• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.317-324
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• 2024

We demonstrate a direct growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the surface of LiFePO₄ (LFP) powders for use in lithium-ion batteries (LIB). LFP has been widely used as a cathode material due to its low cost and high stability. However, there is a still enough room for development to overcome its low energy density and electrical conductivity. In this study, we fabricated novel structured composites of LFP and CNTs (LFP-CNTs) and characterized the electrochemical properties of LIB. The composites were prepared by direct growth of CNTs on the surface of LFP using a rotary chemical vapor deposition. The growth temperature and rotation speed of the chamber were optimized at 600 ℃ and 5 rpm, respectively. For the LIB cell fabrication, a half-cell was fabricated using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and carbon black as binder and conductive additives, respectively. The electrochemical properties of LIBs using commercial carbon-coated LFP (LFP/C), LFP with CNTs grown for 10 (LFP/CNTs-10m) and 30 min(LFP/CNTs-30m) are comparatively investigated. For example, after the formation cycle, we obtained 149.3, 160.1, and 175.0 mAh/g for LFP/C, LFP/CNTs-10m, and LFP/CNTs-30m, respectively. In addition, the improved rate performance and 111.9 mAh/g capacity at 2C rate were achieved from the LFP/CNTs-30m sample compared to the LFP/CNTs-10m and LFP/C samples. We believe that the approach using direct growth of CNTs on LFP particles provides straightforward solution to improve the conductivity in the LFP-based electrode by constructing conduction pathways.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.72-79
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• 2002

Local M-H loops have been measured on the free layer of a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) junction using the magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) system, with an optical beam size of about 2 $\mu$m diameter. Tunnel junctions were deposited using the DC magnetron sputtering method in a chamber with a base pressure of 3$\times$10$^{-9}$ Torr. The relatively irregular variations of coercive force H$_c$(∼17.5 Oe) and unidirectional anisotropy field H$_{ua}$(∼7.5 Oe) in the as-deposited sample are revealed. After $200{^{\circ}C}$ annealing, He decreases to 15 Oe but H$_{ua}$ increases to 20 Oe with smooth local variations. Two-dimensional plots of H$_c$ and H$_{ua}$ show the symmetric saddle shapes with their axes aligned with the pinned layer, irrespective of the annealing field angle. This is thought to be caused by geometric effects during deposition, together with a minor annealing effect. In addition, the variation of root mean square (RMS) surface roughness reveals it to be symmetric with respect to the center of the pinned-layer axis, with the roughness of 2.5 $\AA$ near the edge and 5.8 $\AA$ at the junction center. Comparison of surface roughness with the variation of H$_{ua}$ suggests that the H$_{ua}$ variation of the free layer is well described by dipole interactions related to surface roughness. As a whole, the reversal magnetization is not uniform over the entire junction area and the macroscopic properties are governed by the average sum of local distributions.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.36-44
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• 2015

Objectives: This study aimed to elucidate the physicochemical properties of silica powder and airborne particles as by-products generated from fabrication processes to reduce unknown risk factors in the semiconductor manufacturing work environment. Materials and Methods: Sampling was conducted at 200 mm and 300 mm semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities. Thirty-two powder and airborne by-product samples, diffusion(10), chemical vapor deposition(10), chemical mechanical polishing(5), clean(5), etch process(2), were collected from inner chamber parts from process and 1st scrubber equipment during maintenance and process operation. The chemical composition, size, shape, and crystal structure of silica by-product particles were determined by using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy, and x-ray diffractometry. Results: All powder and airborne particle samples were composed of oxygen(O) and silicon(Si), which means silica particle. The by-product particles were nearly spherical $SiO_2$ and the particle size ranged 25 nm to $50{\mu}m$, and most of the particles were usually agglomerated within a particle size range from approximately 25 nm to 500 nm. In addition, the crystal structure of the silica powder particles was found to be an amorphous silica. Conclusions: The silica by-product particles generated from the semiconductor manufacturing processes are amorphous $SiO_2$, which is considered a less toxic form. These results should provide useful information for alternative strategies to improve the work environment and workers' health.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.207-211
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• 2016

Ti films were deposited on glass substrates under various preparation conditions in a chamber of two-facing-target type dc sputtering; after deposition, the electric resistivity values were measured using a conventional four-probe method. Crystallographic orientations and microstructures, including the texture and columnar structure, were also investigated for the Ti films. The morphological features, including the columnar structures and surface roughness, are well explained on the basis of Thornton's zone model. The electric resistivity and the thermal coefficient of the resistivity vary with the sputtering gas pressure. The minimum value of resistivity was around 0.4 Pa for both the $0.5{\mu}m$ and $3.0{\mu}m$ thick films; the apparent tendencies are almost the same for the two films, with a small difference in resistivity because of the different film thicknesses. The films deposited at high gas pressures show higher resistivities. The maximum of TCR is also around 0.4 Pa, which is the same as that obtained from the relationship between the resistivity and the gas pressure. The lattice spacing also decreases with increasing sputtering gas pressure for both the $0.5{\mu}m$ and $3.0{\mu}m$ thick films. Because they are strongly related to the sputtering gas pressures for Ti films that have a crystallographic anisotropy that is different from cubic symmetry, these changes are well explained on the basis of the film microstructures. It is shown that resistivity measurement can serve as a promising monitor for microstructures in sputtered Ti films.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.250-253
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• 2007

An evaporated Ti/Pd/Ag contact system is most widely used to make high-efficiency silicon solar cells, however, the system is not cost effective due to expensive materials and vacuum techniques. Commercial solar cells with screen-printed contacts formed by using Ag paste suffer from a low fill factor and a high shading loss because of high contact resistance and low aspect ratio. Low-cost Ni and Cu metal contacts have been formed by using electroless plating and electroplating techniques to replace the Ti/Pd/Ag and screen-printed Ag contacts. Ni/Cu alloy is plated on a silicon substrate by electro-deposition of the alloy from an acetate electrolyte solution, and nickel-silicide formation at the interface between the silicon and the nickel enhances stability and reduces the contact resistance. It was, therefore, found that nickel-silicide was suitable for high-efficiency solar cell applications. The Ni contact was formed on the front grid pattern by electroless plating followed by anneal ing at $380{\sim}400^{\circ}C$ for $15{\sim}30$ min at $N_{2}$ gas to allow formation of a nickel-silicide in a tube furnace or a rapid thermal processing(RTP) chamber because nickel is transformed to NiSi at $380{\sim}400^{\circ}C$. The Ni plating solution is composed of a mixture of $NiCl_{2}$ as a main nickel source. Cu was electroplated on the Ni layer by using a light induced plating method. The Cu electroplating solution was made up of a commercially available acid sulfate bath and additives to reduce the stress of the copper layer. The Ni/Cu contact was found to be well suited for high-efficiency solar cells and was successfully formed by using electroless plating and electroplating, which are more cost effective than vacuum evaporation. In this paper, we investigated low-cost Ni/Cu contact formation by electroless and electroplating for crystalline silicon solar cells.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.145-156
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• 2010

This study investigated organic carbon fluxes in Ulleung Basin sediments, East Sea based on a chamber experiment and geochemical analyses. At depths greater than 2,000 m, Ulleung Basin sediments have high organic carbon contents (over 2.0%). Apparent sedimentation rates (ASR) calculated from excess $^{210}Pb$ activity distribution, varied from 0.036 to $0.047\;cm\;yr^{-1}$. The mass accumulation rates (MAR) calculated from porosity, grain density (GD), and ASR, ranged from 131 to $184\;g\;m^{-2}\;yr^{-1}$. These results were in agreement with sediment trap results obtained at a water depth of 2100 m. Input fluxes of organic carbon varied from 7.89 to $11.08\;gC\;m^{-2}\;yr^{-1}$ at the basin sediments, with an average of $9.56\;gC\;m^{-2}\;yr^{-1}$. Below a sediment depth of 15cm, burial fluxes of organic carbon ranged from 2.02 to $3.10\;gC\;m^{-2}\;yr^{-1}$. Within the basin sediments, regenerated fluxes of organic carbon estimated with oxygen consumption rate, varied from 6.22 to $6.90\;gC\;m^{-2}\;yr^{-1}$. However, the regenerated fluxes of organic carbon calculated by subtracting burial flux from input flux, varied from 5.87 to $7.98\;gC\;m^{-2}\;yr^{-1}$. Respectively, the proportions of the input flux, regenerated flux, and burial flux to the primary production ($233.6\;gC\;m^{-2}\;yr^{-1}$) in the Ulleung Basin were about 4.1%, 3.0%, and 1.1%. These proportions were extraordinarily higher than the average of world open ocean. Based upon these results, the Ulleung Basin might play an integral role in the deposition and removal of organic carbon.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.99-102
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• 2009

We report our development of the fabrication process of sub-micron scale $Al-AlO_x-Al$ tunnel junction by using electron-beam lithography and double-angle shadow evaporation technique. We used double-layer resist to construct a suspended bridge structure, and double-angle electron-beam evaporation to form a sub-micron scale overlapped junction. We adopted an e-beam insensitive resist as a bottom sacrificing layer. Tunnel barrier was formed by oxidation of the bottom aluminum layer between the bottom and top electrode deposition, which was done in a separate load-lock chamber. The junction resistance is designed and controlled to be 50 $\Omega$ to match the impedance of the transmission line. The junctions will be used in the broadband shot noise thermometry experiment, which will serve as a link between the electrical unit and the thermodynamic unit.

• Proceedings of the Korea Association of Crystal Growth Conference
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• 1996.06a
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• pp.422-448
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• 1996

Low-temperature epitaxial growth of Si and SiGe layers of Si is one of the important processes for the fabrication of the high-speed Si-based heterostructure devices such as heterojunction bipolar transistors. Low-temperature growth ensures the abrupt compositional and doping concentration profiles for future novel devices. Especially in SiGe epitaxy, low-temperature growth is a prerequisite for two-dimensional growth mode for the growth of thin, uniform layers. UHV-ECRCVD is a new growth technique for Si and SiGe epilayers and it is possible to grow epilayers at even lower temperatures than conventional CVD's. SiH and GeH and dopant gases are dissociated by an ECR plasma in an ultrahigh vacuum growth chamber. In situ hydrogen plasma cleaning of the Si native oxide before the epitaxial growth is successfully developed in UHV-ECRCVD. Structural quality of the epilayers are examined by reflection high energy electron diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Nomarski microscope and atomic force microscope. Device-quality Si and SiGe epilayers are successfully grown at temperatures lower than 600℃ after proper optimization of process parameters such as temperature, total pressure, partial pressures of input gases, plasma power, and substrate dc bias. Dopant incorporation and activation for B in Si and SiGe are studied by secondary ion mass spectrometry and spreading resistance profilometry. Silicon p-n homojunction diodes are fabricated from in situ doped Si layers. I-V characteristics of the diodes shows that the ideality factor is 1.2, implying that the low-temperature silicon epilayers grown by UHV-ECRCVD is truly of device-quality.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.105-108
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• 2004

We have studied effects of in-situ annealing on the fabrication of superconducting MgB$_2$ thin films prepared by rf magnetron co-sputtering. The Films were deposited on A1$_2$O$_3$ (1102) substrates at room temperature by using Mg and B targets. To trap remnant $O_2$ gas in the chamber, we used 20 mtorr Af sputter-gas balanced with 5 mol % of H$_2$ gas. To enhance adhesion to the substrate a thin layer of B was deposited prior to the codeposition of Mg and B. After completion of the film deposition, an additional Mg layer was deposited on top to compensate for Mg loss during the subsequent in-situ annealing. We have investigated the effects of two most important annealing parameters that are the Mg-to-B composition ratio and the annealing temperature. The range of the Mg-to-B composition ratio was from 0.42 to 0.85, and that of the annealing temperature was 500 $^{\circ}C$∼750 $^{\circ}C$. The Best result was obtained for the composition ratio of about 10% Mg excess from the stoichiometry and the annealing temperature of 700 $^{\circ}C$. Based on these results, we obtained films with T$_{c}$ : 36.5 K by further refining the fabrication process.s.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.688-696
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• 1996

Garre's osteomyelitis is a unique form of osteomyelitis characterized rediographically by localized thickening of the periosteum and deposition of laminated subperiosteal bone. The most common inciting factor is a mandibular infection in permanent first molar with necrotic pulp. This disease occurs primarily in children and to date in all instances it has occured only in mandible. It usually results in hard swelling over the jaws, producing facial asymmetry with little or no pain. The overlying skin is normal but can occasionally be inflammed mostly when pain is present. Palpation reveals a usually smooth, bone-hard lesion which feel like an inherent part of the mandible. Unlike other forms of osteomyelitis, there is no marked increase in fever, white bloods cell count, sedimentation rate or alkaline phosphatase value. The treatment of Garre's osteomyelitis usually consist of elimination of the sourses of infection, i.e., either extration of an offending infected teeth or root canal therapy. This treatment almost always results in resolution of the Garre's osteomyelitis. Resistant cases have involved secondary surgery, i.e., decortication and sequestrectomy. This report presents three cases of Garre's osteomyelitis resolved by endodontic treatment. Cliniqtl examination revealed swelling on the face with no tenderness. Periapical radiograph showed deep caries lesion extending into pulp chamber and periapical radiolucency. Occlusal radiograph showed an enlargement of bone and stretching the periosteum. A clinical diagnosis of the Garre's osteomyelitis was made. Endodontic treatment was accomplished with conventional method and restored facial symmetry. Long-term check-ups are necessary to evaluate the results of endodontic treatment.