• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.1226-1235
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• 2016

For wearable health monitoring systems, a fundamental problem is the limited space for storing energy, which can be translated into a short operational life. In this paper, a highly efficient active voltage doubling rectifier with a wide input range for micro-piezoelectric energy harvesting systems is proposed. To obtain a higher output voltage, the Dickson charge pump topology is chosen in this design. By replacing the passive diodes with unbalanced-biased comparator-controlled active counterparts, the proposed rectifier minimizes the voltage losses along the conduction path and solves the reverse leakage problem caused by conventional comparator-controlled active diodes. To improve the rectifier input voltage sensitivity and decrease the minimum operational input voltage, two low power common-gate comparators are introduced in the proposed design. To keep the comparator from oscillating, a positive feedback loop formed by the capacitor C is added to it. Based on the SMIC 0.18-μm standard CMOS process, the proposed rectifier is simulated and implemented. The area of the whole chip is 0.91×0.97 mm², while the rectifier core occupies only 13% of this area. The measured results show that the proposed rectifier can operate properly with input amplitudes ranging from 0.2 to 1.0V and with frequencies ranging from 20 to 3000 Hz. The proposed rectifier can achieve a 92.5% power conversion efficiency (PCE) with input amplitudes equal to 0.6 V at 200 Hz. The voltage conversion efficiency (VCE) is around 93% for input amplitudes greater than 0.3 V and load resistances larger than 20kΩ.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.309-313
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• 2011

The power capacitors used as vehicle inverters must have a small size, high capacitance, high voltage, fast response and wide operating temperature. Our thin film capacitor was fabricated by alumina layers as a dielectric material and a metal electrode instead of a liquid electrolyte in an aluminum electrolytic capacitor. We analyzed the micro structures and the electrical properties of the thin film capacitors fabricated by nano-channel alumina and metal electrodes. The metal electrode was filled into the alumina nano-channel by electroless nickel plating with polyethylene glycol and a palladium catalyst. The spherical metals were formed inside the alumina nano pores. The breakdown voltage and leakage current increased by the chemical reaction of the alumina layer and $PdCl_2$ solution. The thickness of the electroless plated nickel layer was 300 nm. We observed the nano pores in the interface between the alumina layer and the metal electrode. The alumina capacitors with nickel electrodes had a capacitance density of 100 $nF/cm^2$, dielectric loss of 0.01, breakdown voltage of 0.7MV/cm and leakage current of $10^4{\mu}A$.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.793-801
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• 2000

This paper presents the effect of lightning impulse current on ZnO varistors(390[V], 6.5[kA]) used in low-voltage AC mains as a protective device against transient overvoltages. The electrical characteristics of ZnO varistors are deteriorated by overtime impulse current, and a deteriorated ZnO varistor is brought to a thermal runaway and finally destroyed even in normal operating voltage. Therefore, it is important to estimate the changes of the electrical characteristics of ZnO varistors. A lightning impulse current standardized in IEC 61000-4-5 is applied to the varistors to accelerate deterioration, and the energy applied to the varistor at each time is about 12 [J]. In the experiment, various parameters such as leakage current, reference voltage are measured with the number of applied impulse current. Also, micro-structure changes of the varistors after applying the lightning impulse current of 200 times are compared. The electrical characteristics of the varistors are degraded by overtime impulse current, showing increase in leakage current and decrease in reference voltage.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.277-284
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• 2017

This paper presents an implantable pH measurement electrode for wireless gastroesophageal reflux measurement. Usually, gastroesophageal reflux is diagnosed by a catheter-type wire connection between the esophagus and the diagnostic device which brings many side effects such as restriction of daily living, pain, and discomfort in the nasal cavity and pharynx of patients. In order to solve these issues, researchers have been studied a wireless measurement method and a micro-sized pH electrode for human body insertion is necessary. Commercial glass packaged pH meter is formed by a sensing and a reference electrodes in a KCl solution. However, if the glass meter is inserted into the human body, there are risks of leakage of the solution, breakage of the glass package, injury of the body elements. Therefore, the solution should be solidified on the micro-sized noble metal wire which has a characteristic of biocompatible. After solidified wire fabrication, the designed meter was tested for feasibility of measurement and the result was well agreed with pH values of commercial pH meter. Potentials in pH 1 to 12 solution was measured to obtain the sensitivity of the sensor with linearity. And we have designed a simulation of gastroesophageal reflux with symptom frequency, interval, and duration time in pH 2 solution. The proposed sensor has capable to get the same potential for 24 measurements in 3 days, and it has sensed same pH values of 2 for one hour with every 10 minutes. Furthermore, the sensor was survived for 48 hours with reasonable potentials in the acid solution.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.72-78
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• 2003

To observe the effect of excitation coil pitch on the micro fluxgate magnetic sensor, two sensors are fabricated using multi layer board process and the pitch distance of excitation coil are $260\;{\mu}m$ and $520\;{\mu}m$, respectively. The fluxgate sensor consists of five PCB stack layers including one layer of magnetic core and four layers of excitation and pick-up coils. The center layer as magnetic core is made of a Co-based amorphous magnetic ribbon with extremely high DC permeability of ${\sim}100,000$ and has a rectangular-ring shape to minimize the magnetic flux leakage. Four outer layers as excitation and pick-up coils have a planar solenoid structure and are made of copper foil. In case of the fluxgate sensor having the excitation coil pitch of $260\;{\mu}m$, excellent linear response over the range of $-100\;{\mu}T$ to $+100\;{\mu}T$ is obtained with sensitivity of 780 V/T at excitation sine wave of $3V_{p_p}$ and 360 kHz. The chip size of the fabricated sensing element is $7.3\;{\times}\;5.7\;mm^2$. The very low power consumption of ${\sim}8\;mW$ is measured. This magnetic sensor is very useful for various applications such as: portable navigation systems, telematics, VR game and so on.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.56-64
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• 2021

Leakage due to deterioration and damage is one of the major causes of volume change by freezing and thawing, and it leads micro-cracking and surface scaling in concrete structures. The deterioration of damaged concrete accelerates with the chloride attack. Thus, in the detailed guidelines for facility performance evaluation (2020), the quality of cover concrete and the freeze-thaw (FT) repetition cycle were newly suggested for concrete durability assessment. The quality of cover concrete should be evaluated by the rebound hammer test and the FT repetition cycle should be also considered in the deterioration environmental assessment. This study suggested the application of fast dynamic based nonlinear ultrasound method to monitor initial micro-scale damage under freezing and thawing environment. Concrete specimens were fabricated with different water-cement ratios (40%, 60%) and air contents (1.5% and 3.0%). The compressive strength, rebound number, relative dynamic modulus, and nonlinear ultrasound were measured with different FT cycles. The scanning electron microscopy was also performed to investigate the micro-scale FT damage. As a result, both the rebound number and the relative dynamic modulus had difficulty to detect early damage but the proposed method showed a potential to detect initial micro-scale damage and predict the FT resistance performance of concrete.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.151-155
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• 2008

Objective : Microscopic and endoscopic transsphenoidal approach (TSA) are major surgical techniques in the treatment of pituitary adenoma. Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach (EETSA) has been increasingly used for pituitary adenomas, however, its surgical outcome particularly in functioning pituitary adenoma has been debated. Here, we investigated the endocrine outcome of the patients with growth hormone (GH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secreting pituitary adenoma treated by EETSA. Methods : We treated 80 patients with pituitary adenoma by EETSA since 2004, of which 12 patients were affected by functioning pituitary adenomas (9 GH, 3 ACTH, 0 PRL; 9 macro, 3 micro). Surgical outcome of those patients treated by EETSA was compared with that of the 11 functioning pituitary adenoma patients (8 GH, 3 ACTH; 8 macro, 3 micro) who underwent sublabial microscopic TSA between 1997 and 2003. Results : Imaging remission based on postoperative MRI was achieved in 8 (73%) and hormonal remission in 5 (45%) of 11 patients treated by sublabial microscopic TSA. Imaging remission was observed in 10 (83%, p=0.640) and hormonal remission in 10 (83%, p=0.081) of 12 patients by EETSA. CSF leakage was noticed in 2 (17%) of EETSA group and in 2 (18%) of sublabial microscopic TSA group. Panhypopituitarism was observed in 1 (9%) of EETSA group and in 3 (27%) of sublabial microscopic TSA group. Conclusion : EETSA appears to be an effective and safe method for the treatment of functioning pituitary adenomas.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.508-514
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• 2004

A fluxgate magnetic sensor consists of a solenoid excitation coil, pick-up coil, and magnetic core. We presents the effect of magnetic core shape in a micromachined fluxgate sensor. To observe the performance of fluxgate sensor with magnetic core side width and gap, side width of 125 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, 250 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, and 500 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ were designed in a rectangular-ring shaped core and the gaps of 0 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, 50 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, and 100 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ were also fabricated in a racetrack shaped core. The solenoid coils and magnetic core were separated by benzocyclobutane(BCB) which had high insulation and good planarization characters. Copper coil patterns of 10 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ width and 6${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ thickness were electroplated on Ti(300 $\AA$) / Cu(1500 $\AA$) seed layers. 3 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ thick N $i_{0.8}$F $e_{0.2.}$(permalloy) film for the magnetic core was also electroplated under 2000 gauss to induce the magnetic anisotropy. The magnetic core had the high DC effective permeability of ∼1,300 and coercive field of ∼0.1 Oe. Because the magnetic cores of 500 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ side width and 0 gap had a low magnetic flux leakage, high sensitivity of ∼350 V/T were measured at excitation condition of 3 $V_{P-P}$ and 2 MHz square wave. The power consumption of ∼14 ㎽ was measured. The fabricated fluxgate sensor had the very small actual size of 3.0${\times}$1.7 $\textrm{mm}^2$. When two fluxgates were perpendicularly aligned in terrestrial field, their two-axis output signals were very useful to commercialize an electronic azimuth compass for the portable navigation system.m.m.m.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.446-454
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• 2017

Recently, there have been many studies on bulk-fill resin composites. However, studies on the proper materials for pediatric patients are rare. The aim of this study was to compare the cavity wall adaptation of bulk-fill resin composites with conventional resin composite in class II cavities of primary molars using microcomputed tomography (micro-CT). Standardized class II slot cavities were prepared in 80 exfoliated primary molars and randomly divided into 4 groups. The control group was restored with conventional resin composite, Filtek Z-350 XT (FZ), and the three groups were restored with bulk-fill resin composites, Filtek bulk-fill posterior (FB), Tetric N-Ceram Bulk Fill (TNC), Filtek bulk-fill flowable (FBF). All specimens were thermocycled and then immersed in 50% silver nitrate ($AgNO_3$) solution. Micro-CT was used to measure the penetration volume of the total silver nitrate and the degree of cervical marginal leakage and the number, size, and position of the voids were evaluated. The results revealed that the volume of silver nitrate were significantly different between FB and FZ (p < 0.05). The results also revealed that the penetration length of silver nitrate FBF showed statistically lower than the FZ and FB (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups in number and size of voids. In conventional resin composite, most of the voids were present inside the restoration (83.3%), but the voids in the bulk-fill resin composites incidence were higher in the gingivoaxial angle. The cavity wall adaptation demonstrated in class II restorations of primary molar by new bulk fill resin composites was similar to conventional incremental technique. Bulk-fill resin composites might be an clinical option for a faster restoration in deciduous teeth.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.208-214
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to compare the dye leakage of MTA (mineral trioxide aggregate) apical plug produced by two orthograde placement techniques (hand condensation technique and ultrasonically assisted hand condensation technique). To simulate straight canal, 60 transparent acrylic blocks with straight canal were fabricated. These transparent acrylic blocks were divided into 2 groups (Group C; hand condensation technique (HC) and Group U; ultrasonically assisted hand condensation technique (UAHC)) of 30 blocks with each MTA application method. Each group was divided into 2 subgroups (n=15) with different canal size of #70 (subgroup C70 and subgroup U70) and #120 (subgroup C120 and subgroup U120). After apical plug was created, a wet paper point was placed over the MTA plug and specimen was kept in a humid condition at room temperature to allow MTA to set. After 24 hours, remaining canal space was backfilled using Obtura II. All specimens were transferred to floral form socked by 0.2% rhodamine B solution and stored in 100% humidity at room temperature. After 48 hours, resin block specimens were washed and scanned using a scanner. The maximum length of micro leakage was measured from the scanned images of four surfaces of each resin block using Photoshop 6.0. Statistical analysis was performed with Mann-Whitney U test. Group U of UAHC had significantly lower leakage than Group C of HC in #70-size canal (subgroup U70) (p<0.05).