• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.471-478
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• 2010

Thin films play an important role in many technological applications including microelectronic devices, magnetic storage media, MEMS and surface coatings. It is well known that a thin film's material properties can be very different from the corresponding bulk properties and thus there has been a strong need for the development of a reliable test method to measure the mechanical properties of a thin film. We have developed an alternative and convenient test method to overcome the limitations of previous membrane deflection experiment and uniaxial tensile test by adopting a white light interferometer having sub-nanometer out-of-plane displacement resolution. The freestanding aluminium specimens are tested to verity the effectiveness of the test method developed and get the tensile properties. The specimens are 0.5 rum wide, $1{\mu}m$ thick and fabricated through MEMS processes including sputtering. 1 to 5 specimens are fabricated on Si dies. The membrane deflection experiments are carried out by using a homemade tester consisted of a motor-driven loading tip, a load cell, and 6 DOF alignment stages. The test system is compact enough to set it up beneath a commercial white light interferometric microscope. The white light fringes are utilized to align a specimen with the tester. The Young's modulus and yield point stress of the aluminium film are 62 GPa and 247 MPa, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.255-262
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• 1997

Titanium nitride (TiN) films were prepared by reactive sputter deposition in mixed gas of Ar+$N_2$. The volume percentage of $N_2$ in the working gas was chosen so as to grow stoichiometric TiN films and the substrate temperature during film growth was set from room temperature to $700^{\circ}C$. Stoichiometric $Ti_{0.5}N){0.5}$ films with (111) texture were grown at temperatures over $600^{\circ}C$, while films prepared at temperatures below $600^{\circ}C$ showed N-rich TiN. The composition X and y in the $Ti_xN_y$ films determined by XPS and RBS varied within 5% with the substrate temperature. The sheet resistance of the TiN films decreases as the substrate temperature increased. TiN film prepared at $600^{\circ}C$ showed 14.5$\Omega\Box$, and it decreased to 8.9$\Omega\Box$ after the sample was annealed at $700^{\circ}C$, 30 sec in Ar-gas ambient by RTA. By far, high quality stoichiometric TiN films by reactive sputtering in the mixed gas ambient could be prepared at substrate temperature over $600^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.41 no.10
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• pp.788-795
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• 2013

A magnesium bipolar plate whose surface was protected by thinly deposited silver layer was investigated as an alternative to existing graphite bipolar plate of PEM fuel cells. Thin silver layer of $3{\mu}m$ was deposited on a magnesium alloy substrate by physical vapor deposition (PVD) method in an environment of $180^{\circ}C$. A number of tests were conducted on the fabricated magnesium based bipolar plates to determine their suitability for use in PEM fuel cell stacks. The test on corrosion resistance in the same pH condition as in a PEM operation demonstrated the layer protected the magnesium alloy substrate, while unprotected substrate suffered from severe corrosion. The contact resistance of the fabricated bipolar plate was less than $20m{\Omega}-cm^2$ which was superior to the conventional bipolar plates. A single cell was constructed using the fabricated bipolar plates and power output was measured. Due to the enhanced conductivity caused by low contact resistance, slight increase was observed in current density and output voltage. With low density of the magnesium substrate and ease on machining, the weight reduction of the stack of 30~40 % is possible to produce the same power output.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 1994

On PT/Ti/Si substrates, PZT thln fllms are deposited at $300^{\circ}C$ by rf magnetron sputtering uslng a $(PbZr_{52}, Ti_{48})O_{3}$ composltc cerarnlc target. To abtaln, the stable phase, perovskltc structure, furnace annealmg techmque had been cmplo:~d In PbO amb~ent for the $550^{\circ}C$-$750^{\circ}C$ temperature ranges. On Pt(250$\AA$)/Ti(500$\AA$)/Si, Pt(1000)$\AA$/Ti(500$\AA$)/Si substrates, effects of Ti layer and Pt thickness are studled. Though thickness of the Pt layer 1s 1000$\AA$). oxygen diffusion is not prevented and accelerated by Ti layer actlng for oxygen sink sites durmg furnace annealing. The upper TI layer 1s transformed Into TIOX by oxyen dlffuslon and lower Ti layer Into silicide with in-diffused Pt. The formation of TiOx layer seems to affect the orlentatton of the PZT layer. Furnace annealed f~lm shows ferroelectr~c and electrical properties wth a remanent polarlzation of 3.3$\mu A /\textrm{cm}^2$, , coerclve fleld of 0.15MV/cm, a=571 (10kHz), leakage current 32.65$\mu A /\textrm{cm}^2$, , breakdown voltage of 0.4OMV/cm.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.48-53
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• 2002

Ferroelectric $Pb_{0.99}[(Zr_{0.6}Sn_{0.4})_{1-x}Ti_x]_{0.98}Nb_{0.02}O_3$(PNZST) thin films were deposited by a RF magnetron sputtering on $(La_{0.5}Sr_{0.5})CoO_3$(LSCO)/Pt/Ti/$SiO_2$/Si substrate using a PNZST target with excess PbO of 10 mole%. The crystallinity and electrical properties of the thin films with various composition ratio were investigated. The thin films deposited at the substrate temperature of $500^{\circ}C$ and the power of 80 W were crystallized to a perovskite phase after rapid thermal annealing(RTA) at $650^{\circ}C$ for 10 seconds in air. A PNZST thin films with Ti of 10 mole% showed the good crystallinity and ferroelectric properties. The remanent polarization and coercive field of the PNZST capacitor were about $20\;{\mu}C/cm^2$ and 50 kV/cm, respectively. The reduction of the polarization after $2.2{\times}10^9$ switching cycles was less than 10%.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.36-43
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• 2000

In oder to enhance the selectivity of TMA(trimethylamine) gas, the ZnO-based films which were doped with $Al_2O_3$, $TiO_2, $In_2O_3$ and $V_2O_5$ catalysts with various weight percents were deposited in oxygen by RF magnetron sputtering method. To improve electrical stability of sensors, the ZnO-based films were annealed in oxygen at $700^{\circ}C$ for 1 hour. The TMA selectivity of sensors was defined by the magnitude($S_{TMA}/S_{DMA}$ and $S_{TMA}/S_{NH3}$) of TMA sensitivity relative to DMA and sensitivity ammonia($NH_3$) sensitivity, respectively. The $ZnO+Al_2O_3(4\;wt.%)+TiO_2(1\;wt.%)+In_2O_3(1\;wt.%)$ sensor showed high $S_{TMA}/S_{DMA}$ of 5.9 and $S_{TMA}/S_{NH3}$ of 26 to 160 ppm at the working temperature of $300^{\circ}C$ respectively.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.30-36
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• 1996

ZnO thin-film sensors were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering method. The composition of the device material was 4 wt. % $Al_{2}O_{3}$, 1 wt. % $TiO_{2}$ and 0.2 wt. % $V_{2}O_{5}$ on the basis of ZnO material for developing the high sensitive TMA gas sensor which have an appropriate resistivity and the stability for practical use. They were also grown on the $SiO_{2}/Si$ substrates heated at $250^{\circ}C$ under a pure oxygen pressure of about 10 mTorr with a power of about 80 watts for 10 minutes. So as to enhance the stability of the resistivity, the thin films were annealed from $400^{\circ}C$ to $800^{\circ}C$. The sensors made with the thin film which were annealed at $700^{\circ}C$ for 60 minutes in pure oxygen gas exhibited a good sensing properties for TMA gas. The thin film grown at this condition showed the maximum sensitivity of 550 in TMA gas concentration of 160 ppm, and exhibited a good stability and excellent linearity.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.573-579
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• 2011

Highly textured Ag, Al and Al:Si back reflectors for flexible n-i-p silicon thin-film solar cells were prepared on 100-${\mu}m$-thick stainless steel substrates by DC magnetron sputtering and the influence of their surface textures on the light-scattering properties were investigated. The surface texture of the metal back reflectors was influenced by the increased grain size and by the bimodal distribution that arose due to the abnormal grain growth at elevated deposition temperatures. This can be explained by the structure zone model (SZM). With an increase in the deposition temperatures from room temperature to $500^{\circ}C$, the surface roughness of the Al:Si films increased from 11 nm to 95 nm, whereas that of the pure Ag films increased from 6 nm to 47 nm at the same deposition temperature. Although Al:Si back reflectors with larger surface feature dimensions than pure Ag can be fabricated at lower deposition temperatures due to the lower melting point and the Si impurity drag effect, they show poor total and diffuse reflectance, resulting from the low reflectivity and reflection loss on the textured surface. For a further improvement of the light-trapping efficiency in solar cells, a new type of back reflector consisting of Ag/Al:Si bilayer is suggested. The surface morphology and reflectance of this reflector are closely dependent on the Al:Si bottom layer and the Ag top layer. The relationship between the surface topography and the light-scattering properties of the bilayer back reflectors is also reported in this paper.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.162-169
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• 2009

Pure titanium and its alloys are drastically used in implant materials due to their excellent mechanical properties, high corrosion resistance and good biocompatibility. However, the widely used Ti-6Al-4V is found to release toxic ions (Al and V) into the body, leading to undesirable long-term effects. Ti-6Al-4V has much higher elastic modulus than cortical bone. Therefore, titanium alloys with low elastic modulus have been developed as biomaterials to minimize stress shielding. For this reason, Ti-30Ta-xZr alloy systems have been studied in this study. The Ti-30Ta containing Zr(5, 10 and 15 wt%) were 10 times melted to improve chemical homogeneity by using a vacuum furnace and then homogenized for 24 hrs at $1000^{\circ}C$. The specimens were cut and polished for corrosion test and Ti coating and then coated with TiN, respectively, by using DC magnetron sputtering method. The analyses of coated surface were carried out by field emission scanning electron microscope(FE-SEM). The electrochemical characteristics were examined using potentiodynamic (- 1500 mV~+ 2000 mV) and AC impedance spectroscopy(100 kHz~10 mHz) in 0.9% NaCl solution at $36.5{\pm}1^{\circ}C$. The equiaxed structure was changed to needle-like structure with increasing Zr content. The surface defects and structures were covered with TiN/Ti coated layer. From the polarization behavior in 0.9% NaCl solution, The corrosion current density of Ti-30Ta-xZr alloys decreased as Zr content increased, whereas, the corrosion potential of Ti-30Ta-xZr alloys increased as Zr content increased. The corrosion resistance of TiN/Ti-coated Ti-30Ta-xZr alloys were higher than that of the TiN-coated Ti-30Ta-xZr alloys. From the AC impedance in 0.9% NaCl solution, polarization resistance($R_p$) value of TiN/Ti coated Ti-30Ta-xZr alloys showed higher than that of TiN-coated Ti-30Ta-xZr alloys.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.277-277
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• 2007

$(Bi,La)_4Ti_3O_{12}$ (BLT) 물질은 결정 방향에 따른 강한 이방성의 강유전 특성을 나타낸다. 따라서 BLT 박막을 이용하여 FeRAM 소자 등을 제작하기 위해서는 결정의 방향성을 세심하게 제어하는 것이 매우 중요하다. 현재까지 연구된 BLT 박막의 방향성 조절 결과를 보면, BLT 박막을 스핀 코팅 법 (spin coating method)으로 중착하고, 핵생성 열처리 단계를 조절하여 무작위 방향성 (random orientation)을 갖는 박막을 제조하는 방법이 일반적이었다. 그런데 이러한 스핀 코팅법에서의 핵생성 단계의 제어는 공정 조건 확보가 너무 어려운 단점이 있다. 이러한 어려움을 극복할 수 있는 대안은 스퍼터링 증착법 (sputtering deposition method), PLD법 (pulsed laser deposition method) 등과 같은 PVD (physical vapor deposition) 법의 증착방법을 적용하는 것이다. PVD 법으로 증착하는 경우에는 이미 박막 내에 무수한 결정핵이 존재하기 때문에 핵생성 단계가 필요 없게 된다. PVD 증착법의 적용을 위해서는 타겟 (target)의 제조 및 평가 실험이 선행되어야 한다. 그런데 벌크 BLT 재료의 소결공정 조건과 전기적 특성에 관한 연구 결과는 거의 발표 되지 않고 있다. 본 실험에서는 $Bi_2O_3$, $TiO_2$ and $La_2O_3$ 분말을 이용하여 최적의 조성을 구하기 위하여 Bi양을 변화시키며 타겟을 제조 하였다. 혼합된 분말을 하소 후 pallet 형태로 성형하여 소결을 실시하였다. 시편을 1mm 두께로 연마하고, 표면에 silver 전극을 인쇄하여 전기적 특성을 측정하였다. Bi양이 3.28몰 첨가된 조성에서 최대의 잔류분극 (2Pr) 값을 얻었고, 이때의 값은 약 $18{\mu}C/cm^2$ 정도였다. 최적화된 조성 ($Bi_{3.28}La_{0.75}Ti_3O_{12}$)으로 BLT 타겟을 제조하여 PLD법으로 박막을 제조하였다. 박막 제조 시 압력은 $1{\times}10^{-1}\;{\sim}\;1{\times}10^{-4}\;Torr$ 범위에서 변화시켰다. $1{\times}10^{-1}\;Torr$ 압력을 제외하고는 모든 압력에서 BLT 박막이 증착되었다. 중착된 박막을 $650\;{\sim}\;800^{\circ}C$에서 30분간 열처리를 실시하고 전기적 특성을 평가한 결과, $1{\times}10^{-2}\;Torr$에서 증착한 박막에서 양호한 P-V (polarization-voltage) 이력곡선을 얻을 수 있었고, 이때의 잔류분극 (2Pr) 값은 약 $6\;{\mu}C/cm^2$ 이었다. 주사전자현미경 (SEM)을 이용하여 BLT 박막 표면의 미세구조도 관찰하였는데, 스핀코팅 법으로 증착한 경우에 관찰되었던 조대화된 입자들은 관찰되지 않았고, 상당히 양호한 입자 크기 균일도를 나타내었다.