• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.235-240
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• 2010

We investigated the carbon monoxide (CO) gas-sensing properties of nanostructured Al-doped zinc oxide thin films deposited on self-assembled Au nanodots (ZnO/Au thin films). The Al-doped ZnO thin film was deposited onto the structure by rf sputtering, resulting in a gas-sensing element comprising a ZnO-based active layer with an embedded Pt/Ti electrode covered by the self-assembled Au nanodots. Prior to the growth of the active ZnO layer, the Au nanodots were formed via annealing a thin Au layer with a thickness of 2 nm at a moderate temperature of $500^{\circ}C$. It was found that the ZnO/Au nanostructured thin film gas sensors showed a high maximum sensitivity to CO gas at $250^{\circ}C$ and a low CO detection limit of 5 ppm in dry air. Furthermore, the ZnO/Au thin film CO gas sensors exhibited fast response and recovery behaviors. The observed excellent CO gas-sensing properties of the nanostructured ZnO/Au thin films can be ascribed to the Au nanodots, acting as both a nucleation layer for the formation of the ZnO nanostructure and a catalyst in the CO surface reaction. These results suggest that the ZnO thin films deposited on self-assembled Au nanodots are promising for practical high-performance CO gas sensors.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.53-53
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• 2011

As the dimension of Cu interconnects has continued to reduce, its resistivity is expected to increase at the nanoscale due to increased surface and grain boundary scattering of electrons. To suppress increase of the resistivity in nanoscale interconnects, alloying Cu with other metal elements such as Al, Mn, and Ag is being considered to increase the mean free path of the drifting electrons. The formation of Al alloy with a slight amount of Cu broadly studied in the past. The study of Cu alloy including a very small Al fraction, by contrast, recently began. The formation of Cu-Al alloy is limited in wet chemical bath and was mainly conducted for fundamental studies by sputtering or evaporation system. However, these deposition methods have a limitation in production environment due to poor step coverage in nanoscale Cu metallization. In this work, gap-filling of Cu-Al alloy was conducted by cyclic MOCVD (metal organic chemical vapor deposition), followed by thermal annealing for alloying, which prevented an unwanted chemical reaction between Cu and Al precursors. To achieve filling the Cu-Al alloy into sub-100nm trench without overhang and void formation, furthermore, hydrogen plasma pretreatment of the trench pattern with Ru barrier layer was conducted in order to suppress of Cu nucleation and growth near the entrance area of the nano-scale trench by minimizing adsorption of metal precursors. As a result, superconformal gap-fill of Cu-Al alloy could be achieved successfully in the high aspect ration nanoscale trenches. Examined morphology, microstructure, chemical composition, and electrical properties of superfilled Cu-Al alloy will be discussed in detail.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 2009

Magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) magnetometry was used to investigate magnetization reversal dynamics in 30-nm NiFe/15-nm FeMn, 15-nm FeMn/30-nm CoFe bilayers, and 30-nm NiFe/(2,10)-nm FeMn/30-nm CoFe trilayers. The in-plane magnetization components of each ferromagnetic layer, both parallel and perpendicular to the applied field, were separately determined by measuring the longitudinal and transverse MOKE hysteresis loops from both the front and back sides of the film for an oblique incident s-polarized beam. The magnetization of the FeMn/CoFe bilayer was reversed abruptly and symmetrically through nucleation and domain wall propagation, while that of the NiFe/FeMn bilayer was reversed asymmetrically with a dominant rotation. In the NiFe/FeMn/CoFe trilayers, the magnetic reversal of the two ferromagnetic layers proceeded via nucleation and domain wall propagation for 2-nm FeMn, but via asymmetric rotation for 10-nm FeMn. The exchange-biased ferromagnetic layers showed the magnetization reversal along the same path in the film plane for the decreasing and increasing field branches from transverse MOKE hysteresis loops, which can be qualitatively explained by the theoretical model of the exchange-biased ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic systems.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.243-243
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• 2009

Bi2O3 doped ZnO nanostructures structure were successfully synthesized by a thermal evaporatiion process and their structural characteristics were investigated. It is demonstrated that the growth condition such as the areal density, pretreatment of the substrates and growth temperature have great influence on the morphology and the alignment of the nanorods arrays. The density of Bi2O3 doped ZnO nanostructures is controlled by the gold (Au) nanoparticle density deposited on the silicon substrates. Relatively homogenous size and shape were observed by introducing gold(Au) seed-layer as nucleation centers on the substrates prior to the VLS reaction. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.1073-1078
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• 2009

A kinetic model for the oxidation of a $UO_2$ pellet to $U_3O_8$ powder has been suggested by considering the mass transfer and the diffusion of oxygen molecules. The kinetic parameters were estimated by a fitting of the experimental data. The activation energies for the chemical reaction and the product layer diffusion were calculated from the kinetic model. The oxidation conversion of a $UO_2$ pellet was simulated at various operating conditions. The suggested model explains the oxidation behavior of $UO_2$ well.

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Applied Superconductivity and Cryogenics Conference
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• 1999.02a
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• pp.22-25
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• 1999

A well oriented Bi-2212 superconductor thick films were fabricated by screen printing with a Cu-free Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O powder on a copper plate and heat-treating at 820- $880^{\circ}C$for several minute in low oxygen pressure or are. At minute in low oxygen pressure of air. At , the printing layer partially melted by reaction between the Cu-free precursor by reaction between the Cu-free$870^{\circ}C$ precursor and CuO of the oxidizing copper plate. It is believed that the solid phase is Bi : Sr : Ca : Cu = 2 : 2 : 0 : 1. It is likely that the Bi-2212 superconducting phase is formed at Bi-2212 superconducting phase is formed at Bi-free phase/liquid interface by nucleation and grows.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.655-661
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• 1999

${\beta}$-SiC formation mechanism in Si melt-C-SiC system with varying in size of carbon source was investigated. A continuous reaction sintering process using Si melt infiltration method was adopted to control the reaction sintering time effectively. It was found that ${\beta}$-SiC formation mechanism in Si melt-C-SiC system was directly affected by the size of carbon source. In the Si melt-C-SiC system with large carbon source ${\beta}$-SiC formation mechanism could be divided into two stages depending on the reaction sintering time: in early stage of reaction sintering carbon dissolution in Si melt and precipitation of ${\beta}$-SiC was occurred preferentially and then SIC nucleation and growth was controlled by diffusion of carbon throughy the ${\beta}$-SiC layer formed on graphite particle. Furthmore a dissolution rate of graphite particles in Si melt could be accelerated by the infiltration of Si melt through basal plane of graphite crystalline.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2000

Diamond films have been achieved on Si(100) substrates using helicon plasma chemical vapor deposition(HPCVD), Gas mixtures with methane and hydrogen have been used. The growth characteristics were investigated by means of X-ray photoelectroton spectroscopy, Atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction. We obtained a plasma density as high as 10$\^$10/~10$\^$11/ cm$\^$-3/ by helicon source. The smooth(100) faces of submicron diamond crystallites were found to exhibit pyramidal shaped architecture, The XPS spectrum for the nucleation layer indicates the presence of diamond at 285.4 eV, close to the reported value of 285.5 eV for diamond , XRD results demonstrates the existence of polycrystalline diamond as the diamond (111) and (220) peaks.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1998.07d
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• pp.1330-1332
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• 1998

Polycrystalline diamond films are deposited on a Si substrate by employing a 2.45 GHz $\mu$-wave plasma CVD system. Prior to depositing the diamond film, a DPR(diamond photo-resist) layer is coated to enhance the nucleation density. The growth rate of diamond films increases with the $\mu$-wave power and approaches to be about $1.5{\mu}m/hr$ at 1100 W. Structural properties of diamond films deposited are characterized from their SEM photographs, Raman spectra, and AFM surface images. Lager grain size, higher intensity of diamond peak, and smoother surface are observed for films deposited at a higher power. The possible mechanism on the diamond growth is also discussed to explain the experimental results.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.21-38
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• 2009

The use of multi scale modeling concepts and simulation techniques to study the destabilization of an ultrathin layer of oxide interface between a metal substrate and the surrounding environment is considered. Of particular interest are chemo-mechanical behavior of this interface in the context of a molecular-level description of stress corrosion cracking. Motivated by our previous molecular dynamics simulations of unit processes in materials strength and toughness, we examine the challenges of dealing with chemical reactivity on an equal footing with mechanical deformation, (a) understanding electron transfer processes using first-principles methods, (b) modeling cation transport and associated charged defect migration kinetics, and (c) simulation of pit nucleation and intergranular deformation to initiate the breakdown of the oxide interlayer. These problems illustrate a level of multi-scale complexity that would be practically impossible to attack by other means; they also point to a perspective framework that could guide future research in the broad computational science community.