• Corrosion Science and Technology
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.45-53
• /
• 2018

A new 80Ti-15Ta-5Zr wt% alloy surface was protected by anodic oxidation in phosphoric acid solution. The protective oxide layer (TiO2, ZrO2 and Ta suboxides and thickness of 15.5 nm) incorporated $PO{_4}^{3-}$ ions from the solution, according to high resolution XPS spectra. The AFM analysis determined a high roughness with SEM detected pores (20 - 50 nm). The electrochemical studies of bare and anodically oxidized Ti-15Ta-5Zr alloy in Carter-Brugirard saliva of different pH values and saliva with 0.05M NaF, pointed to a nobler surface for the protected alloy, with a thicker electrodeposited oxide layer acting as a barrier against aggressive ions. The oxidized alloy significantly decreased corrosion current densities and total quantity of ions released into the oral environment in comparison with the bare one, at higher polarisation resistance and protective capacity of the electrodeposited layer. The impedance data revealed a bi-layered oxidation film formed by: a dense, compact, barrier layer in contact with the metallic substrate, decreasing the potential gradient across the metal/oxide layer/solution interface, reducing the anodic dissolution and a more permissive, porous layer in contact with the electrolyte. The open circuit potential for protected alloy shifted to nobler values, with thickening of the oxidation film signifying long-term protection.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.133-138
• /
• 2013

Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) plastic is a polymer material extensively used in electrical and electronic applications. Nickel (Ni) thin film was deposited on ABS by electroless plating, after its surface was treated and modified with atmospheric plasma generated by means of dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) in air. The method in this study was developed as a pre-treatment for electroless plating using DBDs, and is a dry process featuring fewer processing steps and more environmentally friendliness than the chemical method. After ABS surfaces were modified, surface morphologies were observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to check for any physical changes of the surfaces. Cross-sectional SEM images were taken to observe the binding characteristics between metallic films and ABS after metal plating. According to the SEM images, the depths of ABS by plasma are shallow compared to those modified by chemically treatment. The static contact angles were measured with deionized (DI) water droplets on the modified surfaces in order to observe for any changes in chemical activities and wettability. The surfaces modified by plasma showed smaller contact angles, and their modified states lasted longer than those modified by chemical etching. Adhesion strengths were measured using 3M tape (3M 810D standard) and by 90° peel-off tests. The peel-off test revealed the stronger adhesion of the Ni films on the plasma-modified surfaces than on the chemically modified surfaces. Thermal shock test was performed by changing the temperature drastically to see if any detachment of Ni film from ABS would occur due to the differences in thermal expansion coefficients between them. Only for the plasma-treated samples showed no separation of the Ni films from the ABS surfaces in tests. The adhesion strengths of metallic films on the ABS processed by the method developed in this study are better than those of the chemically processed films.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.94-103
• /
• 2007

The transition of interconnection metal from aluminum alloy to copper has been introduced to meet the requirements of high speed, ultra-large scale integration, and high reliability of the semiconductor device. Since copper, which has low electrical resistivity and high resistance to degradation, has different electrical and material characteristics compared to aluminum alloy, new related materials and processes are needed to successfully fabricate the copper interconnection. In this review, some important factors of multilevel copper damascene process have been surveyed such as diffusion barrier, seed layer, organic additives for bottom-up electro/electroless deposition, chemical mechanical polishing, and capping layer to introduce the related issues and recent research trends on them.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
• /
• 2013.05a
• /
• pp.789-790
• /
• 2013

$Er_2O_3/SiO_2$ double-layer gate dielectric shows low gate leakage current and high capacitance. In this paper, we apply $Er_2O_3/SiO_2$ double-layer gate dielectric as a charge trap layer for the first time. $Er_2O_3/SiO_2$ double-layer thickness is optimized by EDISON Nanophysics simulation tools. Using the simulation results, we fabricated Schottky-barrier silicide source/drain transistor, which has10 um/10um gate length and width, respectively. The nonvolatile device demonstrated very promising characterstics with P/E voltage of 11 V/-11 V, P/E speed of 50 ms/500 ms, data retention of ten years, and endurance of $10^4$ P/E cycles.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.63-69
• /
• 2004

Hematite-coated sand was examined for the application of the PRB (permeable reactive barrier) to the arsenic-contaminated subsurface in the metal mining areas. The removal efficiency of As in a batch and a flow system was investigated through the adsorption isotherm, removal kinetics and column experiments. Hematite-coated sand followed a linear adsorption isotherm with high adsorption capacity at low level concentrations of As (＜1.0 mg/L). In the column experiments, high content of hematite-coated sand enhanced the removal efficiency, but the amount of the As removal decreased due to the higher affinity of As (V) than As (III) and reduced adsorption kinetics in the flow system. Therefore. the amount of hematite-coated sand, the adsorption affinity of As species and removal kinetics determined the removal efficiency of As in a flow system.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.227-236
• /
• 2012

Ionomer is a thermoplastic that is composed of covalent bonds and ionic bonds. It is possible to use this material in processes such as injection molding or extrusion molding due to the material's high oil resistance, weatherproof characteristics, and shock resistance. In this study, a new ionomer having a multifunctional group was prepared by a stepwise neutralization system with the addition of acidic and salt additives. In step I, to increase the contents of the multifunctional group and the acid degree in ethylene acrylic acid (EAA), MGA was added to the ionomer resin (EAA). A new ionomer was prepared via the traditional preparation method of the ionic cross-linking process. In step II, metal salt was added to the mixture of EAA and MGA. The extrusion process was performed using a twin extruder (L/D = 40, size : ${\varphi}30$). Ionomer film was prepared for evaluation of gas permeability by using the compression molding process. The degree of neutralized and ionic cross-linked new ionomer was confirmed by FT-IR and XRD analysis. In order to estimate the neutralization of the new ionomer film, various properties such as gas permeation and mechanical properties were measured. The physical strength and anti-scratch property of the new ionomer were improved with increase of the neutralization degree. The gas barrier property of the new ionomer was improved through the introduction of an ionic site. Also, the ionic degree of cross-linking and gas barrier property of the ionomer membrane prepared by stepwise neutralization were increased.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.45 no.6
• /
• pp.344-352
• /
• 2012

Mercury is a toxic and non-essential metal in the human body. Mercury is ubiquitously distributed in the environment, present in natural products, and exists extensively in items encountered in daily life. There are three forms of mercury, i.e., elemental (or metallic) mercury, inorganic mercury compounds, and organic mercury compounds. This review examines the toxicity of elemental mercury and inorganic mercury compounds. Inorganic mercury compounds are water soluble with a bioavailability of 7% to 15% after ingestion; they are also irritants and cause gastrointestinal symptoms. Upon entering the body, inorganic mercury compounds are accumulated mainly in the kidneys and produce kidney damage. In contrast, human exposure to elemental mercury is mainly by inhalation, followed by rapid absorption and distribution in all major organs. Elemental mercury from ingestion is poorly absorbed with a bioavailability of less than 0.01%. The primary target organs of elemental mercury are the brain and kidney. Elemental mercury is lipid soluble and can cross the blood-brain barrier, while inorganic mercury compounds are not lipid soluble, rendering them unable to cross the blood-brain barrier. Elemental mercury may also enter the brain from the nasal cavity through the olfactory pathway. The blood mercury is a useful biomarker after short-term and high-level exposure, whereas the urine mercury is the ideal biomarker for long-term exposure to both elemental and inorganic mercury, and also as a good indicator of body burden. This review discusses the common sources of mercury exposure, skin lightening products containing mercury and mercury release from dental amalgam filling, two issues that happen in daily life, bear significant public health importance, and yet undergo extensive debate on their safety.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.56 no.1
• /
• pp.125-132
• /
• 2018

The direct synthesis of $C_2$ chemical directly from methane was studied by employing catalysts with ordered mesopores in a dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor. The reaction was carried out using MgO/OMA (ordered mesoporous alumina), $MgO/{\gamma}-Al_2O_3$ and $MgO/{\alpha}-Al_2O_3$ as catalysts. When MgO/OMA was applied, it showed excellent performance in the plasma reactor using pulse-type power supply and the selectivity of $C_2$ chemicals was measured as 67%. The effects of metal oxide type, textural property of support, alumina phase and power supply type on catalytic performance were investigated especially in terms of $C_2$ chemical formation. BET (Brunauer, Emmett, Teller), X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope and thermogravimetric analysis were used to investigate the characterization of the catalyst before and after the reaction.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.255-262
• /
• 1997

Titanium nitride (TiN) films were prepared by reactive sputter deposition in mixed gas of Ar+$N_2$. The volume percentage of $N_2$ in the working gas was chosen so as to grow stoichiometric TiN films and the substrate temperature during film growth was set from room temperature to $700^{\circ}C$. Stoichiometric $Ti_{0.5}N){0.5}$ films with (111) texture were grown at temperatures over $600^{\circ}C$, while films prepared at temperatures below $600^{\circ}C$ showed N-rich TiN. The composition X and y in the $Ti_xN_y$ films determined by XPS and RBS varied within 5% with the substrate temperature. The sheet resistance of the TiN films decreases as the substrate temperature increased. TiN film prepared at $600^{\circ}C$ showed 14.5$\Omega\Box$, and it decreased to 8.9$\Omega\Box$ after the sample was annealed at $700^{\circ}C$, 30 sec in Ar-gas ambient by RTA. By far, high quality stoichiometric TiN films by reactive sputtering in the mixed gas ambient could be prepared at substrate temperature over $600^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.9 no.11
• /
• pp.1129-1136
• /
• 1999

TIN films were prepared on Si(100) substrate by ICP-CVD(inductive1y coupled plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) using TEMAT(tetrakis ethylmethamido titanium : Ti$[\textrm{N}\textrm{(CH)}_{3}\textrm{C}_{2}\textrm{H}_{5}]_{4}$) precursor at various deposition conditions. Phase, microstructure, and the electrical properties of TIN films were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and electrical measurements. Polycrystalline TiN films with B1 structure were grown at temperatures over $200^{\circ}C$. Preferentially oriented along TiN(111) films were obtained at temperatures over $300^{\circ}C$ with the flow rates of 10, 5, and 5 sccm for TEMAT, $\textrm{N}_{2}$ and Ar gas. The TiN/Si(100) interface was flat and no chemical reaction between TIN and $\textrm{SiO}_2$ was found. The resistivity, carrier concentration and the carrier mobility for the TiN sample prepared at $500^{\circ}C$ are 21 $\mu\Omega$cm, 9.5$\times\textrm{10}^{18}\textrm{cm}^{-3}$ and $462.6\textrm{cm}^{2}$/Vs, respectively.