• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.513-517
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• 2010

There have been many efforts to modify and improve the properties of functional thin films by hybridization with nano-sized materials. For the fabrication of electronic circuits, micro-patterning is a commonly used process. For photochemical metal-organic deposition, photoresist and dry etching are not necessary for microscale patterning. We obtained direct-patternable $SnO_2$ thin films using a photosensitive solution containing Ag nanoparticles and/or multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). The optical transmittance of direct-patternable $SnO_2$ thin films decreased with introduction of nanomaterials due to optical absorption and optical scattering by Ag nanoparticles and MWNTs, respectively. The crystallinity of the $SnO_2$ thin films was not much affected by an incorporation of Ag nanoparticles and MWNTs. In the case of mixed incorporation with Ag nanoparticles and MWNTs, the sheet resistance of $SnO_2$ thin films decreased relative to incorporation of either single component. Valence band spectral analyses of the nano-hybridized $SnO_2$ thin films showed a relation between band structural change and electrical resistance. Direct-patterning of $SnO_2$ hybrid films with a line-width of 30 ${\mu}m$ was successfully performed without photoresist or dry etching. These results suggest that a micro-patterned system can be simply fabricated, and the electrical properties of $SnO_2$ films can be improved by incorporating Ag nanoparticles and MWNTs.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.189-194
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• 2021

A straightforward, yet effective surface modification method of stainless steel mesh and its interesting anti-wetting characteristics are reported in this study. The stainless steel mesh is electrochemically etched, and the specimen has both micro and nano-scale structures on its surface. This process transforms the two types of mesh specimens known as the regular and dense specimens into hydrophobic specimens without applying any hydrophobic chemical coating process. The fundamental wettability of the modified mesh is analyzed through a dedicatedly designed experiment to investigate the waterproof characteristics, for instance, the penetration threshold. The waterproof characteristics are evaluated in a manner that the modified mesh resists as high as approximately 2.7 times the pressure compared with the bare mesh, i.e., the non-modified mesh. The results show that the penetration threshold depends primarily on the advancing contact angles, and the penetration stop behaviors are affected by the contact angle hysteresis on the surfaces. The findings further confirm that the inexpensive waterproof meshes created using the proposed straightforward electrochemical etching process are effective and can be adapted along with appropriate designs for various practical applications, such as underwater devices, passive valves, and transducers. In general, , additional chemical coatings are applied using hydrophobic materials on the surfaces for the applications that require water-repelling capabilities. Although these chemical coatings can often cause aging, the process proposed in this study is not only cost-effective, but also durable implying that it does not lose its waterproof properties over time.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.445-452
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• 2010

Recently the effect of CPP-ACP on early caries remineralization and prevention has hashbeen extensively researched. However, there has been a lack of research on micro-shear bond strength of a sealant applied on a CPP-ACP treated surface. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of CPP-ACP on the micro-shear bond strength of a sealant bonded with 3 different bonding systems. From the sound human 3rd molars, the 150 specimens were prepared and randomly assigned to six groups. Group I: Immersion in artificial saliva for 2 weeks + 35% phosphoric acid Group II: Immersion in artificial saliva for 2 weeks + 35% phosphoric acid + dentin bonding agent Group III: Immersion in artificial saliva for 2 weeks + self-etching adhesive Group IV: CPP-ACP application for 2 weeks + 35% phosphoric acid Group V: CPP-ACP application for 2 weeks + 35% phosphoric acid + dentin bonding agent Group VI: CPP-ACP application for 2 weeks + self-etching adhesive Sealant was applied and the micro-shear bond strength was measured. From the result of this study, it can be assumed that the CPP-ACP pretreatment can weaken the bond strength of a sealant if the enamel surface is conditioned with self-etch adhesive.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.93-98
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• 2023

In this paper, an artificial neural network based on simulated annealing was constructed. The mapping relationship between the parameters of micro-scaled flow channels electrochemical machining and the channel shape was established by training the samples. The depth and width of micro-scaled flow channels electrochemical machining on stainless steel surface were predicted, and the flow channels experiment was carried out with pulse power supply in NaNO3 solution to verify the established network model. The results show that the depth and width of the channel predicted by the simulated annealing artificial neural network with "4-7-2" structure are very close to the experimental values, and the error is less than 5.3%. The predicted and experimental data show that the etching degree in the process of channels electrochemical machining is closely related to voltage and current density. When the voltage is less than 5V, a "small island" is formed in the channel; When the voltage is greater than 40V, the lateral etching of the channel is relatively large, and the "dam" between the channels disappears. When the voltage is 25V, the machining morphology of the channel is the best.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.31-36
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• 2015

The demand for multi-functionality, high density, high performance, and miniaturization of IC devices has caused the technology paradigm shift for electronic packaging. So, thermal management of new packaged chips becomes a bottleneck for the performance of next generation devices. Among various thermal solutions such as heat sink, heat spreader, TIM, thermoelectric cooler, etc. on-chip liquid cooling module was investigated in this study. Micro-channel was fabricated on Si wafer using a deep reactive ion etching, and 3 different micro-channel designs (straight MC, serpentine MC, zigzag MC) were formed to evalute the effectiveness of liquid cooling. At the heating temperature of $200^{\circ}C$ and coolant flow rate of 150ml/min, straight MC showed the high temperature differential of ${\sim}44^{\circ}C$ after liquid cooling. The shape of liquid flowing through micro-channel was observed by fluorescence microscope, and the temperarue differential of liquid cooling module was measuremd by IR microscope.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.16.1-16.1
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• 2011

$TiO_2$ is a promising material for gas sensors. To achieve high sensitivities, the material should exhibit a large surface-to-volume ratio and possess the high accessibility of the gas molecules to the surface. Accordingly, a wide variety of porous $TiO_2$ nanomaterials synthesized by wet-chemical methods have been reported for gas sensor applications. Nonetheless, achieving the large-area uniformity and comparability with well-established semiconductor production processes of the methods is still challenging. An alternative method is soft-templating which utilizes nanostructured inorganic or organic materials as sacrificial templates for the preparation of porous materials. Fabrication of macroporous $TiO_2$ films and hollow $TiO_2$ tubes by soft-templating and their gas sensing applications have been reported recently. In these porous materials composed of assemblies of individual micro/nanostructures, the form of links or necks between individual micro/nanostructures is a critical factor to determine gas sensing properties of the material. However, a systematic study to clarify the role of links between individual micro/nanostructures in gas sensing properties of a porous metal oxide matrix is thoroughly lacking. In this work, we have demonstrated a fabrication method to prepare highly-ordered, embossed $TiO_2$ films composed of anatase $TiO_2$ hollow hemispheres via soft-templating using polystyrene beads. The form of links between hollow hemispheres could be controlled by $O_2$ plasma etching on the bead templates. This approach reveals the strong correlation of gas sensitivity with the form of the links. Our experimental results highlight that not only the surface-to-volume ratio of an ensemble material composed of individual micro/nanostructures but also the links between individual micro/nanostructures play a critical role in evaluating the sensing properties of the material. In addition to this general finding, the facileness, large-scale productivity, and compatability with semiconductor production process of the proposed fabrication method promise applications of the embossed $TiO_2$ films to high-quality sensors.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1996.07c
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• pp.2004-2006
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• 1996

A thermally driven polysilicon micro actuator has been fabricated using surface micromachining techniques. It consists of P-doped polysilicon as a structural layer and TEOS (tetracthylorthosilicate) as a sacrificial layer. The polysilicon was annealed for the relaxation of residual stress which is the main cause to its deformation such as bending and buckling. And the newly developed HF VPE (vapor phase etching) process was also used as an effective release method for the elimination of sacrificial TEOS layer. The thickneas of polysilicon is $2{\mu}m$ and the lengths of active and passive polysilicon cantilevers are $500{\mu}m$ and $260{\mu}m$, respectively. The actuation is incurred by die thermal expansion due to the current flow in the active polysilicon cantilever, which motion is amplified by lever mechanism. The moving distance of polysilicon micro actuator was experimentally conformed as large as $21{\mu}m$ at the input voltage level of 10V and 50Hz square wave. The actuating characteristics are investigated by simulating the phenomena of heat transfer and thermal expansion in the polysilicon layer. The displacement of actuator is analyzed to be proportional to the square of input voltage. These micro actuator technology can be utilized for the fabrication of MEMS (microelectromechanical system) such as micro relay, which requires large displacement or contact force but relatively slow response.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.2187-2193
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• 2002

We present a novel method for 3D microfabrication with LIGA process that utilizes a deep X-ray mask in which a micro-actuator is integrated. The integrated micro-actuator oscillates the X-ray absorber, which is formed on the shuttle mass of the micro-actuator, during X-ray exposures to modify the absorbed dose profile in X-ray resist, typically PMMA. 3D PMMA microstructures according to the modulated dose contour are revealed after GG development. An X-ray mask with integrated comb drive actuator is fabricated using deep reactive ion etching, absorber electroplating, and bulk micromachining with silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. 1mm $\times$ 1 mm, 20 $\mu$m thick silicon shuttle mass as a mask blank is supported by four 1 mm long suspension beams and is driven by the comb electrodes. A 10 $\mu$m thick, 50 $\mu$m line and spaced gold absorber pattern is electroplated on the shuttle mass before the release step. The fundamental frequency and amplitude are around 3.6 kHz and 20 $\mu$m, respectively, for a do bias of 100 V and an ac bias of 20 $V_{p-p}$ (peak-peak). Fabricated PMMA microstructure shows 15.4 $\mu$m deep, S-shaped cross section in the case of 1.6 kJ $cm^{-3}$ surface dose and GG development at 35$^{\circ}C$ for 40 minutes.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.163-169
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• 2010

Novel wafer-level fabrication of a glass ball-lens is realized for optoelectronic applications. A Pyrex wafer is bonded to a silicon wafer and cross-cut into a square-tile pattern, followed by wet-etching of the underlying silicon. Cubes of Pyrex on the undercut silicon are then turned into ball shapes by thermal reflow, and separated from the wafer by further etching of the silicon support. Radial variation and surface roughness are measured to be less than ${\pm}3\;{\mu}m$ and ${\pm}1\;nm$, respectively, for ball diameter of about $500\;{\mu}m$. A surface defect on the ball that is due to the silicon support is shown to be healed by using a silicon-optical-bench. Optical power-relay of the ball lens showed the maximum efficiency of 65% between two single-mode fibers on the silicon-optical-bench.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.37.1-37.1
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• 2011

Miniaturization of lenses has been widely researched by various scientific and engineering techniques. As a result, micro scaled lens structure could be easily achieved from various fabrication techniques; nevertheless it is still challenging to make nano scaled lenses. This paper reports a novel fabrication method of silicon nanotemplate for nanolens array. The inverse structure of nanolens array was fabricated on silicon substrate by reactive ion etching (RIE) process. This technique has a flexibility to produce different tip shapes using different pattern masks. Once the silicon nano-tip array structure is well-defined using an optimized recipe, it is followed by polymer molding to duplicate nanolens array from the template. Finally, the nanostructures formed on silicon nanotemplate and polymer replica were investigated using FE-SEM and AFM measurements. The nano scaled lens can be manufactured from the same template, also using other replication techniques such as imprinting, injection molding and so on.