• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.498-498
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• 2013

Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas have pioneered a new field of plasma for biomedical application bridging plasma physics and biology. Biological and medical applications of plasmas have attracted considerable attention due to promising applications in medicine such as electro-surgery, dentistry, skin care and sterilization of heat-sensitive medical instruments [1]. Traditional approaches using electronic devices have limits in heating, high voltage shock, and high current shock for patients. It is a great demand for plasma medical industrial acceptance that the plasma generation device should be compact, inexpensive, and safe for patients. Microwave-excited micro-plasma has the highest feasibility compared with other types of plasma sources since it has the advantages of low power, low voltage, safety from high-voltage shock, electromagnetic compatibility, and long lifetime due to the low energy of striking ions [2]. Recent experiment [2] shows three-log reduction within 180-s treatment of S. mutans with a low-power palm-size microwave power module for biomedical application. Experiments using microwave plasma are discussed. This low-power palm-size microwave power module board includes a power amplifier (PA) chip, a phase locked loop (PLL) chip, and an impedance matching network. As it has been a success, more compact-size module is needed for the portability of microwave devices and for the various medical applications of microwave plasma source. For the plasma generator, a 1.35-GHz coaxial transmission line resonator (CTLR) [3] is used. The way of reducing the size and enhancing the performances of the module is examined.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.223-230
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• 2006

We have investigated the characteristics of hydrogen (H) plasma treated quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs). The structure used in this study consists of 3 stacked, self assembled $In_{0.5}Ga_{0.5}As/GaAs$ QD layer separated by GaAs barrier layers that were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Optical characteristics of QDIPs, such as photoluminescence (PL) spectra and photocurrent spectra, have been studied and compared with each other for the as grown and H plasma treated QDIPs. H plasma treatment, resulted in the splitting of PL peak, which can be attributed to the redistribution of the size of QDs. The activation energies estimated from the temperature dependence of integrated PL intensity for as grown and H plasma treated QDIPs are found to be in good agreement with those determined from corresponding peaks of photocurrent spectra. It is also noted that photocurrent is detected up to 130 K for the H plasma treated QDIP, suggesting the future possibility for the development of infrared photodetectors with high temperature operation.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.128-134
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• 1999

Steel tire cords were coated via RF plasma polymerization of acetylene and butadiene gas in order to enhance adhesion to rubber compounds. Adhesion of tire cords was measured by TCAT and T-test as a function of type of gas, plasma powder, treatment time, gas pressure and Ar gas etching. Some samples were subjected to aging study in distilled water at $80^{\circ}C$ for a period of 7 days. After testing, tire cords were analysed by SEM to elucidate the adhesion mechanism. The highest adhesion values were obtained at 20W, 2min and 25mtorr for acetylene plasma polymerization, and l0W, 4min, 25mtorr for butadiene plasma polymerization. However, Ar plasma etching did not affect adhesion, while the adhesion of tire cords increased rather than decreased, contrary to expectations. It was not possible to elucidate failure mode by SEM, owing to the rough surface of the tire and the thin plasma polymer coating layer.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.11-18
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• 2011

The quantitative interfacial adhesion energy of the Cu-Cu direct bonding layers was evaluated in terms of the bonding temperature and Ar+$H_2$ plasma treatment on Cu surface by using a 4-point bending test. The interfacial adhesion energy and bonding quality depend on increased bonding temperature and post-annealing temperature. With increasing bonding temperature from $250^{\circ}C$ to $350^{\circ}C$, the interfacial adhesion energy increase from $1.38{\pm}1.06$ $J/m^2$ to $10.36{\pm}1.01$ $J/m^2$. The Ar+$H_2$ plasma treatment on Cu surface drastically increase the interfacial adhesion energy form $1.38{\pm}1.06$ $J/m^2$ to $6.59{\pm}0.03$ $J/m^2$. The plasma pre-treatment successfully reduces processing temperature of Cu to Cu direct bonding.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.431-437
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• 2009

To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of Ephedrae Herba in vivo and in vitro acute inflammation was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) shock in rats fed Ephedrae Herba extracts and inflammatory cytokine concentrations were examined. In addition, the effect of Ephedrae Herba extracts on the production of inflammatory cytokines was examined in LPS-stimulated Raw 264.7 cells. In an in vivo experiment, plasma interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-$1{\beta}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$ (TNF-$\alpha$) concentrations were increased at 2 h and reached to maximal levels at 5 h after LPS treatment in all groups. Compared with control group, plasma IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, and TNF-$\alpha$ levels were lowered at 5 h after LPS treatment, but plasma IL-10 level was higher in at 2 and 5 h after LPS treatment in Ephedrae Herba extract group. In an in vitro experiment using Raw 264.7 macrophages, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6 and TNF-$\alpha$ concentrations in the Ephedrae Herba extract group were lower than those in control group. Compared with control group, IL-10 concentration appeared to be higher in the Ephedrae Herba extract group, but this trend was not significant. In conclusion, these results suggested that functional compound (s) in Ephedrae Herba extract may play a role in alleviating inflammatory response.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.02a
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• pp.393-393
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• 2010

The biocompatibility of materials used for biomedical applications depends on chemical composition, mechanical stiffness, surface energy, and roughness. The plasma treatment and etching process is a very important technology in the biomedical fields due to possibility of controlling the surface chemistry and properties of materials. In this work, $N_2/H_2$ plasma were treated on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) paper and characterization of treated SWCNTs paper was carried out. Also we investigated neurite outgrowth from SH-SY5Y on treated SWCNTs paper. The results indicated that $N_2/H_2$ plasma-modified SWCNTs paper enhanced neuronal cell adhesion, viability, neurite outgrowth and branching in vitro and exerted a positive role on the health of neural cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.131-131
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• 2011

이종접합 태양전지 제작을 위해 기판의 buffer layer로 사용되는 기존의 a-Si 박막을 SiON 박막으로 대체하려는 연구가 진행 중이다. 기존의 a-Si 박막은 대면적에서 균일도를 담보하기 어렵고, 열적 안정성에 취약한 문제점이 있다. 이에 반해 SiON 박막은 일종의 화학 반응인 oxidation 방법으로 형성이 되기 때문에 막의 균일도를 담보 할 수 있고, $400^{\circ}C$이상의 온도에서 형성되기 때문에 열적 안정성이 우수한 장점이 있다. 이러한 장점에도 불구하고 기판위에 직접 형성이 되기 때문에 기판과 SiON 계면 사이의 pssivation이 무엇보다 중요하다. 본 연구에서는 비정질 실리콘 이종접합 태양전지에 적용키 위한 SiON 박막을 형성하고, 기판과 SiON 계면에서의 passivation 향상을 위한 계면 결함 감소에 대한 연구를 진행하였다. 실험을 위한 SiON 박막은 공정온도 $450^{\circ}C$, 공정압력 100 mTorr, 증착파워 120 mW/cm2에서 5분간 증착하였으며, 이때 50 sccm의 N2O 가스를 주입하였다. 증착된 박막은 2~4 nm의 두께로 증착이 되었으며, 1.46의 광학적 굴절률을 가지는 것으로 분석되었다. 계면의 결함을 줄이기 위해 PECVD를 이용한 NH3 plasma treatment를 실시하였다. 공정온도 $400^{\circ}C$, 공정압력 150mTorr~450 mTorr, 플라즈마 파워 60mW/cm2에서 30분간 진행하였으며, 50 sccm의 N2O 가스를 주입하였다. 계면의 결함이 줄었는지 확인하기 위해 C-V 측정을 위한 시료를 제작하여 분석을 하였다. 실험 결과 VFB가 NH3 plasma treatment 이후 positive 방향으로 shift 됨을 알 수 있었다. Dit 분석을 통해 공정 압력 450 mTorr에서 $4.66{\times}108$[cm2/eV]로 가장 낮은 계면 결함 밀도를 확인 할 수 있었다. 결과적으로 NH3 plasma 처리를 통해 positive charge를 갖는 N-content가 형성되었음을 예측해 볼 수 있으며, N-content가 증가하면, 조밀한 Si-N 결합을 형성하면서, boron 및 phosphorus diffusion을 막는데 효과적이다. 또한, plasma treatment 과정에서 H-content에 의한 passivation 효과를 기대할 수 있다.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.76-82
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• 1992

Deposition of $TEOS-O_3$ oxide film as inter-metal dielectric layer shows the substrate dependency according to the substrate material and pattern density and pitch size. To minimize substrate and Pattern dependency, TEOS-base and $SiH_4-base$ Plasma oxide were predeposited as underlying material on the substrate. The substrate dependency of $TEOS-O_3$ oxide film was more significant on TEOS-base plasma oxide than on $SiH_4-base$ plasma oxide. The dependency of $TEOS-O_3$ oxide film was remarkably reduced, or nearly eliminated, by $N_2$plasma treatment on TEOS-base plasma oxide, which appears to be caused by the O-Si-N structure, observed on the the surface of TEOS-base plasma oxide.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.259-265
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• 2006

We measured sputtering yield of RF $O_2-plasma$ treated MgO protective layer for AC-PDP(plasma display panel) using a Focused ion Beam System(FIB). A 10 kV acceleration voltage was applied. The sputtering yield of the untreated sample and the treated sample were 0.33 atoms/ion and 0.20 atoms/ion, respectively. The influence of the plasma-treatment of MgO thin film was characterized by XPS and AFM analysis. We observed that the binding energy of the O 1s spectra, the FWHM of O 1s spectra and the RMS(root-mean-square) of surface roughness decreased to 2.36 eV, 0.6167 eV and 0.32 nm, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.91-97
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• 2000

The structure and mechanical properties of TiN and TiCN thin films deposited on STD61 steel substrates by the RF-sputtering methods has been studied by using XPS, XRD, micro-hardness tester, scratch tester, and wear-resistance tester. XPS results showed that the TiCN thin film formed with chemical bonding state. The TiN thin films grew with (111) orientation having the lowest strain energy by compressive stress, whereas the TiCN thin films grew with both (111) and (200) orientation, but (200) orientation having the lowest surface energy becomes dominant as carbon contents increase. The pre-etching treatment of substrate did not affect on the preferred orientation of thin films, but it played an important role in improving mechanical properties of thin films such as the hardness, adhesion and wear- resistance. Especially, the TiCN thin films showed the superior wear resistances due to high hardness and low friction coefficient compared with TiN thin films.