• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.112-112
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• 2009

In this study, the effect of a long post-deposition thermal annealing(600 and 1000 $^{\circ}C$) on the surface acoustic wave (SAW) properties of polycrystalline (poly) aluminum-nitride (AlN) thin films grown on a 3C-SiC buffer layer was investigates. The poly-AlN thin films with a (0002) preferred orientation were deposited on the substrates by using a pulsed reactive magnetron sputtering system. Experimental results show that the texture degree of AlN thin film was reduced along the increase in annealing temperature, which caused the decrease in the electromechanical coupling coefficient ($k^2$). The SAW velocity also was decreased slightly by the increase in root mean square (RMS) roughness over annealing temperature. However, the residual stress in films almost was not affect by thermal annealing process due to small lattice mismatch different and similar coefficient temperature expansion (CTE) between AlN and 3C-SiC. After the AlN film annealed at 1000 $^{\circ}C$, the insertion loss of an $IDT/AlN/3C-SiC/SiO_2/Si$ structure (-16.44 dB) was reduced by 8.79 dB in comparison with that of the as-deposited film (-25.23 dB). The improvement in the insertion loss of the film was fined according to the decrease in the grain size. The characteristics of AlN thin films were also evaluated using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra and X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.78-85
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• 2012

Aluminum nitride(AlN) is a compound (III-V group) of hexagonal system with a crystal structure. Its Wurzite phase is a very wide band gap semiconductor material. It has not only a high thermal conductivity, a high electrical resistance, a high electrical insulating constant, a high breakdown voltage and an excellent mechanical strength but also stable thermal and chemical characteristics. This study is on the preferred orientation characteristics of AlN thin films by reactive evaporation using $NH_3$. We have manufactured an AlN thin film and then have checked the crystal structure and the preferred orientation by using an X-ray diffractometer and have also observed the microstructure with TEM and AlN chemical structure with FT-IR. We can manufacture an excellent AlN thin film by reactive evaporation using $NH_3$ under 873 K of substrate temperature. The AlN thin film growth is dependent on Al supplying and $NH_3$ has been found to be effective as a source of $N_2$. However, the nuclear structure of AlN did not occur randomly around the substrate a particle of the a-axis orientation in fast growth speed becomes an earlier crystal structure and is shown to have an a-axis preferred orientation. Therefore, reactive evaporation using $NH_3$ is not affected by provided $H_2$ amount and this can be an easy a-axis orientation method.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.494-500
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• 2018

In this study, the effect of the content of $MgO-CaO-Al_2O_3-SiO_2$ (MCAS) glass additives on the properties of AlN ceramics is investigated. Dilatometric analysis and isothermal sintering for AlN compacts with MCAS contents varying between 5 and 20 wt% are carried out at temperatures ranging up to $1600^{\circ}C$. The results showed that the shrinkage of the AlN specimens increases with increasing MCAS content, and that full densification can be obtained irrespective of the MCAS content. Moreover, properties of the AlN-MCAS specimens such as microhardness, thermal conductivity, dielectric constant, and dielectric loss are analyzed. Microhardness and thermal conductivity decrease with increasing MCAS content. An acceptable candidate for AlN application is obtained: an AlN-MCAS composite with a thermal conductivity over $70W/m{\cdot}K$ and a dielectric loss tangent (tan ${\delta}$) below $0.6{\times}10^{-3}$, with up to 10 wt% MCAS content.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.364.1-364.1
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• 2014

고효율 태양전지로 가기 위해서는 태양전지의 후면 패시베이션은 중요한 역할을 한다. 후면 패시베이션 막으로 사용되는 $Al_2O_3$ 막은 $Al_2O_3/Si$ 계면에서 높은 화학적 패시베이션과 Negative Fixed Charge를 가지고 있어 적합한 Barrier막으로 여겨진다. 하지만 이후에 전면 Metal paste의 소성 공정에 의해 $800^{\circ}C$이상 온도를 올려주게 됨에 따라 $Al_2O_3$ 막 내부에 결합되어 있던 수소들이 방출되어 blister가 생성되고 막 질은 떨어지게 된다. 우리는 blister가 생성되는 것을 방지하기 위한 방법으로 PECVD 장비로 SiNx를 증착하는 공정 중에 $N_2O$ 가스를 첨가하여 SiON 막을 증착하였다. SiON막은 $N_2O$가스량을 조절하여 막의 특성을 변화시키고 변화에 따라 소성시 막에 미치는 영향에 대하여 조사하였다. 공정을 위해 $156{\times}156mm2$, $200{\mu}m$, $0.5-3.0{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$ and p-type 단결정 실리콘 웨이퍼를 사용하였고, $Al_2O_3$ 막을 올리기 전에 RCA Cleaning 실행하였다. ALD 장비를 통해 $Al_2O_3$ 막을 10nm 증착하였고 RF-PECVD 장비로 SiNx막과 SiON막을 80nm 증착하였다. 소성로에서 $850^{\circ}C$ ($680^{\circ}C$) 5초동안 소성하고 QSSPC를 통해 유효 반송자 수명을 알아보았다.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.48-53
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• 2018

Aluminum nitride (AlN) is used by the semiconductor industry that has requirements for high thermal conductivity. The theoretical thermal conductivity of single crystal AlN is 320W/mK. Whereas, the values measured for polycrystalline AlN ceramics range from 20 W/mK to 280 W/mK. The variability is strongly dependent upon the purity of the starting materials and non-uniform dispersibility of the sintering additive. The conventional AlN sintering additive used yttria ($Y_2O_3$), but the dispersibility of the powder in the mixing process was important. In this study, we investigated the mechanical and thermal conductivity of yttrium nitrate ($Y(NO_3)_3{\cdot}6H_2O$), as a sintering additive in order to improve the dispersibility of $Y_2O_3$. The sintering additives content was in the range of 2 to 4.5wt.%. The density of AlN gradually increased with increasing contents of sintering additive and the flexural strength gradually increased as well. The flexural strength of the sintered body containing 4 wt% of $Y_2O_3$ and $Y(NO_3)_3{\cdot}6H_2O$ was 334.1 MPa and 378.2 MPa, respectively. The thermal conductivities were 189.7W/mK and 209.4W/mK, respectively. In the case of hardness, there was only a slight difference and the average value was about 10 GPa. Therefore, densification, density and strength values were found to be proportional to its content. It was confirmed that AlN using $Y(NO_3)_3{\cdot}6H_2O$ displayed relatively higher thermal conductivity and mechanical properties than the $Y_2O_3$.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.560-566
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• 2007

AlN plates were fabricated by hot pressing at $1700-1900^{\circ}C$ using yttria and alumina (3 and $10\;{\mu}m$ particle size) powders as additives and characterized: density, thermal conductivity, transverse rupture strength, and grain size measurement by SEM and EDS. Density values of $3.31-3.34\;g/cm^3$ are largely attributed to hot pressing of powder mixtures in carbon mold under $N_2$ atmosphere which caused effective degree of oxygen removal from yttrium-aluminate phase expected to form at $1100^{\circ}C$. The grain size of hot pressed AlN was almost homogeneous, with size approximately from 3.2 to $4.0\;{\mu}m$ after hot pressing. $Al_2O_3$ powder of $3\;{\mu}m$ particle size resulted in better transverse rupture strength and finer grain size compared to $10\;{\mu}m$ $Al_2O_3$ powder. The thermal conductivity of AlN ranged between $83-92.7\;W/m{\cdot}K$ and decreased with $Al_2O_3$ addition. Fine grain size is preferred for better mechanical properties and thermal conductivity.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.08a
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• pp.147-150
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• 2006

A new class of heat transfer fluid with higher thermal conductivity, called nanofluids has been developed by Dr. S. Choi about decade ago. Many exciting experimental and theoretical results have been reported worldwide to predict the thermal conductivity enhancement of nanofluids, however, they sometimes show excessive large discrepancies between each other. This kind of disagreements in thermal conductivity data is partly ascribable to the accuracy of the measuring apparatus, that is, mostly used THM(transient hot-wire method). New thermal conductivity measuring method whose principle is different from that of conventional THM is proposed in this article and measurements and uncertainty analysis were made for the three nanofluid samples with different particle concentration of pure, 2% and 4% of AlN nanofluids.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.30 no.9 s.252
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• pp.898-904
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• 2006

A new method measuring thermal conductivity of fluids is proposed in this research. It is based on the steady state heat transfer from a hot central cylinder to a cold outer cylinder located concentrically. This method guarantees more stable measurement than conventional THM(transient hot-wire method) due to its simplicity of theoretical principle. Measurements was made for the three nanofluid samples with different particle concentration of pure, 2% and 4%. Nanofluids are made by mixing the pure transformer oil with AlN nano particles. Design of the sensor module and experimental procedures are explained and comparison of the measuring data between present method and THM was made in detail.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.77-81
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• 2011

Aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films were prepared by using nitrogen ion beam assisted reactive radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering on the glass substrates without intentional substrate heating. After deposition, the effect of nitrogen ion beam energy on the structural and optical properties of AlN films were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM) and UV-Vis. spectrophotometer, respectively. AlN films deposited with $N^+$ ion irradiation at 100 eV show the higher (002) peak intensity in XRD pattern than other films. It means that $N^+$ ion energy of 100 eV is the favorable condition for low temperature crystallization. AFM images also show that surface average roughness is increased from 1.5 to 9.6 nm with $N^+$ ion energy in this study. In an optical observation, AlN films which deposited by $N^+$ ion beam energy of 100 eV show the higher transmittance than that of the films prepared with the other $N^+$ ion beam conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.235-242
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• 2018

High temperature electrical conductivity of Aluminum Nitride (AlN) ceramics sintered with $Y_2O_3$ as a sintering aid has been investigated with respect to various sintering conditions and MgO-dopant. When magnesium oxide is added as a dopant, liquid glass-film and crystalline phases such as spinel, perovskite are formed as second phases, which affects their electrical properties. According to high temperature impedance analysis, MgO doping leads to reduction of activation energy and electrical resistivity due to AlN grains. On the other hand, the activation energy and electrical resistivity due to grain boundary were increased by MgO doping. This is a result of the formation of liquid glass film in the grain boundary, which contains Mg ions, or the elevation of schottky barrier due to the precipitation of Mg in the grain boundary. For the annealed sample of MgO doped AlN, the electrical resistivity and activation energy were increased further compared to MgO doped AlN, which results from diffusion of Mg in the grains from grain boundary as shown in the microstructure.