• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.14-21
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• 2010

Ge is one of the attractive channel materials for the next generation high speed metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) due to its higher carrier mobility than Si. But the absence of a chemically stable thermal oxide has been the main obstacle hindering the use of Ge channels in MOS devices. Especially, the fabrication of gate oxide on Ge with high quality interface is essential requirement. In this study, $HfO_xN_y$ thin films were prepared by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition on Ge substrate. The nitrogen was incorporated in situ during PE-ALD by using the mixture of nitrogen and oxygen plasma as a reactant. The effects of nitrogen to oxygen gas ratio were studied focusing on the improvements on the electrical and interface properties. When the nitrogen to oxygen gas flow ratio was 1, we obtained good quality with 10% EOT reduction. Additional analysis techniques including X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy were used for chemical and microstructural analysis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.409-409
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• 2014

Recently hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), III-V compound of boron and nitrogen with strong covalent $sp^2$ bond, is a 2 dimensional insulating material with a large direct band gap up to 6 eV. Its outstanding properties such as strong mechanical strength, high thermal conductivity, and chemical stability have been reported to be similar or superior to graphene. Because of these excellent properties, h-BN can potentially be used for variety of applications such as dielectric layer, deep UV optoelectronic device, and protective transparent substrate. Ultra flat and charge impurity-free surface of h-BN is also an ideal substrate to maintain electrical properties of 2 dimensional materials such as graphene. To synthesize a single or a few layered h-BN, chemical vapor deposition method (CVD) has been widely used by using an ammonia borane as a precursor. Ammonia borane decomposes into hydrogen (gas), monomeric aminoborane (solid), and borazine (gas) that is used for growing h-BN layer. However, very active monomeric aminoborane forms polymeric aminoborane nanoparticles that are white non-crystalline BN nanoparticles of 50~100 nm in diameter. The presence of these BN nanoparticles following the synthesis has been hampering the implementation of h-BN to various applications. Therefore, it is quite important to grow a clean and high quality h-BN layer free of BN particles without having to introduce complicated process steps. We have demonstrated a synthesis of a high quality h-BN monolayer free of BN nanoparticles in wafer-scale size of $7{\times}7cm^2$ by using CVD method incorporating a simple filter system. The measured results have shown that the filter can effectively remove BN nanoparticles by restricting them from reaching to Cu substrate. Layer thickness of about 0.48 nm measured by AFM, a Raman shift of $1,371{\sim}1,372cm^{-1}$ measured by micro Raman spectroscopy along with optical band gap of 6.06 eV estimated from UV-Vis Spectrophotometer confirm the formation of monolayer h-BN. Quantitative XPS analysis for the ratio of boron and nitrogen and CS-corrected HRTEM image of atomic resolution hexagonal lattices indicate a high quality stoichiometric h-BN. The method presented here provides a promising technique for the synthesis of high quality monolayer h-BN free of BN nanoparticles.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.493-493
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• 2014

The manufacturing cost of thin-film photovoltics can potentially be lowered by minimizing the amount of a semiconductor material used to fabricate devices. Thin-film solar cells are typically only a few micrometers thick, whereas crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafer solar cells are $180{\sim}300\mu}m$ thick. As such, thin-film layers do not fully absorb incident light and their energy conversion efficiency is lower compared with that of c-Si wafer solar cells. Therefore, effective light trapping is required to realize commercially viable thin-film cells, particularly for indirect-band-gap semiconductors such as c-Si. An emerging method for light trapping in thin film solar cells is the use of metallic nanostructures that support surface plasmons. Plasmon-enhanced light absorption is shown to increase the cell photocurrent in many types of solar cells, specifically, in c-Si thin-film solar cells and in poly-Si thin film solar cell. By proper engineering of these structures, light can be concentrated and coupled into a thin semiconductor layer to increase light absorption. In many cases, silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NP) are formed either on the front surface or on the rear surface on the cells. In case of poly-Si thin film solar cells, Ag NPs are formed on the rear surface of the cells due to longer wavelengths are not perfectly absorbed in the active layer on the first path. In our cells, shorter wavelengths typically 300~500 nm are also not effectively absorbed. For this reason, a new concept of plasmonic nanostructure which is NPs formed both the front - and the rear - surface is worth testing. In this simulation Al NPs were located onto glass because Al has much lower parasitic absorption than other metal NPs. In case of Ag NP, it features parasitic absorption in the optical frequency range. On the other hand, Al NP, which is non-resonant metal NP, is characterized with a higher density of conduction electrons, resulting in highly negative dielectric permittivity. It makes them more suitable for the forward scattering configuration. In addition to this, Ag NP is located on the rear surface of the cell. Ag NPs showed good performance enhancement when they are located on the rear surface of our cells. In this simulation, Al NPs are located on glass and Ag NP is located on the rear Si surface. The structure for the simulation is shown in figure 1. Figure 2 shows FDTD-simulated absorption graphs of the proposed and reference structures. In the simulation, the front of the cell has Al NPs with 70 nm radius and 12.5% coverage; and the rear of the cell has Ag NPs with 157 nm in radius and 41.5% coverage. Such a structure shows better light absorption in 300~550 nm than that of the reference cell without any NPs and the structure with Ag NP on rear only. Therefore, it can be expected that enhanced light absorption of the structure with Al NP on front at 300~550 nm can contribute to the photocurrent enhancement.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.175-182
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• 2008

This study is concerned with the evaluation of the corrosion resistance of coated semiconductor equipment parts with various processes. To select the appropriate basis for evaluation, replacement parts were observed during the semiconductor manufacturing process. This study also ran a dry corrosion test using $Al_2O_3$, which is mostly used as a coating material. This test quantitatively measured the efficiency of coated parts. Surface morphology, leakage current and breakdown voltage were also evaluated. This study showed that a dry corrosion process led to the drop of electrical properties, for example, the leakage current increase and the dielectric strength decrease. The surface morphology test displayed that surface damage is largely dependent on the exposure time to corrosive environments. By using the values that changed during the corrosion process, it may be possible to contrive a method to evaluate the efficiency of coated parts with various processes.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.347-347
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• 2012

Nickel Oxide (NiO) is a transition metal oxide of the rock salt structure that has a wide band gap of 3.5 eV. It has a variety of specialized applications due to its excellent chemical stability, optical, electrical and magnetic properties. In this study, we concentrated on the application of NiO thin film for transparent conducting oxide. The energy band structure, electronic and optical properties of Nickel Oxide (NiO) thin films grown on Si by using electron beam evaporation were investigated by X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Reflection Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (REELS), and UV-Spectrometer. The band gap of NiO thin films determined by REELS spectra was 3.53 eV for the primary energies of 1.5 keV. The valence-band offset (VBO) of NiO thin films investigated by XPS was 3.88 eV and the conduction-band offset (CBO) was 1.59 eV. The UV-spectra analysis showed that the optical transmittance of the NiO thin film was 84% in the visible light region within an error of ${\pm}1%$ and the optical band gap for indirect band gap was 3.53 eV which is well agreement with estimated by REELS. The dielectric function was determined using the REELS spectra in conjunction with the Quantitative Analysis of Electron Energy Loss Spectra (QUEELS)-${\varepsilon}({\kappa},{\omega})$-REELS software. The Energy Loss Function (ELF) appeared at 4.8, 8.2, 22.5, 38.6, and 67.0 eV. The results are in good agreement with the previous study [1]. The transmission coefficient of NiO thin films calculated by QUEELS-REELS was 85% in the visible region, we confirmed that the optical transmittance values obtained with UV-Spectrometer is the same as that of estimated from QUEELS-${\varepsilon}({\kappa},{\omega})$-REELS within uncertainty. The inelastic mean free path (IMFP) estimated from QUEELS-${\varepsilon}({\kappa},{\omega})$-REELS is consistent with the IMFP values determined by the Tanuma-Powell Penn (TPP2M) formula [2]. Our results showed that the IMFP of NiO thin films was increased with increasing primary energies. The quantitative analysis of REELS provides us with a straightforward way to determine the electronic and optical properties of transparent thin film materials.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.597-600
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• 2017

$(C_{10}H_8N_2H)_2Cr_2O_7$ was synthesized by reacting 4,4'-bipyridine and chromium (VI) trioxide. The structure of the product was characterized with FT-IR (infrared spectroscopy) and elemental analysis. The oxidation of benzyl alcohol using $(C_{10}H_8N_2H)_2Cr_2O_7$ in various solvents showed that the reactivity increased with the increase of the solvent dielectric constant, in the order of DMF (N,N'-dimethylformamide) > acetone > chloroform > cyclohexane. In the presence of DMF, an acidic catalyst such as $H_2SO_4$ $(C_{10}H_8N_2H)_2Cr_2O_7$ oxidized benzyl alcohol (H) and its derivatives ($p-OCH_3$, $m-CH_3$, $m-OCH_3$, m-Cl, $m-NO_2$). Electron donating substituents accelerated the reaction rate, whereas electron acceptor groups retarded the reaction rate. Hammett reaction constant (${\rho}$) was -0.70 (308 K). The observed experimental data were used to rationalize the hydride ion transfer in the rate determining step.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.21-26
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• 2011

The purpose of this paper is to present the damage patterns of cellular phone (SCH_W830) batteries according to energy sources and have them utilized as data for the settlement of disputes between manufactures and consumers. The reliability was secured by maintaining the ambient temperature and humidity at $22{\pm}2^{\circ}C$ and 40~60 %, respectively. The voltage of the battery used for the tests was measured to be 4.18V between positive pole (+) and negative pole (-)(1), and 4.19 V between positive pole (+) and negative pole (-)(2). This study applied the Korean Industrial Standard (KS) to the flammability test of cellular phones due to a general flame applied to them and found that no damage occurred to the built-in battery even though the flame was applied to the cases of cellular phones for 30 seconds. From the results of immersing the cellular phones in the saline solution (NaCl, 0.9 %) for 180 seconds, it was found that there was a trace of carbonization and melting due to the heat caused by leaking current. It can be seen that when the cellular phones were heated for 70 seconds using a microwave oven (MWO), the areas containing the metal holder, recharging connector, antenna, etc., were melted and discolored and that other areas showed no particular problems. That is, while the external carbonization of cellular phones, built-in metals and dielectric materials, and damage and deformation of the battery terminal block, etc., occurred differently depending on the types of energy sources, the voltage showed comparatively constant characteristics. Therefore, it is thought to be possible to attribute the cause of damage to the battery by performing analysis taking into consideration comprehensively the characteristics of the flame spread pattern as well as the melting and deformation of metals.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.263-272
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• 2011

Highly luminescent and monodisperse InP quantum dots (QDs) were prepared by a non-organometallic approach in a non-coordinating solvent. Fatty acids with well-defined chain lengths as the ligand, a non coordinating solvent, and a thorough degassing process are all important factors for the formation of high quality InP QDs. By varying the molar concentration of indium to ligand, QDs of different size were prepared and their absorption and emission behaviors studied. By spin-coating a colloidal solution of InP QD onto a silicon wafer, InP QD thin films were obtained. The thickness of the thin films cured at 60 and $200^{\circ}C$ were nearly identical (approximately 860 nm), whereas at $300^{\circ}C$, the thickness of the thin film was found to be 760 nm. Different contrast regions (A, B, C) were observed in the TEM images, which were found to be unreacted precursors, InP QDs, and indium-rich phases, respectively, through EDX analysis. The optical properties of the thin films were measured at three different curing temperatures (60, 200, $300^{\circ}C$), which showed a blue shift with an increase in temperature. It was proposed that this blue shift may be due to a decrease in the core diameter of the InP QD by oxidation, as confirmed by the XPS studies. Oxidation also passivates the QD surface by reducing the amount of P dangling bonds, thereby increasing luminescence intensity. The dielectric properties of the thin films were also investigated by capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements in a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) device. At 60 and $300^{\circ}C$, negative flat band shifts (${\Delta}V_{fb}$) were observed, which were explained by the presence of P dangling bonds on the InP QD surface. At $300^{\circ}C$, clockwise hysteresis was observed due to trapping and detrapping of positive charges on the thin film, which was explained by proposing the existence of deep energy levels due to the indium-rich phases.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2008.06a
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• pp.477-477
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• 2008

For more than three decades, the gate dielectrics in CMOS devices are $SiO_2$ because of its blocking properties of current in insulated gate FET channels. As the dimensions of feature size have been scaled down (width and the thickness is reduced down to 50 urn and 2 urn or less), gate leakage current is increased and reliability of $SiO_2$ is reduced. Many metal oxides such as $TiO_2$, $Ta_2O_4$, $SrTiO_3$, $Al_2O_3$, $HfO_2$ and $ZrO_2$ have been challenged for memory devices. These materials posses relatively high dielectric constant, but $HfO_2$ and $Al_2O_3$ did not provide sufficient advantages over $SiO_2$ or $Si_3N_4$ because of reaction with Si substrate. Recently, $HfO_2$ have been attracted attention because Hf forms the most stable oxide with the highest heat of formation. In addition, Hf can reduce the native oxide layer by creating $HfO_2$. However, new gate oxide candidates must satisfy a standard CMOS process. In order to fabricate high density memories with small feature size, the plasma etch process should be developed by well understanding and optimizing plasma behaviors. Therefore, it is necessary that the etch behavior of $HfO_2$ and plasma parameters are systematically investigated as functions of process parameters including gas mixing ratio, rf power, pressure and temperature to determine the mechanism of plasma induced damage. However, there is few studies on the the etch mechanism and the surface reactions in $BCl_3$ based plasma to etch $HfO_2$ thin films. In this work, the samples of $HfO_2$ were prepared on Si wafer with using atomic layer deposition. In our previous work, the maximum etch rate of $BCl_3$/Ar were obtained 20% $BCl_3$/ 80% Ar. Over 20% $BCl_3$ addition, the etch rate of $HfO_2$ decreased. The etching rate of $HfO_2$ and selectivity of $HfO_2$ to Si were investigated with using in inductively coupled plasma etching system (ICP) and $BCl_3/Cl_2$/Ar plasma. The change of volume densities of radical and atoms were monitored with using optical emission spectroscopy analysis (OES). The variations of components of etched surfaces for $HfO_2$ was investigated with using x-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS). In order to investigate the accumulation of etch by products during etch process, the exposed surface of $HfO_2$ in $BCl_3/Cl_2$/Ar plasma was compared with surface of as-doped $HfO_2$ and all the surfaces of samples were examined with field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscope (AFM).

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.02a
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• pp.200-200
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• 2010

In recent times, metal oxide semiconductors thin films transistor (TFT), such as zinc and indium based oxide TFTs, have attracted considerable attention because of their several advantageous electrical and optical properties. There are many deposition methods for fabrication of ZnO-based materials such as chemical vapor deposition, RF/DC sputtering and pulsed laser deposition. However, these vacuum process require expensive equipment and result in high manufacturing costs. Also, the methods is difficult to fabricate various multicomponent oxide semiconductor. Recently, several groups report solution processed metal oxide TFTs for low cost and non vacuum process. In this study, we have newly developed solution-processed TFTs based on Ti-related multi-component transparent oxide, i. e., InTiO as the active layer. We propose new multicomponent oxide, Titanium indium oxide(TiInO), to fabricate the high performance TFT through the sol-gel method. We investigated the influence of relative compositions of Ti on the electrical properties. Indium nitrate hydrate [$In(NO^3).xH_2O$] and Titanium isobutoxide [$C_{16}H_{36}O_4Ti$] were dissolved in acetylacetone. Then monoethanolamine (MEA) and acetic acid ($CH_3COOH$) were added to the solution. The molar concentration of indium was kept as 0.1 mol concentration and the amount of Ti was varied according to weighting percent (0, 5, 10%). The complex solutions become clear and homogeneous after stirring for 24 hours. Heavily boron (p+) doped Si wafer with 100nm thermally grown $SiO_2$ serve as the gate and gate dielectric of the TFT, respectively. TiInO thin films were deposited using the sol-gel solution by the spin-coating method. After coating, the films annealed in a tube furnace at $500^{\circ}C$ for 1hour under oxygen ambient. The 5% Ti-doped InO TFT had a field-effect mobility $1.15cm^2/V{\cdot}S$, a threshold voltage of 4.73 V, an on/off current ratio grater than $10^7$, and a subthreshold slop of 0.49 V/dec. The 10% Ti-doped InO TFT had a field-effect mobility $1.03\;cm^2/V{\cdot}S$, a threshold voltage of 1.87 V, an on/off current ration grater than $10^7$, and a subthreshold slop of 0.67 V/dec.