• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2023

Among imaging and treatment devices for small animals, positron emission tomography(PET) causes a change in spatial resolution within a field of view. This is a phenomenon caused by using a small gantry and a thin and long scintillation pixel, and detectors that measure the interaction depth are being developed and researched to solve this problem. In this study, a detector that measures the interaction depth was designed using several scintillator blocks and light guides with different reflector patterns. The scintillator block composed of 4 × 4 arrays of 3 mm × 3 mm × 5 mm scintillation pixels formed four layers, and a light guide was inserted in each layer to configure the entire detector. In order to check whether the interaction depth was measured, a gamma ray interaction was generated at the center of all scintillation pixels to acquire data and then reconstructed into a flood image. The reflector patterns of the light guides inserted between the layers were all different, so the positions of the scintillation pixels for each layer were formed in different locations. It is considered that even spatial resolution can be achieved over all regions of the field of view if all positions of the scintillation pixels thus formed are separated and used for image reconstruction.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2022

We have investigated the optimal design of an aperiodic optical phased array (OPA) for use in light detection and ranging applications. Three optimization algorithms - particle-swarm optimization (PSO), a genetic algorithm (GA), and a pattern-search algorithm (PSA) - were employed to obtain the optimal arrangement of optical antennas comprising an OPA. The optimization was performed to obtain the minimal side-lobe level (SLL) of an aperiodic OPA at each steering angle, using the three optimization algorithms. It was found that PSO and GA exhibited similar results for the SLL of the optimized OPA, while the SLL obtained by PSA showed somewhat different features from those obtained by PSO and GA. For an OPA optimized at a steering angle <45°, the SLL value averaged over all steering angles increased as the angle of optimization decreased. However, when the angle of optimization was larger than 45°, low average SLL values of <13 dB were obtained for all three optimization algorithms. This implies that an OPA with high signal quality can be obtained when the arrangement of the optical antennas is optimized at a large steering angle.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.44-44
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• 2003

As a basic measurement tool in the areas of animal models of human disease, gene expression and therapy, and drug discovery and development, small animal PET imaging is being used increasingly. An ideal small animal PET should have high sensitivity and high and uniform resolution across the field of view to achieve high image quality. However, the combination of long narrow pixellated crystal array and small ring diameter of small animal PET leads to the degradation of spatial resolution for the source located at off center. This degradation of resolution can be improved by determining the depth of interaction (DOI) in the crystal and by taking into account the information in sorting the coincident events. Among a number of 001 identification schemes, dual layer phsowich detector has been widely investigated by many research groups due to its practicability and effectiveness on extracting DOI information. However, the effects of each crystal length composing dual layer phoswich detector on DOI measurements and image qualities were not fully characterized. In order to minimize the DOI effect, the length of each layer of phoswich detector should be optimized. The aim of this study was to perform simulations using a simulation tool, GATE to design the optimum lengths of crystals composing a dual layer phoswich detector. The simulated small PET system employed LSO front layer LuYAP back layer phoswich detector modules and the module consisted of 8${\times}$8 arrays of dual layer crystals with 2 mm ${\times}$ 2 mm sensitive area coupled to a Hamamatsu R7600 00 M64 PSPMT. Sensitivities and variation of radial resolutions were simulated by varying the length of LSO front layer from 0 to 10 mm while the total length (LSO + LuYAP) was fixed to 20 mm for 10 cm diameter ring scanner. The radial resolution uniformity was markedly improved by using DOI information. There existed the optimal lengths of crystal layers to minimize the variation of radial resolutions. In 10 cm ring scanner configuration, the radial resolution was kept below 3.4 mm over 8 cm FOV while the sensitivity was higher than 7.4% for LSO 5 mm : LuYAP 15 mm phoswich detector. In this study, the optimal length of dual layer phoswich detector was derived to achieve high and uniform radial resolution.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.157-171
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• 2022

Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is a traditional and representative geophysical method for determining the resistivity distributions of surrounding soil and rock volumes. Depth resolution profiles and sensitivity distribution sections of the resistivities with respect to various electrode configurations are calculated and investigated using numerical model data. Shallow vertical resolution decreases in the order of Wenner, Schlumberger, and dipole-dipole arrays. A high investigable depth in homogeneous medium is calculated to be 0.11-0.19 times the active electrode spacing, but is counterbalanced by a low vertical resolution. For the application of ERT depth resolution profiles and sensitivity distributions, we provide subsurface structure models for two types of land-creping failure (planar and curved), subvertical fracture, and weathered layer over felsic and mafic igneous rocks. The dipole-dipole configuration appears to be most effective for mapping land-creeping failure planes (especially for curved planes), whereas the Wenner array gives the best resolution of soil horizons and shallow structures in the weathered zone.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.229-237
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• 2023

The use of artificial sources such as explosives and mechanical vibrations for seismic exploration in urban areas poses challenges, as the vibrations and noise generated can lead to complaints. As an alternative to artificial sources, the surface waves generated by traffic noise can be used to investigate the subsurface properties of urban areas. However, traffic noise takes the form of plane waves moving continuously at a constant speed. To apply existing surface wave processing/inversion techniques to traffic noise, the recorded data need to be transformed into a virtual shot gather format using seismic interferometry. In this study, various seismic interferometry methods were applied to traffic noise data, and the optimal method was derived by comparing the results in the Radon and F-K domains. Additionally, the data acquired using various receiver arrays were processed using seismic interferometry, and the results were compared and analyzed to determine the most optimal receiver array direction for exploration.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.404-413
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• 2023

In this research, we studied the development of a SUS304 microneedle array based on microfabrication technology and the applicability of Parylene-C thin film, a medical polymer material. First of all, four materials commonly used in the field of medical engineering (SUS304, Ti, PMMA, and PEEK) were selected and a 5 ㎛ Parylene-C thin film was deposited. The applicability of Parylene-C coating to each material was confirmed through SEM analysis, contact angle measurement, surface roughness(Ra) measurement, and adhesion test according to ASTM standards for each specimen. Parylene-C thin film was deposited based on chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and a 5 ㎛ Parylene-C deposition process was established through trial and error. Through characteristic experiments to confirm the applicability of Parylene-C, SUS304 material, which is the easiest to apply Parylene-C coating without pretreatment was selected to develop a microneedle array based on CNC micromachining technology. The CNC micromachining process was divided into a total of 5 steps, and a microneedle array consisting of 19 needles with an inner diameter of 200 ㎛, an outer diameter of 400 ㎛, and a height of 1.4 mm was designed and manufactured. Finally, a 5 ㎛ Parylene-C coated microneedle array was developed, which presented future research directions in the field of microneedle-based drug delivery systems.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.25-38
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• 2020

Photoelectrochemical water splitting has been considered as the most promising technology for generating hydrogen energy. Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) compounds have currently attracted tremendous attention due to their outstanding ability towards the catalytic water-splitting hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, we report the synthesis method of various transition metal dichalcogenide including MoS₂, MoSe₂, WS₂, and WSe₂ nanosheets as excellent catalysts for solar-driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen evolution. Photocathodes were fabricated by growing the nanosheets directly onto Si nanowire (NW) arrays, with a thickness of 20 nm. The metal ion layers were formed by soaking the metal chloride ethanol solution and subsequent sulfurization or selenization produced the transition metal chalcogenide. They all exhibit excellent PEC performance in 0.5 M H₂SO₄; the photocurrent reaches to 20 mA cm^-2 (at 0 V vs. RHE) and the onset potential is 0.2 V under AM1.5 condition. The quantum efficiency of hydrogen generation is avg. 90%. The stability of MoS₂ and MoSe₂ is 90% for 3h, which is higher than that (80%) of WS₂ and WSe₂. Detailed structure analysis using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for before/after HER reveals that the Si-WS₂ and Si-WSe₂ experience more oxidation of Si NWs than Si-MoS₂ and Si-MoSe₂. This can be explained by the less protection of Si NW surface by their flake shape morphology. The high catalytic activity of TMDs should be the main cause of this enhanced PEC performance, promising efficient water-splitting Si-based PEC cells.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.97-102
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• 2006

Anodic alumina with self-organized and ordered nano hole arrays can be a good candidate of an irradiation mask to modify the properties of nano-scale region. In order to try using porous anodic alumina as a mask for ion-beam patterning, ion beam transmittance of anodic alumina was tested. 4 Um thick self-standing AAO templates anodized from Al bulk foil with two different aspect ratio, 200:1 and 100:1, were aligned about incident ion beam with finely controllable goniometer. At the best alignment, the transmittance of the AAO with aspect ratio of 200:1 and 100:1 were $10^{-8}\;and\;10^{-4}$, respectively. However transmittance of the thin film AAO with low aspect ratio, 5:1, were remarkably improved to 0.67. The ion beam transmittance of self-standing porous alumina with a thickness larger than $4{\mu}m$ is extremely low owing to high aspect ratio of nano hole and charging effect, even at a precise beam alignment to the direction of nano hole. $SiO_2$ nano dot array was formed by ion irradiation into thin film AAO on $SiO_2$ film. This was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy that the $SiO_2$ nano dot array is similar to AAO hole array.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.11 no.2 s.31
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• pp.59-66
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• 2004

This paper presents a novel fabrication process for a tapered hollow metallic microneedle array using backside exposure of SU-8, and analytic solutions of critical buckling of a tapered hollow microneedle. An SU-8 meta was formed on a Pyrex glass substrate and another SU-8 layer, which was spun on top of the SU-8 mesa, was exposed through the backside of the glass substrate. An array of SU-8 tapered pillar structures. with angles in the range of $3.1^{\circ}{\sim}5^{\circ}$ was formed on top of the SU-8 mesa. Conformal electrodeposition of metal was carried out followed by a mechanical polishing using a pianarizing polymeric layer. All organic layers were then removed to create a metallic hollow microneedle array with a fluidic reservoir on the backside. Both $200{\mu}m\;and\;400{\mu}m$ tall, 10 by 10 arrays of metallic microneedles with inner diameters of the tip in the range of $33.6{\sim}101\;{\mu}m$ and wall thickness of $10{\mu}m\;-\;20{\mu}m$ were fabricated. Analytic solutions of the critical buckling of arbitrary-angled truncated cone-shaped columns are also presented. It was found that a single $400{\mu}m$ tall hollow cylindrical microneedle made of electroplated nickel with a wall thickness of $20{\mu}m$, a tapered angle of $3.08^{\circ}$ and a tip inner diameter of $33.6{\mu}m$ has a critical buckling force of 1.8 N. This analytic solution can be used for square or rectangular cross-sectioned column structures with proper modifications.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 2008

Retinal prosthesis is regarded as the most feasible method for the blind caused by retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) or age related macular degeneration (AMD). Recently Korean consortium launched for developing retinal prosthesis. One of the prerequisites for the success of retinal prosthesis is the optimization of the electrical stimuli applied through the prosthesis. Since electrical characteristics of degenerate retina are expected to differ from those of normal retina, we performed voltage stimulation experiment both in normal and degenerate retina to provide a guideline for the optimization of electrical stimulation for the upcoming prosthesis. After isolation of retina, retinal patch was attached with the ganglion cell side facing the surface of microelectrode arrays (MEA). $8{\times}8$ grid layout MEA (electrode diameter: $30{\mu}m$, electrode spacing: $200{\mu}m$, and impedance: $50k{\Omega}$ at 1 kHz) was used to record in-vitro retinal ganglion cell activity. Mono-polar electrical stimulation was applied through one of the 60 MEA channel, and the remaining channels were used for recording. The electrical stimulus was a constant voltage, charge-balanced biphasic, anodic-first square wave pulse without interphase delay, and 50 trains of pulse was applied with a period of 2 sec. Different electrical stimuli were applied. First, pulse amplitude was varied (voltage: $0.5{\sim}3.0V$). Second, pulse duration was varied $(100{\sim}1,200{\mu}s)$. Evoked responses were analyzed by PSTH from averaged data with 50 trials. Charge density was calculated with Ohm's and Coulomb's law. In normal retina, by varying the pulse amplitude from 0.5 to 3V with fixed duration of $500{\mu}s$, the threshold level for reliable ganglion cell response was found at 1.5V. The calculated threshold of charge density was $2.123mC/cm^2$. By varying the pulse duration from 100 to $1,200{\mu}s$ with fixed amplitude of 2V, the threshold level was found at $300{\mu}s$. The calculated threhold of charge density was $1.698mC/cm^2$. Even after the block of ON-pathway with L-(1)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (APB), electrical stimulus evoked ganglion cell activities. In this APB-induced degenerate retina, by varying the pulse duration from 100 to $1200{\mu}s$ with fixed voltage of 2 V, the threshold level was found at $300{\mu}s$, which is the same with normal retina. More experiment with APB-induced degenerate retina is needed to make a clear comparison of threshold of charge density between normal and degenerate retina.