• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.1-5
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• 2021

We have investigated the electrical transport properties of polycrystalline tantalum nitride (TaN_x) films. Various compositions of tantalum (nitride) thin films have been deposited on SiO₂ substrates by reactive DC magnetron sputtering while changing the ratio of nitrogen partial pressure. The substrate temperature was maintained at 283 K during deposition. X-ray diffraction analyses indicated the presence of α-Ta and β-Ta phases in the Ta film deposited in pure argon atmosphere, while fcc-TaN_x phases appeared in the sputtering gas mixture of argon and nitrogen. The N/Ta atomic ratio in the film increased ranging from 0.36 to 1.07 for nitrogen partial pressure from 7 to 20.7%. The superconducting transition temperatures of the TaN_x thin films were measured to be greater than 3.86 K with a maximum of 5.34 K. The electrical resistivity of TaN_x thin film was in the range of 177-577 𝜇Ωcm and increased with an increase in nitrogen content. The upper critical filed at zero temperature for a TaN_0.87 thin film was estimated to exceed 11.3 T, while it showed the lowest T_c = 3.86 K among the measured superconducting TaN_x thin films. We try to explain the behavior of the increase of the residual resistivity and the upper critical field for TaN_x thin films with the nitrogen content by using the combined role of the intergrain Coulomb effect and disorder effect by grain boundaries.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.338-343
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• 2012

The early osseointegration of titanium (Ti) dental implants is related to the initial cell morphology. The morphology of the cells (mesenchymal stem cells, MSC) was observed on three different Ti disc surfaces, which were mechanically treated by polishing, blasting, and scratching. A non-directional surface (isotropic texture) was obtained by the blasting of HA grits on cp-Ti discs, and a unidirectional surface (anisotropic texture) was obtained by the scratching of SiC papers. The cell attachment and arrangement in the initial periods were quite similar, but those in the later periods were significantly affected by the texture of the cp-Ti discs. After 1 week, the blasted Ti discs showed non-directional arrangement or spreading of the cells, whereas the scratched cp-Ti discs showed unidirectional properties parallel to the direction of the scratched grooves on the surface. The surface roughness of the cp-Ti discs significantly affects cell proliferation. Cell proliferation on the blasted and scratched surfaces was about 60% and 40% higher compared to the control result (polishing group) after 1 week (P<0.05). Cell proliferation on the blasted and scratched surfaces after 1 week was slightly enhanced with increasing surface roughness. It is believed that the direction of cell attachment and arrangement is closely related to the surface texture of the substrate surfaces, but cell proliferation after a relatively long period of time is directly enhanced by the surface roughness, not by the surface texture.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.287.1-287.1
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• 2016

Three-dimensional (3-D) semiconductor nanoarchitectures, including nano- and micro- rods, pyramids, and disks, are emerging as one of the most promising elements for future optoelectronic devices. Since these 3-D semiconductor nanoarchitectures have many interesting unconventional properties, including the use of large light-emitting surface area and semipolar/nonpolar nano- or micro-facets, numerous studies reported on novel device applications of these 3-D nanoarchitectures. In particular, 3-D nanoarchitecture devices can have noticeably different current spreading characteristics compared with conventional thin film devices, due to their elaborate 3-D geometry. Utilizing this feature in a highly controlled manner, color-tunable light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were demonstrated by controlling the spatial distribution of current density over the multifaceted GaN LEDs. Meanwhile, for the fabrication of high brightness, single color emitting LEDs or laser diodes, uniform and high density of electrical current must be injected into the entire active layers of the nanoarchitecture devices. Here, we report on a new device structure to inject uniform and high density of electrical current through the 3-D semiconductor nanoarchitecture LEDs using metal core inside microtube LEDs. In this work, we report the fabrications and characteristics of metal-cored coaxial $GaN/In_xGa_{1-x}N$ microtube LEDs. For the fabrication of metal-cored microtube LEDs, $GaN/In_xGa_{1-x}N/ZnO$ coaxial microtube LED arrays grown on an n-GaN/c-Al2O3 substrate were lifted-off from the substrate by wet chemical etching of sacrificial ZnO microtubes and $SiO_2$ layer. The chemically lifted-off layer of LEDs were then stamped upside down on another supporting substrates. Subsequently, Ti/Au and indium tin oxide were deposited on the inner shells of microtubes, forming n-type electrodes of the metal-cored LEDs. The device characteristics were investigated measuring electroluminescence and current-voltage characteristic curves and analyzed by computational modeling of current spreading characteristics.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.478-478
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• 2012

Recently, there are many researches in order to increase the deposition rate (D/R) and improve film uniformity and quality in the deposition of microcrystalline silicon thin film. These two factors are the most important issues in the fabrication of the thin film solar cell, and for the purpose of that, several process conditions, including the large area electrode (more than 1.1 X 1.3 (m2)), higher pressure (1 ~ 10 (Torr)), and very high frequency regime (VHF, 40 ~ 100 (MHz)), have been needed. But, in the case of large-area capacitively coupled discharges (CCP) driven at frequencies higher than the usual RF (13.56 (MHz)) frequency, the standing wave and skin effects should be the critical problems for obtaining the good plasma uniformity, and the ion damage on the thin film layer due to the high voltage between the substrate and the bulk plasma might cause the defects which degrade the film quality. In this study, we will propose the new concept of the large-area multi-electrode (a new multi-electrode concept for the large-area plasma source), which consists of a series of electrodes and grounds arranged by turns. The experimental results with this new electrode showed the processing performances of high D/R (1 ~ 2 (nm/sec)), controllable crystallinity (~70% and controllable), and good uniformity (less than 10%) at the conditions of the relatively high frequency of 40 MHz in the large-area electrode of 280 X 540 mm2. And, we also observed the SEM images of the deposited thin film at the conditions of peeling, normal microcrystalline, and powder formation, and discussed the mechanisms of the crystal formation and voids generation in the film in order to try the enhancement of the film quality compared to the cases of normal VHF capacitive discharges. Also, we will discuss the relation between the processing parameters (including gap length between electrode and substrate, operating pressure) and the processing results (D/R and crystallinity) with the process condition map for ${\mu}c$-Si:H formation at a fixed input power and gas flow rate. Finally, we will discuss the potential of the multi-electrode of the 3.5G-class large-area plasma processing (650 X 550 (mm2) to the possibility of the expansion of the new electrode concept to 8G class large-area plasma processing and the additional issues in order to improve the process efficiency.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.214-218
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• 2020

In this study, Mg_xZn_1-xO thin films, which can be applied not only to active layers of light-emitting devices (LEDs), such as UV-LEDs, but also to solar cells, high mobility field-effect transistors, and power semiconductor devices, are fabricated using the sol-gel method. ZnO and Mg_0.3Zn_0.7O solution synthesized by the sol-gel method and the thin film were grown by spin coating on a Si (100) substrate and sapphire substrate. The solutions are synthesized by dissolving precursor materials in 2-methoxyethanol (2-ME) solvent, and then monoethanolamine (MEA) was added to the mixed solution as a sol stabilizer. Zinc acetate dihydrate is used as a ZnO precursor, while Mg nitrate hexahydrate and Mg acetate tetrahydrate are used as an MgO precursor. Then, the optical and structural characteristics of the fabricated thin films are compared. The molar concentration of the Zn precursor in the solvent is fixed at 0.3 M, and the amount of the Mg precursor is 30% of Mg²⁺/Zn²⁺. The optical characteristics are measured using an UV-vis spectrophotometer, and the transmittance of each wavelength is measured. Structural characteristics are measured using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Composition analyses are performed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The Mg_0.3Zn_0.7O thin film was well formed at the ratio of the Mg precursor added regardless of the type of Mg precursor, and the c-axis of the thin film was decreased, while the band gap was increased to 3.56 eV.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.229-236
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• 2014

A stoichiometric mixture of evaporating materials for $MnAl_2S_4$ single crystal thin films was prepared from horizontal electric furnace. To obtain the single crystal thin films, $MnAl_2S_4$ mixed crystal was deposited on thoroughly etched semi-insulating GaAs(100) substrate by the Hot Wall Epitaxy (HWE) system. The source and substrate temperatures were $630^{\circ}C$ and $410^{\circ}C$, respectively. The crystalline structure of the single crystal thin films was investigated by the photoluminescence and double crystal X-ray diffraction (DCXD). The temperature dependence of the energy band gap of the $MnAl_2S_4$ obtained from the absorption spectra was well described by the Varshni's relation, $E_g(T)=3.7920eV-5.2729{\times}10^{-4}eV/K)T^2/(T+786 K)$. In order to explore the applicability as a photoconductive cell, we measured the sensitivity (${\gamma}$), the ratio of photocurrent to dark current (pc/dc), maximum allowable power dissipation (MAPD) and response time. The results indicated that the photoconductive characteristic were the best for the samples annealed in S vapour compare with in Mn, Al, air and vacuum vapour. Then we obtained the sensitivity of 0.93, the value of pc/dc of $1.10{\times}10^7$, the MAPD of 316 mW, and the rise and decay time of 14.8 ms and 12.1 ms, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 2013

Negative-temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistors based on nickel manganite spinel ($NiMn_2O_4$) are widely used for many applications, such as sensors and temperature compensators, due to their good thermistor characteristics and stabilities. However, to achieve thermistors with a high NTC B constant, which is an important figure of merit pertaining to the degree of temperature sensitivity, the activation energy should be high such that high resistivity at ambient temperatures results. To obtain a high B constant and low resistivity, Al and Si modified spinel structured $Ni_{0.6}Si_{0.2}Al_{0.6}Mn_{1.6}O_4$ hybrid thick films with the conducting metal oxide of $LaNiO_3$ were fabricated on a glass substrate by aerosol deposition at room temperature (RT). The NTC-$LaNiO_3$ hybrid thick films showed resistivity as low as < $100k{\Omega}\;cm$ at $90^{\circ}C$, which is one or two orders of magnitude lower than that of the monolithic NTC films, while retaining a high B constant of $NiMn_2O_4$ of over 5500 K when 20 wt% $LaNiO_3$ was added without a post-thermal treatment. These phenomena are explained by the percolation threshold mechanism.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2008.06a
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• pp.62-62
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• 2008

As micro-system move toward higher speed and miniaturization, requirements for embedding the passive components into printed circuit boards (PCBs) grow consistently. They should be fabricated in smaller size with maintaining and even improving the overall performance. Miniaturization potential steps from the replacement of surface-mount components and the subsequent reduction of the required wiring-board real estate. Among the embedded passive components, capacitors are most widely studied because they are the major components in terms of size and number. Embedding of passive components such as capacitors into polymer-based PCB is becoming an important strategy for electronics miniaturization, device reliability, and manufacturing cost reduction Now days, the dielectric films deposited directly on the polymer substrate are also studied widely. The processing temperature below $200^{\circ}C$ is required for polymer substrates. For a low temperature deposition, bismuth-based pyrochlore materials are known as promising candidate for capacitor $B_2Mg_{2/3}Nb_{4/3}O_7$ ($B_2MN$) multi layers were deposited on Pt/$TiO_2/SiO_2$/Si substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering system at room temperature. The physical and structural properties of them are investigated by SEM, AFM, TEM, XPS. The dielectric properties of MIM structured capacitors were evaluated by impedance analyzer (Agilent HP4194A). The leakage current characteristics of MIM structured capacitor were measured by semiconductor parameter analysis (Agilent HP4145B). 200 nm-thick $B_2MN$ muti layer were deposited at room temperature had capacitance density about $1{\mu}F/cm^2$ at 100kHz, dissipation factor of < 1% and dielectric constant of > 100 at 100kHz.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.497-502
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• 2003

Crystallographic characteristics and interfacial structures of $Al_2$$O_3$and $ZrO_2$dielectric films prepared by atomic layer chemical vapor deposition (ALCVD) were investigated at atomic scale by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS)/electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) coupled with a field-emission transmission electron microscope. The results obtained from cross-sectional and plan-view specimens showed that the $Al_2$$O_3$film was crystallized by annealing at a high temperature and its crystal system might be evaluated as either cubic or tetragonal phase. Whereas the $ZrO_2$film crystallized during deposition at a low temperature of ∼$300^{\circ}C$ was composed of both tetragonal and monoclinic phase. The interfacial thickness in both films was increased with the increased annealing temperature. Further, the interfacial structures of X$ZrO_2$$O_3$and $ZrO_2$films were discussed through analyses of EDS elemental maps and EELS spectra obtained from the annealed films, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.67-73
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• 2000

Top spin valve samples with a structure Ta/NiFe/CoFe/Cu/CoFe/FeMn/Ta were deposited on a Si(100) substrate by changing d.c. magnetron sputtering conditions and the exchange-bias and magnetic properties of samples were investigated. The Exchange field, H$\_$ex/ increased with increase of sputtering power of FeMn from 30 to 150 W and CoFe from 30 to 100 W deposited on the Cu, the increase of H$\_$ex/ was found due to the improvement of preferred orientation of (111) FeMn phase from XRD results. In the case of Cu, H$\_$ex/ decreased with the increase of sputtering pressure ranging from 1 to 5 mTorr. The relationship between exchange field and resistance was investigated, spin valve samples with a large exchange field showed the lower resistance, which was strongly dependent on the good crystallinity and grain size increase as well as lower scattering effects. The Cu thickness was changed from 22 to 38 $\AA$ for Si/Ta/NiFe/CoFe/Cu(t), 30 W/CoFe, 100 W/FeMn, 100 W/Ta spin valve structures, MR ratio of 6.5 % and exchange field of about 190 Oe were obtained for the sample with Cu of 22 $\AA$ thickness. The increase of exchange field with decrease of Cu thickness was explained by FM/AFM spin-spin interaction.