• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.327-327
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• 2009

ZnO with a large band gap (~3.37 eV) and exciton binding energy (~60 meV), is suitable for optoelectronic applications such as ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diodes (LEDs) and detectors. However, the ZnO-based p-n homojunction is not readily available because it is difficult to fabricate reproducible p-type ZnO with high hall concentration and mobility. In order to solve this problem, there have been numerous attempts to develop p-n heterojunction LEDs with ZnO as the n-type layer. The n-ZnO/p-GaN heterostructure is a good candidate for ZnO-based heterojunction LEDs because of their similar physical properties and the reproducible availability of p-type GaN. Especially, the reduced lattice mismatch (~1.8 %) and similar crystal structure result in the advantage of acquiring high performance LED devices. In particular, a number of ZnO films show UV band-edge emission with visible deep-level emission, which is originated from point defects such as oxygen vacancy, oxygen interstitial, zinc interstitial[1]. Thus, defect-related peak positions can be controlled by variation of growth or annealing conditions. In this work, the undoped ZnO film was grown on the p-GaN:Mg film using RF magnetron sputtering method. The undoped ZnO/p-GaN:Mg heterojunctions were annealed in a horizontal tube furnace. The annealing process was performed at $800^{\circ}C$ during 30 to 90 min in air ambient to observe the variation of the defect states in the ZnO film. Photoluminescence measurements were performed in order to confirm the deep-level position of the ZnO film. As a result, the deep-level emission showed orange-red color in the as-deposited film, while the defect-related peak positions of annealed films were shifted to greenish side as increasing annealing time. Furthermore, the electrical resistivity of the ZnO film was decreased after annealing process. The I-V characteristic of the LEDs showed nonlinear and rectifying behavior. The room-temperature electroluminescence (EL) was observed under forward bias. The EL showed a weak white and strong yellowish emission colors (~575 nm) in the undoped ZnO/p-GaN:Mg heterojunctions before and after annealing process, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.11-11
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• 2010

Thin-film-transistors (TFTs) that can be deposited at low temperature have recently attracted lots of applications such as sensors, solar cell and displays, because of the great flexible electronics and transparent. Transparent and flexible transistors are being required that high mobility and large-area uniformity at low temperature [1]. But, unfortunately most of TFT structures are used to be $SiO_2$ as gate dielectric layer. The $SiO_2$ has disadvantaged that it is required to high driving voltage to achieve the same operating efficiency compared with other high-k materials and its thickness is thicker than high-k materials [2]. To solve this problem, we find lots of high-k materials as $HfO_2$, $ZrO_2$, $SiN_x$, $TiO_2$, $Al_2O_3$. Among the High-k materials, $Al_2O_3$ is one of the outstanding materials due to its properties are high dielectric constant ( ~9 ), relatively low leakage current, wide bandgap ( 8.7 eV ) and good device stability. For the realization of flexible displays, all processes should be performed at very low temperatures, but low temperature $Al_2O_3$ grown by sputtering showed deteriorated electrical performance. Further decrease in growth temperature induces a high density of charge traps in the gate oxide/channel. This study investigated the effect of growth temperatures of ALD grown $Al_2O_3$ layers on the TFT device performance. The ALD deposition showed high conformal and defect-free dielectric layers at low temperature compared with other deposition equipments [2]. After ITO was wet-chemically etched with HCl : $HNO_3$ = 3:1, $Al_2O_3$ layer was deposited by ALD at various growth temperatures or lift-off process. Amorphous InGaZnO channel layers were deposited by rf magnetron sputtering at a working pressure of 3 mTorr and $O_2$/Ar (1/29 sccm). The electrodes were formed with electron-beam evaporated Ti (30 nm) and Au (70 nm) bilayer. The TFT devices were heat-treated in a furnace at $300^{\circ}C$ and nitrogen atmosphere for 1 hour by rapid thermal treatment. The electrical properties of the oxide TFTs were measured using semiconductor parameter analyzer (4145B), and LCR meter.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.222-227
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• 2008

In this study, $BaTiO_3$ thin films were grown by RF-magnetron sputtering, and the effects of a post-annealing process on the structural characteristics of the $BaTiO_3$ thin films were investigated. For the crystallization of the grown thin films, post-annealing was carried out in air at an annealing temperature that varied from $500-1000^{\circ}C$. XRD results showed that the highest crystal quality was obtained from the samples annealed at $600-700^{\circ}C$. From the SEM analysis, no crystal grains were observed after annealing at temperatures ranging from 500 to $600^{\circ}C$; and 80 nm grains were obtained at $700^{\circ}C$. The surface roughness of the $BaTiO_3$ thin films from AFM measurements and the crystal quality from Raman analysis also showed that the optimum annealing temperature was $700^{\circ}C$. XPS results demonstrated that the binding energy of each element of the thin-film-type $BaTiO_3$ in this study shifted with the annealing temperature. Additionally, a Ti-rich phenomenon was observed for samples annealed at $1000^{\circ}C$. Depth-profiling analysis through a GDS (glow discharge spectrometer) showed that a stoichiometric composition could be obtained when the annealing temperature was in the range of 500 to $700^{\circ}C$. All of the results obtained in this study clearly demonstrate that an annealing temperature of $700^{\circ}C$ results in optimal structural properties of $BaTiO_3$ thin films in terms of their crystal quality, surface roughness, and composition.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.5-5
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• 2009

Thin-film-transistors (TFTs) that can be prepared at low temperatures have attracted much attention because of the great potential for transparent and flexible electronics. One of the mainstreams in this field is the use of organic semiconductors such as pentacene. But device performance of the organic TFTs is still limited due to low field-effect mobility and rapid degradation after exposing to air. Alternative approach is the use of amorphous oxide semiconductors as a channel. Amorphous oxide semiconductors (AOSs) based TFTs showed the fast technological development, because AOS films can be fabricated at room temperature and exhibit the possibility in application like flexible display, electronic paper, and larges solar cells. Among the various AOSs, a-IGZO has lots of advantages because it has high channel mobility, uniform surface roughness and good transparency. [1] The high mobility is attributed to the overlap of spherical s-orbital of the heavy post-transition metal cations. This study demonstrated the effect of the variation in channel thickness from 30nm to 200nm on the TFT device performance. When the thickness was increased, turn-on voltage and subthreshold swing was decreased. The a-IGZO channels and source/drain metals were deposited with shadow mask. The a-IGZO channel layer was deposited on $SiO_2$/p-Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering, where RF power is 150W. And working pressure is 3m Torr, at $O_2/Ar$ (2/28 sccm) atmosphere. The electrodes were formed with electron-beam evaporated Ti (30 nm) and Au (70 nm) bilayer. Finally, Al (150nm) as a gate metal was thermal-evaporated. TFT devices were heat-treated in a furnace at 250 $^{\circ}C$ and nitrogen atmosphere for 1hour. The electrical properties of the TFTs were measured using a probe-station. The TFT with channel thickness of 150nm exhibits a good subthreshold swing (SS) of 0.72 V/decade and on-off ratio of $1{\times}10^8$. The field effect mobility and threshold voltage were evaluated as 7.2 and 8 V, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.77-77
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• 2016

Thin films synthesized by plasma processes have been widely applied in a variety of industrial sectors. The structure control of thin film is one of prime factor in most of these applications. It is well known that the structure of this film is closely associated with plasma parameters and species of plasma which are electrons, ions, radical and neutrals in plasma processes. However the precise control of structure by plasma process is still limited due to inherent complexity, reproducibility and control problems in practical implementation of plasma processing. Therefore the study on the fundamental physical properties that govern the plasmas becomes more crucial for molecular scale control of film structure and corresponding properties for new generation nano scale film materials development and application. The thin films are formed through nucleation and growth stages during thin film depostion. Such stages involve adsorption, surface diffusion, chemical binding and other atomic processes at surfaces. This requires identification, determination and quantification of the surface activity of the species in the plasma. Specifically, the ions and neutrals have kinetic energies ranging from ~ thermal up to tens of eV, which are generated by electron impact of the polyatomic precursor, gas phase reaction, and interactions with the substrate and reactor walls. The present work highlights these aspects for the controlled and low-temperature plasma enhanced chemical vapour disposition (PECVD) of Si-based films like crystalline Si (c-Si), Si-quantum dot, and sputtered crystalline C by the design and control of radicals, plasmas and the deposition energy. Additionally, there is growing demand on the low-temperature deposition process with low hydrogen content by PECVD. The deposition temperature can be reduced significantly by utilizing alternative plasma concepts to lower the reaction activation energy. Evolution in this area continues and has recently produced solutions by increasing the plasma excitation frequency from radio frequency to ultra high frequency (UHF) and in the range of microwave. In this sense, the necessity of dedicated experimental studies, diagnostics and computer modelling of process plasmas to quantify the effect of the unique chemistry and structure of the growing film by radical and plasma control is realized. Different low-temperature PECVD processes using RF, UHF, and RF/UHF hybrid plasmas along with magnetron sputtering plasmas are investigated using numerous diagnostics and film analysis tools. The broad outlook of this work also outlines some of the 'Grand Scientific Challenges' to which significant contributions from plasma nanoscience-related research can be foreseen.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2016.11a
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• pp.195-195
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• 2016

Titanium and its alloys are widely used as implants in orthopedics, dentistry and cardiology due to their outstanding properties, such as high strength, high level of hemocompatibility and enhanced biocompatibility. Hence, recent works showed that the synthesis of new Ti-based alloys for implant application involves more biocompatible metallic alloying element, such as, Nb, Hf, Zr and Mo. In particular, Nb and Hf are one of the most effective Ti ${\beta}-stabilizer$ and reducing the elastic modulus. Plasma electrolyte oxidation (PEO) is known as excellent method in the biocompatibility of biomaterial due to quickly coating time and controlled coating condition. The anodized oxide layer and diameter modulation of Ti alloys can be obtained function of improvement of cell adhesion. Silicon (Si) and magnesium (Mg) has a beneficial effect on bone. Si in particular has been found to be essential for normal bone and cartilage growth and development. In vitro studies have shown that Mg plays very important roles in essential for normal growth and metabolism of skeletal tissue in vertebrates and can be detected as minor constituents in teeth and bone. The aim of this study is to research Si and Mg doped hydroxyapatite film formation by plasma electrolytic oxidation. Ti-29Nb-xHf (x= 0, 3, 7 and 15wt%, mass fraction) alloys were prepared Ti-29Nb-xHf alloys of containing Hf up from 0 wt% to 15 wt% were melted by using a vacuum furnace. Ti-29Nb-xHf alloys were homogenized for 2 hr at $1050^{\circ}C$. Each alloy was anodized in solution containing typically 0.15 M calcium acetate monohydrate + 0.02 M calcium glycerophosphate at room temperature. A direct current power source was used for the process of anodization. Anodized alloys was prepared using 270V~300V anodization voltage at room. A Si and Mg coating was produced by RF-magnetron sputtering system. RF power of 100W was applied to the target for 1h at room temperature. The microstructure, phase and composition of Si and Mg coated oxide surface of Ti-29Nb-xHf alloys were examined by FE-SEM, EDS, and XRD.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.12-16
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• 2012

Although silver is used for T-OLED (Top emitting organic Light-Emitting Diode) as reflective anode, it is not an ideal material due to its low work function. Thus, we study the effect of annealing and atmospheric pressure plasma treatment on Ag film that increases its work function by forming the thin silver oxide layer on its surface. In this study, we deposited silver on glass substrate using RF sputtering. Then we treated the Ag samples annealing at $300^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes in atmosphere or treating the atmospheric plasma treatment for 30, 60, 90, 120s, respectively. We measured the change of the mechanical properties and the potential value of surface with each one at a different treatment type and time. We used nano-indenter system and KPFM (Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy). KPFM method can be measured the change of surface potential. The nanoindenter results showed that the plasma treatment samples for 30s, 120s had very low elastic modulus, hardness and Weibull modulus. However, annealed sample and plasma treated samples for 60s and 90s had better mechanical properties. Therefore, plasma treatment increases the uniformity thin film and the surface potential that is very effective for the performace of T-OLED.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.242-250
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• 1996

The effects of annealing in magnetic field after deposition on electromagnetic properties of $Ni_{81}Fe_{19}$ thin($400\;{\AA}$) films prepared by RF-magnetron sputtering were investigated in terms of microstructure and surface morphology. The coercivity of the films was decreased below $300^{\circ}C$ due to stress relief and recrystallization, while increased at $400^{\circ}C$ due to grain growth and increasing the surface roughness. And then, $4{\pi}M_{s}$, was almost independent of annealing temperatures. Increasing the annealing temperature. the electrical resistivity of films was decreased from $37\;{\mu}{\Omega}cm$ to $24\;{\mu}{\Omega}cm$, the magnetoresistance was nearly a constant of about $0.6\;{\mu}{\Omega}cm$, and the MR ratio was increased from 1.5 % to 3.1 %. Therefore, It was shown that increasing the magnetoresistive ratio was mainly affected by decreasing the electrical resistivity. Considering the practical application of the films for magnetoresistive heads, optimal annealing conditions was obtained after one hour annealing at $300^{\circ}C$ in 400 Oe unidirectional magnetic field.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.291-298
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• 2020

ZITO/Ag/ZITO multilayer transparent electrodes at room temperature on glass substrates were prepared using RF/DC magnetron sputtering. Transparent conductive films with a sheet resistance of 9.4 Ω/㎡ and a transmittance of 83.2% at 550 nm were obtained for the multilayer structure comprising ZITO/Ag/ZITO (100/8/42 nm). The sheet resistance and transmittance of ZITO/Ag/ZITO multilayer films meant that they would be highly applicable for use in polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC)-based smart windows due to the ability to effectively block infrared rays (heat rays) and thereby act as an energy-saving smart glass. Effects of the thickness of the PDLC layer and the intensity of ultraviolet light (UV) on electro-optical properties, photopolymerization kinetics, and morphologies of difunctional urethane acrylate-based PDLC systems were investigated using new transparent conducting electrodes. A PDLC cell photo-cured using UV at an intensity of 2.0 mW/c㎡ with a 15 ㎛-thick PDLC layer showed outstanding off-state opacity, good on-state transmittance, and favorable driving voltage. Also, the PDLC-based smart window optimized in this study formed liquid crystal droplets with a favorable microstructure, having an average size range of 2~5 ㎛ for scattering light efficiently, which could contribute to its superior final performance.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.36-43
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• 2000

In oder to enhance the selectivity of TMA(trimethylamine) gas, the ZnO-based films which were doped with $Al_2O_3$, $TiO_2, $In_2O_3$ and $V_2O_5$ catalysts with various weight percents were deposited in oxygen by RF magnetron sputtering method. To improve electrical stability of sensors, the ZnO-based films were annealed in oxygen at $700^{\circ}C$ for 1 hour. The TMA selectivity of sensors was defined by the magnitude($S_{TMA}/S_{DMA}$ and $S_{TMA}/S_{NH3}$) of TMA sensitivity relative to DMA and sensitivity ammonia($NH_3$) sensitivity, respectively. The $ZnO+Al_2O_3(4\;wt.%)+TiO_2(1\;wt.%)+In_2O_3(1\;wt.%)$ sensor showed high $S_{TMA}/S_{DMA}$ of 5.9 and $S_{TMA}/S_{NH3}$ of 26 to 160 ppm at the working temperature of $300^{\circ}C$ respectively.