• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.1157-1162
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• 2013

We proposed AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) using thermal oxidation for NiOx passivation. Auger electron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, and pulsed I-V were used to study oxidation features. The oxidation process diffused Ni and O into the AlGaN barrier and formed NiOx on the surface. The breakdown voltage of the proposed device was 1520 V while that of the conventional device was 300 V. The gate leakage current of the proposed device was 3.5 ${\mu}A/mm$ and that of the conventional device was 1116.7 ${\mu}A/mm$. The conventional device exhibited similar current in the gate-and-drain-pulsed I-V and its drain-pulsed counterpart. The gate-and-drain-pulsed current of the proposed device was about 56 % of the drain-pulsed current. This indicated that the oxidation process may form deep states having a low emission current, which then suppresses the leakage current. Our results suggest that the proposed process is suitable for achieving high breakdown voltages in the GaN-based devices.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics A
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• v.33A no.12
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• pp.47-52
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• 1996

Cl-based gas chemistry is generally used to etching for al alloy metallization. After the etching of Al alloy with Cl-based gas plasma, residual chlorine on Al alloy reacts with H$_{2}$O due to air exposure and results in Al corrosion. In this study, the corrosion phenomena of Al wer examined with XPS(X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and SEM (scanning electorn microscopy). It was confirmed that chlorine mainly existed at the grian boundary of Al alloy after plasma etching of Al alloy with cl-based gas chemistry and Al corrosion was largely generated at the grain boundary of Al alloy. And residual chlorine was passivated by sulfur and fluorine which were generated by SF$_{6}$ plasma. These effects of passivation reduced the Al corrosion due to air exposure.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 1996.11a
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• pp.252-255
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• 1996

Cl-based gas chemistry is generally used to etching for Al alloy metallization. After the etching of Al alloy with Cl-based gas plasma, residual chlorine on Al alloy reacts with $H_2O$ due to air exposure and results in Al corrosion. In this study, the corrosion Phenomena of Al were examined with XPS(X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and SEF(Scanning electron microscopy). It was confirmed that chlorine mainly existed at the grain boundary of Al alloy after plasma etching of Al alloy with Cl-based gas chemistry and Al corrosion was largely generated at the grain boundary of Al a1loy. And residual chlorine was passivated by sulfur and fluorine which were generated by SF$_{6}$ plasma. These effects of passivation reduced the Al corrosion due to air exposure.e.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2023

In a solar cell, degradation refers to the decrease in performance parameters caused by defects originated due to various causes. During the fabrication process of solar cells, degradation is generally related to the processes such as passivation or firing. There exist sources of many types of degradation; however, the exact cause of Light and elevated Temperature Induced Degradation (LeTID) is yet to be determined. It is reported that the degradation and the regeneration occur due to the recombination of hydrogen and an arbitrary substance. In this paper, we report the deposition of Al₂O₃ and SiN_X on silicon wafers used in the Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact (PERC) solar structure and its degradation pattern. A higher degradation rate was observed in the sample with single layer of Al₂O₃ only, which indicates that the degradation is affected by the presence or the absence of a passivation thin film. In order to alleviate the degradation, optimization of different steps should be carried out in consideration of degradation in the solar cell fabrication process.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.391-397
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• 2015

NiO catalysts/$Al_2O_3$/FeCrAl alloy foam for hydrogen production was prepared using atomic layer deposition (ALD) and subsequent dip-coating methods. FeCrAl alloy foam and $Al_2O_3$ inter-layer were used as catalyst supports. To improve the dispersion and stability of NiO catalysts, an $Al_2O_3$ inter-layer was introduced and their thickness was systematically controlled to 0, 20, 50 and 80 nm using an ALD technique. The structural, chemical bonding and morphological properties (including dispersion) of the NiO catalysts/$Al_2O_3$/FeCrAl alloy foam were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy. In particular, to evaluate the stability of the NiO catalysts grown on $Al_2O_3$/FeCrAl alloy foam, chronoamperometry tests were performed and then the ingredient amounts of electrolytes were analyzed via inductively coupled plasma spectrometer. We found that the introduction of $Al_2O_3$ inter-layer improved the dispersion and stability of the NiO catalysts on the supports. Thus, when an $Al_2O_3$ inter-layer with a 80 nm thickness was grown between the FeCrAl alloy foam and the NiO catalysts, it indicated improved dispersion and stability of the NiO catalysts compared to the other samples. The performance improvement can be explained by optimum thickness of $Al_2O_3$ inter-layer resulting from the role of a passivation layer.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.425-431
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• 2023

An asymmetric metal-semiconductor-metal Al_0.24Ga_0.76N ultraviolet (UV) sensor was fabricated, and the effects of local Joule heating were investigated. After dielectric breakdown, the current density under a reverse bias of 2.0 V was 1.1×10^-9 A/cm², significantly lower than 1.2×10^-8 A/cm² before dielectric breakdown; moreover, the Schottky behavior of the Ti/Al/Ni/Au electrode changed to ohmic behavior under forward bias. The UV-to-visible rejection ratio (UVRR) under a reverse bias of 7.0 V before dielectric breakdown was 87; however, this UVRR significantly increased to 578, in addition to providing highly reliable responsivity. Transmission electron microscopy revealed interdiffusion between adjacent layers, with nitrogen vacancies possibly formed owing to local Joule heating at the AlGaN/Ti/Al/Ni/Au interfaces. X-ray photoelectron microscopy results revealed decreases in the peak intensities of the O 1s binding energies associated with the Ga-O bond and OH-, which act as electron-trapping states on the AlGaN surface. The reduction in dark current owing to the proposed local heating method is expected to increase the sensing performance of UV optoelectronic integrated devices, such as active-pixel UV image sensors.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2019

Most high-efficiency n-type silicon solar cells are based on the high quality surface passivation and ohmic contact between the emitter and the metal. Currently, various metalization methods such as screen printing using metal paste and physical vapor deposition are being used in forming electrodes of n-type silicon solar cell. In this paper, we analyzed the degradation factors induced by the front electrode formation process using e-beam evaporation of double passivation structure of p-type emitter and $Al_2O_3/SiN_x$ for high efficiency solar cell using n-type bulk silicon. In order to confirm the cause of the degradation, the passivation characteristics of each electrode region were determined through a quasi-steady-state photo-conductance (QSSPC).

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.33-37
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• 2014

We have developed a novel passivation process employing a sacrificial gallium oxide process in order to recover the surface damage in AlGaN/GaN HFETs. Even with a conventional prepassivation process, surface damage during high temperature ohmic annealing cannot be avoided completely. Therefore, it is necessary to recover the damaged surface to avoid the characteristic degradation. In this work, a sacrificial gallium oxide process has been proposed in which the damaged surface after ohmic annealing was oxidized by oxygen plasma treatment and thereafter etched back using HCl. As a result, the leakage current was dramatically reduced and thus the subthreshold slope was significantly improved. In addition, the maximum drain current level was increased from 594 to 634 mA/mm. To verify the effects, the surface conditions were carefully investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.31-36
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• 2018

This research scrutinizes the reason of failure after pressure cooker test (PCT) for DRAM device. We use the physical inspecting tools, such as microscope, SEM and TEM, and finally find the discolor phenomenon, corrosion of Al and delamination of inter-metal dielectric (IMD) in the failed devices after PCT. Furthermore, we discover the abnormal $Al_XO_Y$ layer on Al through the careful additional measurements. To find the reason, we evaluate the effect of package ball size and pinhole in passivation layer. Unfortunately, those aren't related to the problems. We also estimate halide effect of Al. The halogens such like Cl are contained within EMC material. Those result in the slight improving of PCT characteristics but do not perfectly solve the problems. We make a hypothesis of Galvanic corrosion. We can find the residue of Ti at the edge of pad open area. We can see the improving the PCT characteristics by the time split of repair etch. The possible mechanism of the PCT failure can be deduced as such following sequence of reactions. The remained Ti reacts on the pad Al by Galvanic corrosion. The ionized Al is easily react with the $H_2O$ supplied under PCT environment, and finally transfers to the abnormal $Al_XO_Y$ layer.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.169-169
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• 2012

현재 디스플레이 시장은 LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), PDP (Plasma Display Panel) 등과 같이 평판 디스플레이가 주류를 이루고 있으며 현재에는 기존의 디스플레이와는 달리 잘 휘어지고 높은 투과성을 가지는 플렉시블 디스플레이에 대한 연구가 활발히 진행 중이다. 하지만 이러한 플렉시블 디스플레이에 사용되는 플라스틱 기판의 경우 용제에 대한 화학적 저항성 및 기계적인 안정성이 취약한 점과 대기중의 수분이나 산소가 플라스틱 기판을 통하여 소자내로 침투하게 되어 금속전극을 산화시키거나 기포 또는 흑점 등과 같은 비 발광 영역이 확산되어 소자의 수명을 단축시키는 치명적인 단점을 가진다. 이에 본 실험에서는 고밀도 플라즈마 형성이 가능하고 저온공정이 가능한 FTS (Facing Target Sputtering) 장비를 이용하여 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) 기판위에 낮은 수분 투과율 또는 산소 투과율을 갖는 양질의 무기 산화막을 적층하기 위해 저 투습도 및 기계적인 경도 향상을 위한 비 반응성 박막으로 $Al_20_3$층을 Ar분위기에서 증착하였고 그 위에 박막의 stress 감소, 유연성 향상을 위한 반응성 박막으로 Al을 Ar과 $O_2$를 비율별로 증착하여 비교 실험하였다. 이와 같이 제작된 무기산화막들을 Uv- spectrophotometer를 이용하여 광학적 특성을 조사한 결과 가시광 영역에서 모두 80% 이상의 높은 투과율을 나타내었으며, 그 외 XRD (X-ray Diffraction)를 사용하여 결정성을 확인, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), AFM (Atomic Force Microscope)을 이용하여 박막의 구조와 표면향상 및 표면조도를 측정한 결과 모든 박막에서 밀집도가 좋으며 거칠기가 작은 것으로 확인되었다. 마지막으로 수분 투과율(WVTR)을 알아보기 위해 Mocon (Permatran W3/31)장비를 이용하여 측정한 결과 $1.0{\sim}3.0{\times}10^{-3}g/m{\cdot}day$의 낮은 수분 투과율을 볼 수 있었다. 이러한 측정 결과로 볼 때 향후 FTS 장비를 이용하여 양질의 플라즈마를 형성하여 알루미늄 무기산화막을 이용한 고밀도 다층막을 형성하면 더욱 낮은 수분투과율을 갖는 가스차단막을 제작할 수 있을 것으로 보여지며 반도체 소자 및 디바이스의 Pachaging으로도 사용가능 할 것이라 사료된다. 본 연구는 한국산업기술진흥원에서 지원하는 2011년도 지역산업기술개발사업의 연구수행으로 인한 결과물임을 밝힙니다.