• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2002.07c
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• pp.1536-1538
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• 2002

Effects at thermal treatment on the structural and electrical properties at DLC films have been studied. The DLC films were deposited by using a modified FCVA system as a function at negative substrate bias voltage, deposition time, and nitrogen flow rate. The thermal treatment on DLC films could be achieved by performing the RTA process at $600^{\circ}C$, 2min. Structural investigation on the thermal treatment effect was evaluated by inspecting the Raman spectroscopy, XPS, AFM, and internal compressive stress. In addition, the electrical properties of DLC films were evaluated by using the high current source and Lab-View data acquisition system. As the result at RTA treatment, $sp^3/sp^2$ ratio and internal compressive stress of the DLC films were decreased tram 5% to 22% and from 1GPa to 3GPa, and the $I_D/I_G$ intensity ratios was increased from 0.19 to 0.35. It was also found that the variation of internal stress of DLC films strongly agree with the variation of $sp^3/sp^2$ fraction and $I_D/I_G$ intensity ratio.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.461-465
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• 2008

The phase transformation in a film influences its surrounding. Effects of the precrystallization method, which removes influences on gate oxide caused by lateral crystallization, in metal-induced unilaterally crystallized polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistor devices and circuits were studied. Device by the method was shown to have a higher current drive, compared with conventional postcrystallized device. Moreover, we studied DC bias-induced changes in the performance of ring oscillator. PMOS inverters fabricated using precrystallized silicon films have very high dynamic and stable performance, compared with inverters fabricated using postcrystallized silicon films.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.199-203
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• 2008

The effects of surface treatment by $O_2$ plasma on the Bio-FETs were investigated by using the pseudo-MOSFETs on the SOI substrates. After a surface treatment by $O_2$ plasma with different RF powers, the current-voltage and field effect mobility of pseudo-MOSFETs were measured by applying back gate bias. The subthreshold characteristics of pseudo-MOSFETs were significantly degraded with increase of RF power. Additionally, a forming gas anneal process in 2 % diluted $H_2/N_2$ ambient was developed to recover the plasma process induced surface damages. A considerable improvement of the subthreshold characteristics was achieved by the forming gas anneal. Therefore, it is concluded that the pseudo-MOSFETs are a powerful tool for monitoring the surface treatment of Bio-FETs and the forming gas anneal process is effective for improving the electrical characteristics of Bio-FETs.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.77-77
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• 2011

These days, a growing demand for memory device is filled up with the flash memory and the dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Although DRAM is a reasonable solution for current demand, the universal novel memory with high density, high speed and nonvolatility, needs to be developed. Among various new memories, the magnetic random access memory (MRAM) device is considered as one of good candidate memories because of excellent features including high density, high speed, low operating power and nonvolatility. The etching of MTJ stack which is composed of magnetic materials and insulator such as MgO is one of the vital process for MRAM. Recently, MgO has attracted great interest in the MTJ stack as tunneling barrier layer for its high tunneling magnetoresistance values. For the successful realization of high density MRAM, the etching process of MgO thin films should be investigated. Until now, there were some works devoted to the investigations on etch characteristics of MgO thin films. Initially, ion milling was applied to the etching of MgO thin films. However, ion milling has many disadvantages such as sidewall redeposition and etching damage. High density plasma etching containing the magnetically enhanced reactive ion etching and high density reactive ion etching have been employed for the improvement of etching process. In this work, inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICPRIE) system was adopted for the improvement of etching process using MgO thin films and etching gas mixes of $CH_4$/Ar and $CH_4$/$O_2$/Ar have been employed. The etch rates are measured by a surface profilometer and etch profiles are observed using field emission scanning emission microscopy (FESEM). The effects of gas concentration and etch parameters such as coil rf power, dc-bias voltage to substrate, and gas pressure on etch characteristics will be systematically explored.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.286-287
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• 2012

Reset-first resistive switching mechanism based on reduction reaction in HfO2-x with oxygen drift-diffusion was studied. we first report that the indirect evidence of local filamentary conductive path formation in bulk HfO2 film with local TiOx region at Ti top electrode formed during forming process and presence of anion-migration at interface between electrode and HfO2 during resistive switching through high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron disperse x-ray (EDX), and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) mapping. Based on forming process mechanism, we expected that redox reaction from Ti/HfO2 to TiOx/HfO2-x was responsible for an increase of initial current with increasing the post-annealing process. First-reset resistive switching in above $350^{\circ}C$ annealed Ti/HfO2 film was exhibited and the redox phenomenon from Ti/HfO2 to TiOx/HfO2-x was observed with high angle annular dark field (HAADF) - scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), EDX and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Therefore, we demonstrated that the migration of oxygen ions at interface region under external electrical bias contributed to bipolar resistive switching behavior.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.390-390
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• 2012

Information technology industries has grown rapidly and demanded alternative memories for the next generation. The most popular random access memory, dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), has many advantages as a memory, but it could not meet the demands from the current of developed industries. One of highlighted alternative memories is magnetic random-access memory (MRAM). It has many advantages like low power consumption, huge storage, high operating speed, and non-volatile properties. MRAM consists of magnetic-tunnel-junction (MTJ) stack which is a key part of it and has various magnetic thin films like CoFeB, FePt, IrMn, and so on. Each magnetic thin film is difficult to be etched without any damages and react with chemical species in plasma. For improving the etching process, a high density plasma etching process was employed. Moreover, the previous etching gases were highly corrosive and dangerous. Therefore, the safety etching gases are needed to be developed. In this research, the etch characteristics of CoFeB magnetic thin films were studied by using an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching in $CH_4/O_2/Ar$ gas mixes. TiN thin films were used as a hardmask on CoFeB thin films. The concentrations of $O_2$ in $CH_4/O_2/Ar$ gas mix were varied, and then, the rf coil power, gas pressure, and dc-bias voltage. The etch rates and the selectivity were obtained by a surface profiler and the etch profiles were observed by a field emission scanning electron microscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was employed to reveal the etch mechanism.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.3-8
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• 1995

n-ITO/p-PSL heterojunction photodetector have been fabricated on the Si wafer by using ITO(indium tin oxide) and PSL(porous silicon layer). They were anodized selectively by using silicon nitride and Ni-Cr/Au and were passivated by using ITO as well as being isolated by using mesa structure. With white light from 0 to 3000 Lux, the photocurrent varied linearly with incident light intensity. The reverse characteristics of fabricated devices were very stable up to a bias voltage of -40V and dark current density was about $40nA/mm^{2}$. When the device was exposed by Xe lamp whose wavelength range from 400nm to 1100nm, the maximum photo responsivity was about 0.6A/W between 600 and 700nm. Variation of the characteristics of fabricated devices after 5 weeks was negligible.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.95-116
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• 2006

According to rapid increase of the population of senior citizens, there has been growing concern of Long-Tenn Care(LTC) services recently. Long-Tenn Care services, however, haven't been established systematically in Korea and the supply of LTC services is not sufficient despite the increase in the current social demand. This study aims to estimate the 'Willingness to Pay(WTP)' for LTC insurance which the government plans to introduce by means of social insurance, using Contingent Valuation Method(CYM). In addition, this study analyzes the factors affecting WTP for LTC insurance. An interview survey was carried out to derive WTP for LTC from 450 people who lived in Seoul aged 20 and above during the period from 16th to 21st of June 2003. Double-Bounded Dichotomous Choice Method was applied among several CVMs available to estimate both use value and no-use value of goods. There was pilot survey carried out prior to the main survey. The results show that the average monthly. WTP for LTC provided in home and residential setting is 18,192Won and 19,293Won, respectively. In the case of home care, WTP goes higher depending on reliability of LTC insurance policy and need for LTC insurance, as well as marital status, education and average monthly income. On the contrary, WTP is conversely affected by higher age and higher bids. In the case of institutional care, the factors affecting WTP are similar to those of home care, except age. This study followed NOAA's suggestions generally and the value derived through survey could be reliable. However, there can be the least bias in the process of survey because the CVM should be used under the supposed circumstances. Despite those limitations, it can be concluded that the amount the citizens are willing to pay for LTC is high enough to meet the costs needed to provide LTC.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.110.1-110.1
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• 2012

Recently, advances in ZnO based oxide semiconductor materials have accelerated the development of thin-film transistors (TFTs), which are the building blocks for active matrix flat-panel displays including liquid crystal displays (LCD) and organic light-emitting diodes (OLED). However, the electrical performances of oxide semiconductors are significantly affected by interactions with the ambient atmosphere. Jeong et al. reported that the channel of the IGZO-TFT is very sensitive to water vapor adsorption. Thus, water vapor passivation layers are necessary for long-term current stability in the operation of the oxide-based TFTs. In the present work, $Al_2O_3$ and $TiO_2$ thin films were deposited on poly ether sulfon (PES) and $SnO_x$-based TFTs by electron cyclotron resonance atomic layer deposition (ECR-ALD). And enhancing the WVTR (water vapor transmission rate) characteristics, barrier layer structure was modified to $Al_2O_3/TiO_2$ layered structure. For example, $Al_2O_3$, $TiO_2$ single layer, $Al_2O_3/TiO_2$ double layer and $Al_2O_3/TiO_2/Al_2O_3/TiO_2$ multilayer were studied for enhancement of water vapor barrier properties. After thin film water vapor barrier deposited on PES substrate and $SnO_x$-based TFT, thin film permeation characteristics were three orders of magnitude smaller than that without water vapor barrier layer of PES substrate, stability of $SnO_x$-based TFT devices were significantly improved. Therefore, the results indicate that $Al_2O_3/TiO_2$ water vapor barrier layers are highly proper for use as a passivation layer in $SnO_x$-based TFT devices.

• Korean Management Science Review
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2014

As the scarcity of natural resources has become apparent, the recycling industry has emerged as a promising one for its growth potential. Yet, the recycling industry still remains undeveloped and inefficient for various reasons. In this study, we focus on firms' recycling processes to understand the current status of recycling firms' value creation activities. With respect to the adopted recycling processes, we empirically investigate the differences in firm characteristics and firm performance. We use the data from Keco (Korea Environment Cooperation) which annually conducts a survey of recycling firms in Korea. We exclusively consider the whole group of plastic recycling industry in order to control for a possible bias in firm performance, stemming from the heterogeneity in processing and recycling of materials other than plastics. We review the descriptive statistics from the sample firms and conduct a series of hierarchical regression analyses. The results show that most of the firms in this industry adopt physical transformation processes with a low-level technology. These firms with physical transformation processes are smaller in size and produce entry level items which do not secure higher margins. The results indicate that the recycling industry largely comprises low value added firms which lack economies of scale and resources for R&D. For the stable growth of the industry, recycling firms must create sustainable values through implementation of technology-driven processes and improvement in product quality. In addition, the government should help build a reliable reverse logistic network, lower the entry barriers, and provide necessary funding for the SMEs in the recycling industry.