• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
• /
• v.16 no.6
• /
• pp.453-457
• /
• 2007

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and Ga doped zinc oxide (GZO) with different thickness in range of 10nm to 100nm are prepared on glass substrate by RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The structural and optical properties of the thin films is evaluated. The structural properties of ZnO and GZO are investigated by Tunneling Electron Microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Optical properties are also investigated by UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer (200$\sim$1400nm). The much larger grain size of ZnO compared to GZO decreased the light scattering at the grain boundary and improved the transmittance. The transmittance of ZnO is higher than that of GZO through all of the ranges of wavelengths. In case of over 50nm, we found that the transmittance of ZnO is 20% higher than that of GZO.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2013.02a
• /
• pp.73-75
• /
• 2013

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) [1] can now not only image individual atoms but also construct atom letters using atom manipulation method [2]. Therefore, the AFM is the second generation atomic tool following the well-known scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The AFM, however, has the advantages that it can image even insulating surfaces with atomic resolution and also measure the atomic force itself between the tip-apex outermost atom and the sample surface atom. Noting these advantages, we have been developing a novel bottom-up nanostructuring system, as shown in Fig. 1, based on the AFM. It can identify chemical species of individual atoms [3] and then manipulate selected atom species to the designed site one-by-one [2] to assemble complex nanostructures consisted of many atom species at room temperature (RT). In this invited talk, we will introduce our results toward atom-by-atom assembly of composite nanomaterials based on the AFM at RT. To identify chemical species, we developed the site-specific force spectroscopy at RT by compensating the thermal drift using the atom tracking. By converting the precise site-specific frequency shift curves, we obtained short-range force curves of selected Sn and Si atoms as shown in Fig. 2(a) and 2(b) [4]. Then using the atom-by-atom force spectroscopy at RT, we succeeded in chemical identification of intermixed three atom species in Pb/Sn/Si(111)-(${\surd}3$'${\surd}3$) surface as shown in Fig. 2(c) [3]. To create composite nanostructures, we found the lateral atom interchange phenomenon at RT, which enables us to exchange embedded heterogeneous atoms [2]. By combining this phenomenon with the modified vector scan, we constructed the atom letters "Sn" consisted of substitutional Sn adatoms embedded in Ge adatoms at RT as shown in Fig. 3(a)~(f) [2]. Besides, we found another kind of atom interchange phenomenon at RT that is the vertical atom interchange phenomenon, which directly interchanges the surface selected Sn atoms with the tip apex Si atoms [5]. This method is an advanced interchangeable single atom pen at RT. Then using this method, we created the atom letters "Si" consisted of substituted Si adatoms embedded in Sn adatoms at RT as shown in Fig. 4(a)~(f) [5]. In addition to the above results, we will introduce the simultaneous evaluation of the force and current at the atomic scale using the combined AFM/STM at RT.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2014.02a
• /
• pp.490.2-490.2
• /
• 2014

Since the general solar cells accept sun light at the front side, excluding the electrode area, electrons move from the emitter to the front electrode and start to collect at the grid edge. Thus the edge of gridline can be important for electrical properties of screen-printed silicon solar cells. In this study, the improvement of electrical properties in screen-printed crystalline silicon solar cells by contact treatment of grid edge was investigated. The samples with $60{\Omega}/{\square}$ and $70{\Omega}/{\square}$ emitter were prepared. After front side of samples was deposited by SiNx commercial Ag paste and Al paste were printed at front side and rear side respectively. Each sample was co-fired between $670^{\circ}C$ and $780^{\circ}C$ in the rapid thermal processing (RTP). After the firing process, the cells were dipped in 2.5% hydrofluoric acid (HF) at room temperature for various times under 60 seconds and then rinsed in deionized water. (This is called "contact treatment") After dipping in HF for a certain period, the samples from each firing condition were compared by measurement. Cell performances were measured by Suns-Voc, solar simulator, the transfer length method and a field emission scanning electron microscope. According to HF treatment, once the thin glass layer at the grid edge was etched, the current transport was changed from tunneling via Ag colloids in the glass layer to direct transport via Ag colloids between the Ag bulk and the emitter. Thus, the transfer length as well as the specific contact resistance decreased. For more details a model of the current path was proposed to explain the effect of HF treatment at the edge of the Ag grid. It is expected that HF treatment may help to improve the contact of high sheet-resistance emitter as well as the contact of a high specific contact resistance.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.152-161
• /
• 2006

In order to test the capacity of Si(5 5 12) as a potential template for nanowire fabrication, Bi/Si(5 5 12) system has been studied by STM. With Bi deposition, Si(5 5 12) has been transformed to Si(3 3 7) terrace. Initially Bi atoms selectively replace Si-dimers and Si-adatoms with Bi-dimers and Bi-adatoms, respectively. With extended Bi adsorption, Bi-dimers adsorb on the pre-adsorbed Bi-dimers and Bi-atoms. These dimers in the second layer form Bi-dimer pairs having relatively stable $p^3$ bonding, Finally, the Bi-dimer adsorbs on the Bi-dimers in the second layer and saturates. It can be deduced that both surface transformation to (3 3 7) and site-selective Bi adsorption are possible due to substrate-strain relaxation through inserting Bi atoms into subsurface of Si substrate.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.50-56
• /
• 2006

We investigated the adsorption of benzene and pyridine on $Si(5\;5\;12)-2\times1$ at 80 K by using variable-low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The benzene molecule most strongly binds to two adatoms on the D3 and D2 units in a tilted butterfly configuration, which consists of $di-\sigma$ bonds between C atoms and Si adatoms and two C=C double bonds in the benzene molecule Pyridine molecules interact with adatom(s) on the D2 and D3 units through both Si-N dative bonding and $di-\sigma$ bonds. The dative bonding through the lone pair electrons of N atom produces a vertical configuration (pyridine-like), which is more stable than $di-\sigma$ bonds $Di-\sigma$ bonds can be formed either through Si-N1 and Si-C4 or Si-C2 and Si-C5.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.111-116
• /
• 2002

Electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy was employed to study the evolution of surface morphology during electrochemical preparation of Si(111)-H from Si(111) oxide. Anodic dark current of cyclic voltammogram in 0.2M $NH_4F$ solution (pH 4.7) decreased as the number of cycles increased and remained nearly constant after the second cycle. Then, the Si(111) oxide was entirely stripped, which was followed by H termination on the Si(111) surface. Hydrides at kink and step sites were etched more rapidly than on the terrace, which remained triangle pits with [112] oriented steps where existed stable monohydride. Then, triangle pits deepened. During chronomamperometry at 0.4V anodic dark current shoulder appeared and decreased slowly, indicated the stripping of Si(111) oxide and the formation of stable (112) oriented steps with monohydride. Additionally, the etching mechanism of Si(111)-H in 0.2M $NH_4F(pH 4.7)$ solution at +0.4V was discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.387-393
• /
• 2008

Using a first-principles total-energy method, we investigate structural and energy changes on Ag/Si(111)$\sqrt{3}{\times}\sqrt{3}$($\sqrt{3}-Ag$ hereafter) as the number of the additional Ag adatoms increases. The Ag coverage varies from 0.02 to 0.14 ML. Most Ag adatoms occupy the ST site, which is the center of small triangles of the substrate Ag layer that is composed of small and large triangles. One of the interesting adsorption features is that the adatoms immerse below the substrate layer. The total energy calculations show that the clusters become the most stable when the number of Ag atoms is three. This three-Ag cluster becomes the building block of the $\sqrt{21}{\times}\sqrt{21}$ phase that shows a large surface conductivity. The simulated STM images show that the adatoms look dark in filled-state images while bright in empty-state images. This suggests that the adatoms donate their charge to the substrate. The simulated STM images agree well with the experimental images.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2000.02a
• /
• pp.156-156
• /
• 2000

Recently, the surface electronic states have attracted much attention since their standing wave patterns created around steps, defects, and adsorbates on noble metal surfaces such as Au(111), Ag(110), and Cu(111) were observed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). As a typical example, a striking circular pattern of "Quantum corral" observed by Crommie, Lutz, and Eigler, covers a number of text books of quantum mechanics, demonstrating a wavy nature of electrons. After the discoveries, similar standing waves patterns have been observed on other metal and demiconductor surfaces and even on a side polane of nano-tubes. With an expectation that the surface states could be utilized as one of ideal cases for studying two dimensionakl (sD) electronic system, various properties, such as mean free path / life time of the electronic states, have been characterized based on an analysis of standing wave patterns, . for the 2D electron system, electron density is one of the most importnat parameters which determines the properties on it. One advantage of conventional 2D electron system, such as the ones realized at AlGaAs/GaAs and SiO2/Si interfaces, is their controllability of the electrondensity. It can be changed and controlled by a factor of orders through an application of voltage on the gate electrode. On the other hand, changing the leectron density of the surface-state 2D electron system is not simple. On ewqy to change the electron density of the surface-state 2D electron system is not simple. One way to change the electron density is to deposit other elements on the system. it has been known that Pd(111) surface has unoccupied surface states whose energy level is just above Fermi level. Recently, we found that by depositing Pd on Cu(111) surface, occupied surface states of Cu(111) is lifted up, crossing at Fermi level around 2ML, and approaches to the intrinsic Pd surface states with a increase in thickness. Electron density occupied in the states is thus gradually reduced by Pd deposition. Park et al. also observed a change in Fermi wave number of the surface states of Cu(111) by deposition of Xe layer on it, which suggests another possible way of changing electron density. In this talk, after a brief review of recent progress in a study of standing weaves by STM, I will discuss about how the electron density can be changed and controlled and feasibility of using the surface states for a study of 2D electron system. One of the most important advantage of the surface-state 2D electron system is that one can directly and easily access to the system with a high spatial resolution by STM/AFM.y STM/AFM.