• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.32-37
• /
• 2018

We report on the efficient detection of NO gas by an all-oxide semiconductor p-n heterojunction diode structure comprised of n-type zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods embedded in p-type copper oxide (CuO) thin film. The CuO thin film/ZnO nanorod heterostructure was fabricated by directly sputtering CuO thin film onto a vertically aligned ZnO nanorod array synthesized via a hydrothemal method. The transport behavior and NO gas sensing properties of the fabricated CuO thin film/ZnO nanorod heterostructure were charcterized and revealed that the oxide semiconductor heterojunction exhibited a definite rectifying diode-like behavior at various temperatures ranging from room temperature to $250^{\circ}C$. The NO gas sensing experiment indicated that the CuO thin film/ZnO nanorod heterostructure had a good sensing performance for the efficient detection of NO gas in the range of 2-14 ppm under the conditions of an applied bias of 2 V and a comparatively low operating temperature of $150^{\circ}C$. The NO gas sensing process in the CuO/ZnO p-n heterostructure is discussed in terms of the electronic band structure.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.39-43
• /
• 2001

Nanocrystalline Fe-Sm-O thin films were prepared by RF magnetron reactive sputtering method in $Ar+O_2$mixed atmosphere with the $O_2$content of 5%. The compositions of the thin films were changed by changing the number of $Sm_2O_3$ chips. The best soft magnetic properties of the thin film with the composition of $Fe_{83.4}Sm_{3.4}O_{13.2}$ were saturation flux density of 18 kG, coercivity of 0.82 Oe and effective permeability about 2,600 at 0.5~100 MHz, respectively. The electrical resistivity of Fe-Sm-O thin films was increased with increasing the amount of Sm and O elements which combined each other, the electrical resistivity of$Fe_{83.4}Sm_{3.4}O_{13.2}$ thin film was $130{\mu}{\Omega}cm$. In case of the small amount of Sm and O elements, the microstructures of Fe-Sm-O thin films showed a precipitated phase of $Sm_2O_3$ on the ${\alpha}-Fe$ phase. With the increase of the amount of Sm and O elements, the microstructures of the Fe- Sm-O thin films were changed into a mixed structure of ${\alpha}-Fe$ crystal-phase and Sm-oxide amorphous phase. The Fe-Sm-O thin films with Fe content in the range of 72~94 at% exhibited the quality factor (Q = $\mu$′/$\mu$") of 7~75 up to 50 MHz.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2003.07a
• /
• pp.290-293
• /
• 2003

Ohmic contact characteristics of Al ion implanted n-type SiC wafer were investigated. Al ions implanted with high dose to obtain the final concentration of $5{\times}10^{19}/cm^3$, then annealed at high temperature. Firstly, B ion ion implanted p-well region were formed which is needed for fabrication of SiC devices such as DIMOSFET and un diode. Secondly, Al implanted high dose region for ohmic contact were formed. After ion implantation, the samples were annealed at high temperature up to $1600^{\circ}C\;and\;1700^{\circ}C$ for 30 min in order to activate the implanted ions electrically. Both the inear TLM and circular TLM method were used for characterization. Ni/Ti metal layer was used for contact metal which is widely used in fabrication of ohmic contacts for n-type SiC. The metal layer was deposited by using RF sputtering and rapid thermal annealed at $950^{\circ}C$ for 90sec. Good ohmic contact characteristics could be obtained regardless of measuring methods. The measured specific contact resistivity for the samples annealed at $1600^{\circ}C\;and\;1700^{\circ}C$ were $1.8{\times}10^{-3}{\Omega}cm^2$, $5.6{\times}10^{-5}{\Omega}cm^2$, respectively. Using the same metal and same process of the ohmic contacts in n-type SiC, it is found possible to make a good ohmic contacts to p-type SiC. It is very helpful for fabricating a integrated SiC devices. In addition, we obtained that the ratio of the electrically activated ions to the implanted Al ions were 10% and 60% for the samples annealed at $1600^{\circ}C\;and\;1700^{\circ}C$, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.1-5
• /
• 2008

A Pt-layer was deposited on the anode side of a Nafion membrane via a sputtering method in order to reduce methanol crossover in a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The methanol permeation and the proton conductivity through the modified membranes were investigated. The performances of the direct methanol fuel cell were also tested using single cells with a Nafion membrane and the modified membranes. The Pt-layers on the membrane blocked both methanol crossover and proton transport through the membranes. Methanol permeability and proton conductivity decreased with an increase of the platinum layer thickness. At methanol concentration of 2 M, the DMFC employing the modified membrane with a platinum layer of 66 nm-thickness showed similar performance to that of a DMFC with a bare Nafion membrane in spite of the lower proton conductivity of the former. The maximum power density of the cell using the modified membrane with a platinum layer of 66 nm-thickness increased slightly while that of the cell with the bare membrane decreased abruptly when a methanol solution of 6M was supplied.

• Progress in Superconductivity
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.29-34
• /
• 2008

Magnesium diboride ($MgB_2$) is an inexpensive and simple superconductor. This material was first synthesized and its structure confirmed in 1953 but its superconducting properties were not discovered until 2001 when they caused great excitement. In this study, superconducting $MgB_2$ thin films on the r-$Al_{2}O_3$ substrates have been grown by the combination of radio frequency magnetron sputtering of B and thermal evaporation of Mg. The deposition conditions were varied by changing deposition rate. Before the co-deposition of Mg and B, the deposition rates of each element have been measured separately. The $MgB_2$ layers had 400nm in thickness and superconducting transition temperatures have been measured around $\sim$38.6K. Superconducting properties have been measured by PPMS, XRD, and SEM.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.23 no.12
• /
• pp.667-671
• /
• 2013

We present an easy method of preparing two-dimensional (2D) periodic hollow tin oxide ($SnO_2$) hemisphere array gas sensors using polystyrene (PS) spheres as a template. The structures were fabricated by the sputter deposition of thin tin (Sn) metal over an array of PS spheres on a planar substrate followed by calcination at an elevated temperature to oxidize Sn to $SnO_2$ while removing the PS template cores. The $SnO_2$ hemisphere array structures were examined by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The structures were calcined at various temperatures and their sensing properties were examined with varying operation temperatures and concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) gas. Their gas-sensing properties were investigated by measuring the electrical resistances in air and the target gases. The measurements were conducted at different NO concentrations and substrate temperatures. A minimum detection limit of 30 ppb, showing a sensitivity of S = 1.6, was observed for NO gas at an operation temperature of $150^{\circ}C$ for a sample having an Sn metal layer thickness corresponding to 30 sec sputtering time and calcined at $600^{\circ}C$ for 2 hr in air. We proved that high porosity in a hollow $SnO_2$ hemisphere structure allows easy diffusion of the target gas molecules. The results confirm that a 2D hollow $SnO_2$ hemisphere array structure of micronmeter sizes can be a good structural morphology for high sensitivity gas sensors.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2011.08a
• /
• pp.225-225
• /
• 2011

The dielectric and optical properties of GaInZnO (GIZO), HfInZnO (HIZO) and InZnO (IZO) thin films on glass by RF magnetron sputtering method were investiged using reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy (REELS). The band gap was estimated from the onset values of REELS spectra. The band gaps of GIZO, HIZO and IZO thin films are 3.1 eV, 3.5 eV and 3.0 eV, respectively, Hf and Ga incorporated into IZO results in an increase in the energy band gap of IZO by 0.5 eV and 0.1 eV. The dielectric functions were determined by comparing the effective cross section determined from experimental REELS with a rigorous model calculation based on the dielectric response theory, using available software package, good agreement between the experimental and fitting results gives confidence in the accuracy of the determined dielectric function. The main peak of Energy Loss Function (ELF) obtained from IZO shows at 18.42 eV, which shifted to 19.43 eV and 18.15 eV for GIZO and HIZO respectively, because indicates the corporation of cation Ga and Hf in the composition. The optical properties represented by the dielectric function e, the refractive index n, the extinction coefficient k, and the transmission coefficient, T of HIZO and IZO thin films were determined from a quantitative analysis of REELS. The transmission coefficient was increased to 93% and decreased to 87% in the visible region with the incorporation of Hf and Ga in the IZO compound.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2011.08a
• /
• pp.192-192
• /
• 2011

Hyperthermal ion scattering experiments were conducted with low kinetic energy (<35 eV) cesium ion beams to analyze the UV-photolyzed water-ice films. Neutral molecules (X) on the surface were detected as cesium-molecule ion clusters ($CsX^+$) which were formed through a Reactive Ion Scattering (RIS) process. Ionic species on the surface were desorbed from the surface via a low energy sputtering (LES) process, and were analyzed [1]. Using these methods, the thermal stability of hydronium ion ($H_3O^+$) that was produced by UV light was examined. As the thermal stability of $H_3O^+$ is related with the reaction, $H_3O^+$ + OH + $e^-$ (or $OH^-$) ${\rightarrow}$ $2H_2O$, which is similar or same with the reverse reaction of the auto-ionization of water, the result from this work would be helpful to understand the auto-ionization of $H_2O$ in water-ice that has not been well-understood yet. However, as $H_3O^+$ was not detected through a LES method, the titration experiment of $H_3O^+$ with methylamine ($CH_3NH_2$, MA), MA + $H_3O^+\;{\rightarrow}\;MAH^+$ + $H_2O$, was conducted. In this case, the presence of $MAH^+$ indicates that of $H_3O^+$ in the ice. Thus the pristine ice was photolyzed with UV light for a few minutes and this photolyzed ice was remained at the certain temperature for minutes without UV light. Then MA was adsorbed on that surface so that the population of $H_3O^+$ was found. From the calibration experiments, the relation of $MAH^+$ and $H_3O^+$ was found, so that the thermal stability of $H_3O^+$ can be investigated [2].

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2012.02a
• /
• pp.274-274
• /
• 2012

In-depth analysis by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is very important for the development of electronic devices using multilayered structures, because the quantity and depth distribution of some elements are critical for the electronic properties. Correct determination of the interface locations is critical for the calibration of the depth scale in SIMS depth profiling analysis of multilayer films. However, the interface locations are distorted from real ones by the several effects due to sputtering with energetic ions. In this study, the determination of interface locations in SIMS depth profiling of multilayer films was investigated by Si/Ge and Ti/Si multilayer systems. The original SIMS depth profiles were converted into compositional depth profiles by the relative sensitivity factors (RSF) derived from the atomic compositions of Si-Ge and Si-Ti alloy reference films determined by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. The thicknesses of the Si/Ge and Ti/Si multilayer films measured by SIMS depth profiling with various impact energy ion beam were compared with those measured by TEM. There are two methods to determine the interface locations. The one is the feasibility of 50 atomic % definition in SIMS composition depth profiling. And another one is using a distribution of SiGe and SiTi dimer ions. This study showed that the layer thicknesses measured with low energy oxygen and Cs ion beam and, by extension, with method of 50 atomic % definition were well correlated with the real thicknesses determined by TEM.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.21-26
• /
• 2018

Beside several advantages, the PV power generation as a clean energy source, is still below the supply level due to high power generation cost. Therefore, the interest in fabricating low-cost thin film solar cells is increasing continuously. $Cu_2O$, a low cost photovoltaic material, has a wide direct band gap of ~2.1 eV has along with the high theoretical energy conversion efficiency of about 20%. On the other hand, it has other benefits such as earth-abundance, low cost, non-toxic, high carrier mobility ($100cm^2/Vs$). In spite of these various advantages, the efficiency of $Cu_2O$ based solar cells is still significantly lower than the theoretical limit as reported in several literatures. One of the reasons behind the low efficiency of $Cu_2O$ solar cells can be the formation of CuO layer due to atmospheric surface oxidation of $Cu_2O$ absorber layer. In this work, atomic layer deposition method was used to remove the CuO layer that formed on $Cu_2O$ surface. First, $Cu_2O$ absorber layer was deposited by electrodeposition. On top of it buffer (ZnO) and TCO (AZO) layers were deposited by atomic layer deposition and rf-magnetron sputtering respectively. We fabricated the cells with a change in the deposition temperature of buffer layer ranging between $80^{\circ}C$ to $140^{\circ}C$. Finally, we compared the performance of fabricated solar cells, and studied the influence of buffer layer deposition temperature on $Cu_2O$ based solar cells by J-V and XPS measurements.