• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2008.11a
• /
• pp.293-294
• /
• 2008

CaO stabilized cubic-$HfO_2$ is studied by using Density Functional Theory with GGA. When a Ca atom is substituted for a Hf atom, an oxygen vacancy is produced to satisfy the charge neutrality condition. When the oxygen vacancy is located at the first nearest site from the Ca atom, the total energy of $HfO_2$ is the most favorable. We calculate the energy barriers for the oxygen vacancy migration. The energy barriers between the first and the second nearest sites, the second and the third nearest sites, and the third and fourth nearest sites are 0.2, 0.5, 0.24 eV, respectively. The oxygen vacancies at the third and fourth nearest sites from the Ca atom represent the oxygen vacancies in undoped $HfO_2$. Therefore, the energy barrier for oxygen migration in $HfO_2$ gate dielectricis is 0.24eV, which can explain a leakage origin of gate dielectric.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.454-459
• /
• 2020

In this study, a TiO₂/TiO_2-x-based resistance variable memory was fabricated using a DC/RF magnetron sputtering system and ALD. In order to analyze the effect of oxygen plasma treatment on the performance of resistance random access memory (ReRAM), the TiO₂/TiO_2-x-based ReRAM was evaluated by applying RF power to the TiO_2-x oxygen-holding layer at 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 W, respectively. The ReRAM was fabricated, and the electrical and surface area performances were compared and analyzed. In the case of ReRAM without oxygen plasma treatment, the I-V curve had a hysteresis curve shape, but the width was very small, with a relatively high surface roughness of the oxygen-retaining layer. However, in the case of oxygen plasma treatment, the HRS/LRS ratio for the I-V curve improved as the applied RF power increased; stable improvement was also noted in the surface roughness of the oxygen-retaining layer. It was confirmed that the low voltage drive was not smooth due to charge trapping in the oxygen diffusion barrier layer owing to the high intensity ReRAM applied with an RF power of approximately 150 W.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.12 no.11
• /
• pp.889-893
• /
• 2002

The reactions of $Cu/Ti/SiO_2$ structures at temperatures ranging from 200 to $700^{\circ}C$ have been studied for various Ti thicknesses. The reaction products initially formed, at around $300^{\circ}C$, were a series of Cu-Ti intermetallics ($Cu_3$Ti/CuTi) with the oxygen dissolved in the Ti moving from the compounds into the remaining unreacted Ti. At $500^{\circ}C$, the $Cu_3$Ti was converted into Cu-rich intermetallics, $Cu_4$Ti, which grew at the expense of the CuTi due to the increased oxygen content in the Ti. In addition, the outdiffusion of Ti, to the Cu surface, and the $Ti-SiO_2$ reactions, caused an abrupt increase in the oxygen content in the Ti layer, which placed thermodynamic restraints on further Ti reactions. Furthermore, thinner Ti layers showed a higher increasing rate of oxygen accumulation for the same consumption of Ti, which led to significantly reduced Ti consumption. The $SiO_2$ film under the Ti diffusion barrier was more easily destroyed with increasing Ti thickness.

• Journal of Korean Vacuum Science & Technology
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.47-51
• /
• 2001

To obtain high remnant polarization and good crystalinity of ferroelectric thin films in non-volatile memory devices, the high temperature treatment in oxygen ambient is inevitable. Severe problems that occur in this process are oxygen diffusion into substrate, oxidation of electrode and buffer layer, degradation of microstructure and so on. We made ruthenium dioxide thin film by reactive sputtering with oxygen and argon mixture atmosphere. Comparing quantitatively the core-level spectra of Ru and RuO$_2$ obtained by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), we found that chemical state of RuO$_2$ is very stable and of good resistance to oxygen diffusion and oxidation of adjacent layers. It opens the use of RuO$_2$ thin film as a multifunctional layer of good conducting electrode and resistive barrier for the diffusion and the oxidation. We also suggest a correct understanding of Ru 3d core-level spectrum for RuO$_2$ based on the scheme of final state screening and charge transfer satellites.

• Ocean and Polar Research
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.331-336
• /
• 2010

The CREAMS (Circulation Research of the East Asian Marginal Sea) survey in 1999 revealed a sharp mid-depth discontinuity of the phosphate:silicate ratio in all basins of the East/Japan Sea. Incidentally, this discontinuity layer corresponds to the oxygen minimum layer. Directly below the discontinuity layer, oxygen concentration is increased. This increase in oxygen concentration is interpreted as a proof of intermediate water formation. Oxygen minimum indicates that the water parcel is old and stable against mixing. So it seems be an efficient barrier to vertical exchange of materials. This means that, once materials enter the lower domain, they rarely return to the upper domain. Therefore, the biogeochemistry of the East/Japan Sea depends heavily on material input through the Korea Strait, and flux is expected to be sensitive to the climate change. As a result, the East/Japan Sea ecosystem seems vulnerable to tipping (regime shift), which occurred on a decadal time scale.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2016.02a
• /
• pp.198.1-198.1
• /
• 2016

Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays have promising potential to replace liquid crystal displays (LCDs) due to their advantages of low power consumption, fast response time, broad viewing angle and flexibility. Organic light emitting materials are vulnerable to moisture and oxygen, so inorganic thin films are required for barrier substrates and encapsulations.[1-2]. In this work, the silicon-based inorganic thin films are deposited on plastic substrates by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at low temperature. It is necessary to deposit thin film at low temperature. Because the heat gives damage to flexible plastic substrates. As one of the transparent diffusion barrier materials, silicon oxides have been investigated. $SiO_x$ have less toxic, so it is one of the more widely examined materials as a diffusion barrier in addition to the dielectric materials in solid-state electronics [3-4]. The $SiO_x$ thin films are deposited by a PECVD process in low temperature below $100^{\circ}C$. Water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) was determined by a calcium resistance test, and the rate less than $10.^{-2}g/m^2{\cdot}day$ was achieved. And then, flexibility of the film was also evaluated.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.55 no.6
• /
• pp.608-617
• /
• 2018

The effects of the purity and monoclinic phase of feedstock powder on the thermal durability of thermal barrier coatings (TBC) were investigated through cyclic thermal exposure. Bond and top coats were deposited by high velocity oxygen fuel method using Ni-Co based feedstock powder and air plasma spray method using three kinds of yttria-stabilized zirconia with different purity and monoclinic phase content, respectively. Furnace cyclic thermal fatigue test was performed to investigate the thermal fatigue behavior and thermal durability of TBCs. TBCs with high purity powder showed better sintering resistance and less thickness in the thermally grown oxide layer. The thermal durability was found to strongly depend on the content of monoclinic phase and the porosity in the top coat; the best thermal fatigue behavior and thermal durability were in the TBC prepared with high purity powder without monoclinic phase.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.28-36
• /
• 2005

In this study, the reflow characteristics of copper thin films which is expected to be used as interconnection materials in the next generation semiconductor devices were investigated. Cu thin films were deposited on the TaN diffusion barrier by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and annealed at the temperature between 250℃ and 550℃ in various ambient gases. When the Cu thin films were annealed in the hydrogen ambience compared with oxygen ambience, sheet resistance of Cu thin films decreased and the breakdown of TaN diffusion barrier was not occurred and a stable Cu/TaN/Si structure was formed at the annealing temperature of 450℃. In addition, reflow properties of Cu thin films could be enhanced in H₂ ambient. With Cu reflow process, we could fill the trench patterns of 0.16～0.24 11m with aspect ratio of 4.17～6.25 at the annealing temperature of 450℃ in hydrogen ambience. It is expected that Cu reflow process will be applied to fill the deep pattern with ultra fine structure in metallization.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.121-124
• /
• 2012

The characteristics of Ga-doped zinc oxide (GZO) thin films deposited at different deposition temperatures (TS~250 to $550^{\circ}C$) on 4H-SiC have been investigated. Structural and electrical properties of GZO thin film on n-type 4H-SiC(0001) were investigated by using x-ray diffraction(XRD), atomic force microscopy(AFM), Hall effect measurement, barrier height from I-V curve and Auger electron spectroscopy(AES). XRD $2\theta$ scan shows GZO thin film has preferential orientation with c-axis perpendicular to SiC substrate surface. The lowest resistivity ($\sim1.9{\times}10^{-4}{\Omega}cm$) was observed for the GZO thin film deposited at $400^{\circ}C$. As deposition temperature increases, barrier height between GZO and SiC was increased. Whereas, resistivity of GZO thin films as well as barrier height between GZO and SiC were increased after annealing process in air atmosphere. It has been found that the c-axis oriented crystalline quality as well as the relative amount of activated Ga3+ ions and oxygen vacancy may affect the electrical properties of GZO films on SiC.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.325-332
• /
• 2016

Resveratrol, a phytoalexin, is reported to activate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in vascular cells. The blood-brain barrier (BBB), formed by specialized brain endothelial cells that are interconnected by tight junctions, strictly regulates paracellular permeability to maintain an optimal extracellular environment for brain homeostasis. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of resveratrol and the role of AMPK in BBB dysfunction induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Exposure of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) to LPS ($1{\mu}g/ml$) for 4 to 24 hours week dramatically increased the permeability of the BBB in parallel with lowered expression levels of occluding and claudin-5, which are essential to maintain tight junctions in HBMECs. In addition, LPS significantly increased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) productions. All effects induced by LPS in HBVMCs were reversed by adenoviral overexpression of superoxide dismutase, inhibition of NAD(P) H oxidase by apocynin or gain-function of AMPK by adenoviral overexpression of constitutively active mutant (AMPK-CA) or by resveratrol. Finally, upregulation of AMPK by either AMPK-CA or resveratrol abolished the levels of LPS-enhanced NAD(P)H oxidase subunits protein expressions. We conclude that AMPK activation by resveratrol improves the integrity of the BBB disrupted by LPS through suppressing the induction of NAD(P)H oxidase-derived ROS in HBMECs.