islands showed that the dome shape is dominant over the pyramid shape. The further deposition of Ge led to transition from the dome to the superdome shape. The evolution of shape, size, and surface distribution is related to energy minimization of the islands and surface diffusion of Ge adatoms. In particular, we found that the initially nucleated islands did not grow through long-range interaction between whole islands on the surface but via local interaction between the neighbor islands by investigation of the inter-islands distance.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.240-246
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• 2002

$TiO_2$ films on soda-lime-silica glasses were prepared by spin coating-pyrolysis process using titanium naphthenate as a starting material. As-deposited films were pyrolyzed at $500^{\circ}C$ for 10 min in air and annealed at 500, 550 and $600^{\circ}C$ for 30 min in air. Crystallinity of the film was investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis. A field emission-scanning electron microscope and an atomic force microscope were used for characterizing the surface morphology and the surface roughness of the film. After annealing at 550 and $600^{\circ}C$, the X-ray diffraction patterns consist of only anatase peak. Films annealed at 500 and $550^{\circ}C$ exhibited flat surfaces. While with the increase in annealing temperature to $600^{\circ}C$, the $TiO_2$ film showed abnormal growth of three-dimensional needle-shaped grains. For all samples, high transmittance, above 90 % at 500 nm, was obtained at visible range. To investigate photocatalytic properties, IR absorbance associated with the C-H stretching vibrations of a thin solution-cast film of stearic acid under 365 nm (2.4 mW/$\textrm{cm}^2$) UV irradiation was estimated.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.71-76
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• 2008

Purpose: A simple and efficient method to prepare nanocrystalline ZnO thin film with pure strong UV emission on soda-lime-silica glass substrates by low-temperature annealing was improved. Methods: Crystal structural, surface morphological, and optical characteristics of nanocrystalline ZnO thin films deposited on soda-lime-silica glass substrates by prefiring final annealing process at 300$^{\circ}C$ were investigated by using X-ray diffraction analysis, field emission-scanning electron microscope, scanning probe microscope, ultraviolet-visible-near infrared spectrophotometer, and photoluminescence. Results: Highly c-axis-oriented ZnO films were obtained by prefiring at 300$^{\circ}C$. A high transmittance in the visible spectra range and clear absorption edge in the ultra violet range of the film was observed. The PL spectrum of ZnO thin film with a deep near band edge emission was observed while the defect-related broad green emission was nearly quenched. Conclusions: Our work will be possibly adopted to cheaply and easily fabricate ZnO-based optoelectronic devices at low temperature, below 300$^{\circ}C$, in the future.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.316-322
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• 2013

In this study, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was treated with fluorination and ultrasonic washing treatment for hydrophilic modification of PET film. We measured the change of surface modified PET film surface characteristics using contact angle, surface free energy, FE-SEM, AFM and XPS. After direct fluorination and ultrasonic washing treatment, the water contact angle was measured to be $10.81^{\circ}$, 85% reduction compared to the untreated PET film. Total surface free energy has been measured to be $42.25mNm^{-1}$, 650% increase compared to the untreated PET film. Also RMS roughness has been measured to be 1.965 nm, 348% increase compared to the untreated PET film. Hydrophilic functional group C-OH bond concentration has increased approximately 3 times. These results are attributed to the hydrophilic functional group and cavitation due to chemical etching. From this result, it was suggested that the fluorination-ultrasonic washing treatment method could be useful to make PET film surface hydrophilic.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.472-477
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• 2016

We studied the effects of anodic oxidation treatments of carbon fibers on interfacial adhesion of the carbon fibers-reinforced epoxy matrix composites with various current densities. The surface of treated carbon fibers was characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM), field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of the composites was determined by a short beam shear test. This result showed that both the roughness and oxygen group of the carbon fibers surface increased in proportion to the current density. After anodic-oxidation-treated, the ILSS also increased as a function of the current density. In addition, the proportional relationship between ILSS and phenolic hydroxyl group was confirmed. The ILSS of the CF-2.0 sample increased by 4% compared to that of the CF-AS sample, because the anodic oxidation treatment increased the oxygen group and roughness on the carbon fibers surface, which leading to the improvement of the interfacial adhesion of the carbon fibers-reinforced epoxy matrix composites. Among these, the phenolic hydroxyl group which has the proportional relationship with ILSS is found to be the most important factor for improving the interfacial adhesion of the carbon fibers-reinforced epoxy matrix composites.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 2004

Perylene is an interesting material known to have P-type and N-type characteristics at the same time. We prepared perylene thin-films in ultrahigh vacuum with two different deposition rates of 0.1 $\AA$/s and 1.0 $\AA$/s in order to study the dependence of film characteristics on the growth condition. The smaller average grain size with larger surface coverage as well as the better crystallinity were observed on the perylene film prepared under 1.0 $\AA$/s deposition rate in x-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) study. For studying electrical property of the film, perylene organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) with gold contacts was fabricated on $SiO_2$/Si surface in UHV condition. The prepared perylene OTFT device shows P-type characteristic. The obtained hole mobility in the current-voltage characteristic curve was$2.23\times10^{-5}\textrm{cm}^2$/Vs.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.356-362
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• 2002

The molecular orientational dynamics of the nonlinear optical(NLO) side-chain polymer N-(4-nitrophenyl)-(L)-prolinol-poly (pphenylene terephthalates) have been studied using nonlinear optical responses as measured by second harmonic generation (SHG). A new pulsed corona poling is used to orient the NLO chromophores and the polymer segments into the noncentrosymmetric structure required to obtain the SHG signal. By corona poling of negative high voltage pulses with variable repetition rates (between 0.5 and 10 ㎑) at temperature between 25$^{\circ}C$ and 80$^{\circ}C$, well below and about the glass transition temperature 70$^{\circ}C$, the side-chain chromophores and the polymer chain contour rearrange themselves and create the domain structure observed by atomic force microscopy(AFM). The pulsed corona voltage enhances the orientational ordering of the NLO chromophores and also significantly influences the growth of SHG signal and the improved relaxation behavior after the poling field is removed, reducing the visible damage to the polymer film dramatically. This new pulsed corona poling experiment gave direct in situ evidence that the NLO chromophore and the polymer backbone undergo anisotropic rearrangement during the poling process.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2018

To evaluate surface characteristics of AlN single crystal grown by physical vapor transport (PVT) method, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) were performed with diamond slurry and $SiO_2$ slurry after mechanical polishing (MP), then the surface morphology and analysis of polishing characteristics of the slurry types were analyzed. To estimate how pH of slurry effects polishing process, pH of $SiO_2$ slurry was controlled, the results from estimating the effect of zeta potential and MRR (material removal rate) were compared in accordance with each pH via zeta potential analyzer. Eventually, surface roughness RMS (0.2 nm) could be derived with atomic force microscope (AFM).

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.28-33
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• 2008

Lanthanum modified lead zirconate titanate ($Pb_{1.1}La_{0.08}Zr_{0.65}Ti_{0.35}O_3$) thin films were fabricated on indium doped tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrate by R.F magnetron sputtering method. The thin films were deposited at $500^{\circ}C$ and post-annealed with various temperature ($550-750^{\circ}C$) by rapid thermal annealing technique. The structure and morphology of the films were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) respectively. The hysteresis loops and fatigue properties of thin films were measured by precision material analyzer. As the annealing temperature was increased, the remnant polarization value was increased from $10.6{\mu}C/cm^2$ to $31.4{\mu}C/cm^2$, and coercive field was reduced from 79.9 kV/cm to 60.9 kV/cm. As a result of polarization endurance analysis, the remnant polarization of PLZT thin films annealed at $700^{\circ}C$ was decreased 15% after $10^9$ switching cycles using 1MHz square wave form at ${\pm}5V$.