• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.710-715
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• 2018

In this study, $ZnFe_2O_4@SnO_2@TiO_2$ core-shell nanoparticles (NPs), a photocatalytic material with magnetic properties, were synthesized through a three-step process. Structural properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. It was confirmed that $ZnFe_2O_4$ of the spinel, $SnO_2$ of the tetragonal and $TiO_2$ of the anatase structure were synthesized. The magnetic properties of synthesized materials were studied by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The saturation magnetization value of $ZnFe_2O_4$, a core material, was confirmed at 33.084 emu/g. As a result of the formation of $SnO_2$ and $TiO_2$ layers, the magnetism due to the increase in thickness was reduced by 33% and 40%, respectively, but sufficient magnetic properties were reserved. The photocatalytic efficiency of synthesized materials was measured using methylene blue (MB). The efficiency of the core material was about 4.2%, and as a result of the formation of $SnO_2$ and $TiO_2$ shell, it increased to 73% and 96%, respectively while maintaining a high photocatalytic efficiency. In addition, the antibacterial activity was validated via the inhibition zone by using E. Coli and S. Aureus. The formation of shells resulted in a wider inhibition zone, which is in good agreement with photocatalytic efficiency measurements.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.117-122
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• 2020

The effects of fast neutron irradiation on the electrical and optical properties of Li (3 at%) doped ZnSnO (ZTO) thin films fabricated using a sol-gel process are investigated. From the results of Li-ZTO TFT characteristics according to change of neutron irradiation time, the saturation mobility is found to increase and threshold voltage values shift to a negative direction from 1,000 s neutron irradiation time. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the O 1s core level shows that the relative area of oxygen vacancies is almost unchanged with different irradiation times. From the results of band alignment, it is confirmed that, due to the increase of electron carrier concentration, the Fermi level (E_F) of the sample irradiated for 1,000 s is located at the position closest to the conduction band minimum. The increase in electron concentration is considered by looking at the shallow band edge state under the conduction band edge formed by fast neutron irradiation of more than 1,000 s.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.304.1-304.1
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• 2014

Flat-panel displays have been growing as an essential everyday product in the current information/communication ages in the unprecedented speed. The forward-coming applications require light-weightness, higher speed, higher resolution, and lower power consumption, along with the relevant cost. Such specifications demand for a new concept-based materials and applications, unlike Si-based technologies, such as amorphous Si and polycrystalline Si thin film transistors. Since the introduction of the first concept on the oxide-based thin film transistors by Hosono et al., amorphous oxide thin film transistors have been gaining academic/industrial interest, owing to the facile synthesis and reproducible processing despite of a couple of shortcomings. The current work places its main emphasis on the binary oxides composed of ZnO and SnO2. RF sputtering was applied to the fabrication of amorphous oxide thin film devices, in the form of bottom-gated structures involving highly-doped Si wafers as gate materials and thermal oxide (SiO2) as gate dielectrics. The physical/chemical features were characterized using atomic force microscopy for surface morphology, spectroscopic ellipsometry for optical parameters, X-ray diffraction for crystallinity, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for identification of chemical states. The combined characterizations on Zn-Sn-O thin films are discussed in comparison with the device performance based on thin film transistors involving Zn-Sn-O thin films as channel materials, with the aim to optimizing high-performance thin film transistors.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.76-79
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• 2011

In order to improve efficiency and make a new material thin film, we prepared the Al-In-Sn-ZnO thin film on a glass substrate at room temperature using a Facing Target Sputtering (FTS) system. The FTS system was designed to array two targets that face each other. Two different kinds of targets were installed on the FTS system. We used an ITO ($In_2O_3$ 90wt%, $SnO_2$ 10wt%) target and an AZO (ZnO 98wt%, $Al_2O_3$ 2wt%) target. The AIZTO films were deposited using different applied powers to the targets. The as-deposited AIZTO thin films were investigated using a UV/VIS spectrometer, an X-ray diffratometer (XRD), and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX).

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.368-375
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• 2018

This study deals with the color formation of ceramic pigment in the $TiO_2$-SnO-ZnO system. We designed compounds to control the color formation depending on the composition using the Design of Experiment. The color coordinate values of synthesized pigments, $L^*a^*b^*$ were measured and statistically analyzed color for changing elements depending on its composition. The relationship between the major crystalline phases and chromaticity was examined using XRD, and the oxidation states of each element were analyzed by XPS. The synthesized pigments based on the compound design exhibited various color changes ranging from yellow-orange to green-blue and brown. The statistical analysis on the spectrophotometer results shows that $a^*$ and $b^*$ values decreased with $TiO_2$ content, and increased with SnO content. Yellow-orange color was detected with the main peak of SnO, and the green-blue color developed with the main peak of $Zn_2TiO_4$. The $a^*$ and $b^*$ values increased with increased SnO peak intensity, and decreased with increased $Zn_2TiO_4$ peak intensity. The results revealed that pigment color formation was influenced by changes in the main crystalline phases and crystalline intensity. However, XPS analysis of the oxidation states of each element showed little correlation with the pigment chromaticity result.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.304-308
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• 2013

The effect of a sputter deposition sequence of Cu, Zn, and Sn metal layers on the properties of $Cu_2ZnSnS_4$ (CZTS) was systematically studied for solar cell applications. The set of Cu/Sn/Zn/Cu multi metal films was deposited on a Mo/$SiO_2$/Si wafer using dc sputtering. CZTS films were prepared through a sulfurization process of the Cu/Sn/Zn/Cu metal layers at $500^{\circ}C$ in a $H_2S$ gas environment. $H_2S$ (0.1%) gas of 200 standard cubic centimeters per minute was supplied in the cold-wall sulfurization reactor. The metal film prepared by one-cycle deposition of Cu(360 nm)/Sn(400 nm)/Zn(400 nm)/Cu(440 nm) had a relatively rough surface due to a well-developed columnar structure growth. A dense and smooth metal surface was achieved for two- or three-cycle deposition of Cu/Sn/Zn/Cu, in which each metal layer thickness was decreased to 200 nm. Moreover, the three-cycle deposition sample showed the best CZTS kesterite structures after 5 hr sulfurization treatment. The two- and three-cycle Cu/Sn/Zn/Cu samples showed high-efficient photoluminescence (PL) spectra after a 3 hr sulfurization treatment, wheres the one-cycle sample yielded poor PL efficiency. The PL spectra of the three-cycle sample showed a broad peak in the range of 700-1000 nm, peaked at 870 nm (1.425 eV). This result is in good agreement with the reported bandgap energy of CZTS.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.688-688
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• 2013

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films have attracted a lot of attention as a cheap transparent conducting oxide (TCO) material that can replace the expensive Sn-doped In2O3. In particular, AZO thin films are widely used as a window layer of chalcogenide-based thin film solar cells such as Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS). Mostly important requirements for the window layer material of the thin film solar cells are the high transparency and the low sheet resistance, because they influence the light absorption by the activelayer and the electron collection from the active layer, respectively. In this study, we prepared the AZO thin films by RF magnetron sputtering using a ZnO/Al2O3 (98：2wt%) ceramic target, and the effect of the sputtering condition such as the working pressure, RF power, and the working distance on the optical, electrical, and crystallographic properties of the AZO thin films was investigated. The AZO thin films with optimized properties were used as a window layer of CZTS thin film solar cells. The CZTS active layers were prepared by the electrochemical deposition and the subsequent sulfurization process, which is also one of the cost-effective synthetic approaches. In addition, the solar cell properties of the CZTS thin film solar cells, such as the photocurrent density-voltage (J-V) characteristics and the external quantum efficiency (EQE) were investigated.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.1757-1760
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• 2011

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.203.2-203.2
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• 2013

Hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorods were synthesized with various Sn contents on quartz substrates, ranging from 0 to 2.5 at% in increment 0.5 at%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ultraviolet (UV)- visible spectroscopy were used to determine the effect of Sn doping on the structural and optical properties. In the SEM images, the nanorods have hexagonal wurzite structure and the diameter of the nanorods increase with increase in the Sn contents. The optical parameters of the Sn-doped ZnO nanorods such as the absorption coefficients, optical bandgaps, Urbach energies, refractive indices, dispersion parameters, dielectric constants, and optical conductivities were gained from the transmittance and reflectance results. In the PL spectra, the NBE peaks in the UV region decrease and blue-shift with increase in the Sn contents. In addition, the DLE peaks in the visible region of the nanorods shift toward low-energy region when the ZnO nanorods doped with various Sn contents.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.199-199
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• 2011

Recently, Thin film transistors (TFTs) with amorphous oxide semiconductors (AOSs) can offer an important aspect for next generation displays with high mobility. Several oxide semiconductor such as ZnO, $SnO_2$ and InGaZnO have been extensively researched. Especially, as a well-known binary metal oxide, tin oxide ($SnO_2$), usually acts as n-type semiconductor with a wide band gap of 3.6eV. Over the past several decades intensive research activities have been conducted on $SnO_2$ in the bulk, thin film and nanostructure forms due to its interesting electrical properties making it a promising material for applications in solar cells, flat panel displays, and light emitting devices. But, its application to the active channel of TFTs have been limited due to the difficulties in controlling the electron density and n-type of operation with depletion mode. In this study, we fabricated staggered bottom-gate structure $SnO_2$-TFTs and patterned channel layer used a shadow mask. Then we compare to the performance intrinsic $SnO_2$-TFTs and doping hafnium $SnO_2$-TFTs. As a result, we suggest that can be control the defect formation of $SnO_2$-TFTs by doping hafnium. The hafnium element into the $SnO_2$ thin-films maybe acts to control the carrier concentration by suppressing carrier generation via oxygen vacancy formation. Furthermore, it can be also control the mobility. And bias stability of $SnO_2$-TFTs is improvement using doping hafnium. Enhancement of device stability was attributed to the reduced defect in channel layer or interface. In order to verify this effect, we employed to measure activation energy that can be explained by the thermal activation process of the subthreshold drain current.