• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.299.2-299.2
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• 2013

We investigated the potassium remaining on a crystalline silicon solar cell after potassium hydroxide (KOH) etching and its effect on the lifetime of the solar cell. KOH etching is generally used to remove the saw damage caused by cutting a Si ingot; it can also be used to etch the rear side of a textured crystalline silicon solar cell before atomic layer-deposited Al2O3 growth. However, the potassium remaining after KOH etching is known to be detrimental to the efficiency of Si solar cells. In this study, we etched a crystalline silicon solar cell in three ways in order to determine the effect of the potassium remnant on the efficiency of Si solar cells. After KOH etching, KOH and tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) were used to etch the rear side of a crystalline silicon solar cell. To passivate the rear side, an Al2O3 layer was deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD). After ALD Al2O3 growth on the KOH-etched Si surface, we measured the lifetime of the solar cell by quasi steady-state photoconductance (QSSPC, Sinton WCT-120) to analyze how effectively the Al2O3 layer passivated the interface of the Al2O3 layer and the Si surface. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) was also used to measure how much potassium remained on the surface of the Si wafer and at the interface of the Al2O3 layer and the Si surface after KOH etching and wet cleaning.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.668-676
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• 1997

Al2O3/SiC nanocomposites are fabricated through intensive ball milling to mix fine SiC particles uniformly with the Al2O3 powder. Another role of milling is to reduce particle sizes by crushing particles as well as agglomerates. However, balls are worn during ball milling and the sample powder mixtures pick up to weight loss of the balls. In this study, pressureless sintering was performed to obtain Al2O3/SiC nanocomposites. It was found that the wear rate of zirconia balls during milling was considerable, and the zirconia addition after even a few hours of ball milling could increase the sintering rates of the nanocomposites significantly. Thus, addition of ZrO2 changed the sintering behaviors as well as mechanical properties of Al2O3/SiC nanocomposites.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2016.11a
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• pp.189-189
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• 2016

In this study, the Al-rich AlTiSiN thin films that consisted of TiN/AlSiN nano-multilayers were deposited on the steel substrate by magnetron sputtering, and their high-temperature oxidation behavior was investigated, which has not yet been adequately studied to date. Since the oxidation behavior of the films depends sensitively on the deposition method and deposition parameters which affect their crystallinity, composition, stoichiometry, thickness, surface roughness, grain size and orientation, the oxidation studies under various conditions are imperative. AlTiSiN nano-multilayer thin films were deposited on a tool steel substrate, and their oxidation behavior of was investigated between 600 and $1000^{\circ}C$ in air. Since the amount of Al which had a high affinity for oxygen was the largest in the film, an ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3-rich$ scale formed, which provided good oxidation resistance. The outer surface scale consisted of ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3$ incoporated with a small amount of Ti, Si, and Fe. Below this outer surface scale, a thin ($Al_2O_3$, $TiO_2$, $SiO_2$)-intermixed scale formed by the inwardly diffusing oxygen. The film oxidized slower than the $TiO_2-forming$ kinetics and TiN films, but faster than ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3-forming$ kinetics. During oxidation, oxygen from the atmosphere diffused inwardly toward the reaction front, whereas nitrogen and the substrate element of iron diffused outwardly to a certain extent.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.343-352
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• 2009

High-resolution Solid-state NMR provides element specific and quantitative information and also resolves, otherwise overlapping atomic configurations in multi-component non-crystalline silicates. Here we report the preliminary results on the effect of composition on the structure of CMAS (CaO-MgO-$Al_2O_3-SiO_2$) silicate glasses, as a model system for basaltic magmas, using the high-resolution 1D and 2D solid-state NMR. The $^{27}Al$ MAS NMR spectra for the CMAS silicate glasses show that four-coordinated Al is predominant, demonstrating that $Al^{3+}$ is network forming cation. The peak position moves toward lower frequency about 4.7 ppm with increasing $X_{MgO}$ due to an increase in $Q^4$(4Si) fraction with increasing Si content, indicating that Al are surrounded only by bridging oxygen. $^{17}O$ MAS NMR spectra for $CaAl_2SiO_6$ and $CaMgSi_2O_6$ glasses qualitatively suggest that NBO fraction in the former is smaller than that in $CaMgSi_2O_6$ glasses. As $^{17}O$ 3QMAS NMR spectrum of model quaternary aluminosilicate glass resolved distinct bridging and non-bridging oxygen environments, atomic structure for natural magmas can also be potentially probed using high-resolution 3QMAS NMR.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.316-324
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• 1993

Three types of dispersed, coated and mechanically mixed SiC reinforced Al2O3 composite powders were used to investigate the effect of composite powder type on sintering characteristics and properties of Al2O3-SiC composites. Sinterability of coated type composite powders was superior to that of other composite powders when they were pressureless sintered at 1500~1$700^{\circ}C$ for 2h in Ar atmosphere. However, sinterabilities (>98% TD) of each type of composite powders were similar when they were hot pressed at 180$0^{\circ}C$ for 1h under 30MPa in N2 atmosphere. SiC powders were randomly distributed in the specimen prepared from dispersed type composite powders, whereas homogeneously distributed for coated type specimens. It was found that SiC powders inhibited the grain growth of Al2O3, and fracture toughness was increased by the increment of crack growth resistance due to residual stress by secondary SiC particles within Al2O3 grains.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.262-266
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• 2020

In this paper, we investigated the effect of the passivation stack with Al₂O₃, hydrogenated silicon nitride (SiN_x:H) stack and Al₂O₃, silicon oxynitride (SiON_x) stack in the n type bifacial solar cell on monocrystalline silicon. SiNx:H and SiON_x films were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition on the Al₂O₃ thin film deposited by thermal atomic layer deposition. We focus on passivation properties of the two stack structure after laser ablation process in order to improve bifaciality of the cell. Our results showed SiN_x:H with Al₂O₃ stack is 10 mV higher in implied open circuit voltage and 60 ㎲ higher in minority carrier lifetime than SiON_x with Al₂O₃ stack at Ni silicide formation temperature for 1.8% open area ratio. This can be explained by hydrogen passivation at the Al₂O₃/Si interface and Al₂O₃ layer of laser damaged area during annealing.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.837-842
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• 1992

SiC and Si mixtures dispersed by 0.5~10.0 wt% of Al2O3 and reinforced by SiC whisker were sintered to Si3N4 bonded SiC bodies at 140$0^{\circ}C$ in a N2 gas atmosphere, and the nitridation and mechanical properties of sintered bodies were investigated. From these observation, it is concluded that relative density and bending strength increased with the rising of nitridation and the highest nitridation ratio was obtained for a specimen having 1.5 wt% Al2O3. On the other hand, the amount of $\beta$-Si3N4 in the specimens containing Al2O3 more than 5.0 wt% was increased abruptly and the best in fracture toughness was sintered for a composits having 30 wt% SiC whiskers.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.129-136
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• 1998

The effects of MgO on the resistance to corrosion and oxidation of Al2O3-SiC-C refractory have been in-vestigated. The resistance to oxidation was improved as the amount of MgO increased. The resistance to corrosion was enhanced until 2 wt% MgO content but degraded over that content. From the dependence of temperatuer on the oxidation resistance oxidation was suppressed by the microstructural densification caused by spinel formation over 1200~130$0^{\circ}C$and the formation MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 liguid-phase over 130$0^{\circ}C$ The weight loss of specimens containing MgO with various purity at range of 95 to 99% and par-ticle size of -0.045 mm to -0.074 mm was examined. The oxidation resistance was not changed signficantly with the particle size and purity of MgO powders.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.120-124
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• 2011

Silicon heterojunction solar cells have been studied by many research groups. In this work, silicon heterojunction solar cells having a simple structure of Ag/ZnO:Al/n type a-Si:H/p type c-Si/Al were fabricated. Samples were fabricated to investigate the effect of transparent conductive oxide growth conditions on the interface between ZnO:Al layer and a-Si:H layer. One sample was deposited by ZnO:Al at low working pressure. The other sample was deposited by ZnO:Al at alternating high working pressure and low working pressure. Electrical properties and chemical properties were investigated by light I-V characteristics and AES method, respectively. The light I-V characteristics showed better efficiency on sample deposited by ZnO:Al by alternating high working pressure and low working pressure. Atomic concentrations and relative oxidation states of Si, O, and Zn were analyzed by AES method. For poor efficiency samples, Si was diffused into ZnO:Al layer and O was diffused at the interface of ZnO:Al and Si. Differentiated O KLL spectra, Zn LMM spectra, and Si KLL spectra were used for interface reaction and oxidation state. According to AES spectra, sample deposited by high working pressure was effective at reducing the interface reaction and the Si diffusion. Consequently, the efficiency was improved by suppressing the SiOx formation at the interface.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.119-124
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• 2013

Nano-multilayered, crystalline AlTiSiN thin films were deposited on WC-TiC-Co substrates by the cathodic arc plasma deposition. The deposited film consisted of wurtzite-type AlN, NaCl-type TiN, and tetragonal $Ti_2N$ phases. Their oxidation characteristics were studied at 800 and $900^{\circ}C$ for up to 20 h in air. The WC-TiC-Co oxidized fast with large weight gains. By contrast, the AlTiSiN film displayed superior oxidation resistance, due mainly to formation of the ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3$-rich surface oxide layer, below which an ($Al_2O_3$, $TiO_2$, $SiO_2$)-intermixed scale existed. Their oxidation progressed primarily by the outward diffusion of nitrogen, combined with the inward transport of oxygen that gradually reacted with Al, Ti, and Si in the film.