• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.127-134
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• 2011

We investigate the crystallographic orientation and strain states of the Ni/Ag ohmic contacts on p-type GaN. The Ag film in the Ni/Ag contact was severely agglomerated during high temperature annealing in air ambient. As a results, after annealing for 24 h, the Ni/Ag contact shows non-linear I-V curve and low light reflectance of ~21% at 460 nm wavelength. High-resolution X-ray diffraction results show that the interplanar spacing of Ag (111) planes is almost same to that of bilk Ag after annealing for 24 hrs, indicating that the in-plane tensile strain in the Ag film was fully relaxed due to the Ag agglomeration.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.08a
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• pp.157-157
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• 2010

Vertical-structure light-emitting diodes (V-LEDs) by laser lift-off (LLO) have been exploited for high-efficiency GaN-based LEDs of solid-state lightings. In V-LEDs, emitted light from active regions is reflected-up from reflective ohmic contacts on p-GaN. Therefore, silver (Ag) is very suitable for reflective contacts due to its high reflectance (>95%) and surface plasmon coupling to visible light emissions. In addition, low contact resistivity has been obtained from Ag-based ohmic contacts annealed in oxygen ambient. However, annealing in oxygen ambient causes Ag to be oxidized and/or agglomerated, leading to degradation in both electrical and optical properties. Therefore, preventing Ag from oxidation and/or agglomeration is a key aspect for high-performance V-LEDs. In this work, we demonstrate the enhanced thermal stability of Ag-based Ohmic contact to p-GaN by reducing the thermal compressive stress. The thermal compressive stress due to the large difference in CTE between GaN ($5.6{\times}10^{-6}/^{\circ}C$) and Ag ($18.9{\times}10^{-6}/^{\circ}C$) accelerate the diffusion of Ag atoms, leading to Ag agglomeration. Therefore, by increasing the additional residual tensile stress in Ag film, the thermal compressive stress could be reduced, resulting in the enhancement of Ag agglomeration resistance. We employ the thin Ni layer in Ag film to form Ni/Ag mutli-layer structure, because the lattice constant of NiO ($4.176\;{\AA}$ is larger than that of Ag ($4.086\;{\AA}$). High-resolution symmetric and asymmetric X-ray diffraction was used to measure the in-plane strain of Ag films. Due to the expansion of lattice constant by oxidation of Ni into NiO layer, Ag layer in Ni/Ag multi-layer structure was tensilely strained after annealing. Based on experimental results, it could be concluded that the reduction of thermal compressive stress by additional tensile stress in Ag film plays a critical role to enhance the thermal stability of Ag-based Ohmic contact to p-GaN.

• Applied Science and Convergence Technology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.208-213
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• 2017

Flexible opto-electronic devices are developed on the insulating layer deposited stainless steel (STS) substrates. The silicon dioxide ($SiO_2$) material as the diffusion barrier of Fe and Cr atoms in addition to the electrical insulation between the electronic device and STS is processed using the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method. Noble silver (Ag) films of approximately 100 nm thickness have been formed on $SiO_2$ deposited STS substrates by E-beam evaporation technique. The films then were annealed at $650^{\circ}C$ for 20 min using the rapid thermal annealing (RTA) technique. It was investigated the variation of the surface morphology due to the interaction between Ag films and $SiO_2$ layers after the RTA treatment. The results showed the movement of Si atoms in silver film from $SiO_2$. In addition, the structural investigation of Ag annealed at $650^{\circ}C$ indicated that the Ag film has the material property of p-type semiconductor and the bandgap of approximately 1 eV. Also, the films annealed at $650^{\circ}C$ showed reflection with sinusoidal oscillations due to optical interference of multiple reflections originated from films and substrate surfaces. Such changes can be attributed to both formation of $SiO_2$ on Ag film surface and agglomeration of silver film between particles due to annealing.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.03a
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• pp.18-20
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• 2010

The mechanism for suppression of Ag agglomeration in Ag-Mg alloy ohmic contact to p-GaN is investigated. The Ag-Mg alloy ohmic contact shows low contact resistivity of $6.3\;{\times}\;10^{-5}\;{\Omega}cm^2$, high reflectance of 85.5% at 460 nm wavelength after annealing at $400^{\circ}C$ and better thermal stability than Ag contact The formation of Ga vacancies increase the net hole concentration, lowering the contact resistivity. Moreover, the oxidation of Mg atoms in Ag film increase the work function of Ag-Mg alloy contact and prevents Ag oxidation. The inhibition of oxygen diffusion by Mg oxide suppresses the Ag agglomeration, leading to enhance light reflectance and thermal stability.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.233-241
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• 2012

We have deposited the bilayer consisted of the underlayer and the overlayer by using DC magnetron sputter on Single crystal MgO (001) substrate. This bilayer was fabricated at fixed annealing temperature and time. We have controlled agglomeration effect by changing of the bilayer thickness. Finally, we have made the self-organization and nano-structured film. In this processing, we have made nano-dot which consists of the underlayer and the overlayer, unlike the existing method called the agglomeration effect in the single layer. The underlayer has deposited using Ti, Cr and Co. And the overlayer has deposited with Ag. Through the analysis of Atomic force microscopy (AFM), the microstructure of underlayer is observed by AFM to confirm the formation of nano-dot. As the nano-dot through above processing, we have found that the nano-dot has the different shape. As a result, when we manufactured nano-dot through the agglomeration effect of bi-layer, the best matching material is Ti for underlayer. And also, we have found that MgO/Ti/Ag samples have been grown expitaxially toward the direction of MgO (001) by X-ray Diffraction analysis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2000.02a
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• pp.140-140
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• 2000

The initial growth mode of Nb on Ag(11) in sub-monolayer regime and the influence of subsequent 520K annealing are studied using UHV Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. E-beam evaporated Nb is deposited onto the substrate at RT, and STM measurements are carried out at RT and 78 K. With Nb being immiscible in bulk Ag, 3D islands formation begins at early stage and no particular ordered structure is found. After annealing to 520K, most of islands are disappeared from terrace. There exist 2 possibilities. : (1) Diffusion of Nb into the 2nd or 3rd layer of Ag substrate or (2) agglomeration of Nb on Ag at higher temperature. A model will be given to explain the evidence. In addition, we investigated the change of STM image according to bias voltage depending on island size. Possible physical mechanism responsible for such behavior together with interaction between Nb islands and reactive gases will be also discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.242-250
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• 1996

Glasses of Na2O-Al2O3-SiO2 system were prepared and ion-exchange characteristics change of properties and bactericidal effects by Na+↔Ag+ ion exchange were studied. Parent glasses with three compositions of varying Na2O in the 20~30 wt% were ion-exchanged in the molten salt of 2 mol% AgNO3+98 mol% NaNO3 at 320~36$0^{\circ}C$ for 15~16min. Amount of ion exchange and penetration depth of Ag+ ion increased with Na2O content in the parent glass ion exchange temperature and time. After ion exchange densities and Vickers hardness of the glasses increased and the glasses showed yellow-brown color and as amount of ion exchange increased the color turned deep because partial reduction and agglomeration of Ag+ into Ag0 results in absorption of visible light. After ion exchange chemical durability of the glass to wter was enhanced compara-bly that weight loss and change of surface of the glass were not found for the leaching test in 5$0^{\circ}C$ K.I water for 240hrs. Bactericidal effect of ion exchanged glass on Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli was determined by microorganism test and bactericidal effect increased with amount of ion exchange and incubation time.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.140-148
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• 1995

Optical properties of $TiO_{2}$. Ag filrns and $TiO_{2}/Ag/TiO_{2}$ multilayer filrns with different thickness were predicted using the transfer matrix, and these results were compared with real transmittance curves of the sputterdeposited films. With the complex refractive indices, it was possible to predict transmittance characteristics which were close to real data for $TiO_{2}$ and Ag films. Due to the diffusion and agglomeration of Ag during $TiO_{2}$ deposition, optical properties of the sputterdeposited $TiO_{2}/Ag/TiO_{2}$ films were found to be very different from the transmittance curves predicted using the transfer matrix. Using deposition of 4nm-thick or 6nm-thick TI layers as a diffusion barrier, however, the transmittance curves of $TiO_{2}/Ti/Ag/Ti/TiO_{2}$ five-layer films became similar to ones predicted for $TiO_{2}/Ag/TiO_{2}$ threeiayer films.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.295-301
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• 2010

Multi shell graphite coated Ag nano particles with core/shell structure were successfully synthesized by pulsed wire evaporation (PWE) method. Ar and $CH_4$ (10 vol.%) gases were mixed in chamber, which played a role of carrier gas and reaction gas, respectively. Graphite layers on the surface of silver nano particles were coated indiscretely. However, the graphite layers are detached, when the particles are heated up to $250^{\circ}C$ in the air atmosphere. In contrast, the graphite coated layer was stable under Ar and $N_2$ atmosphere, though the core/shell structured particles were heated up to $800^{\circ}C$. The presence of graphite coated layer prevent agglomeration of nanoparticles during heat treatment. The dispersion stability of the carbon coated Ag nanoparticles was higher than those of pure Ag nanoparticles.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.86-92
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• 1996

The structural, magnetic and magnetoresistance properties of Co/Ag multilayer films prepared by thermal coevaporation were studied. When the Ag layer was $60{\AA}$ thick, the Co layer behaved ferromagnetically even with the thickness of $5{\AA}$. However, when the thickness of Ag layer was $30{\AA}$ and that of Co layer was less than $15{\AA}$ thick, the Co layer became discontinuous and the islands of Co behaved mostly superpararnagnetically. The maximum MR ratio, 6.1% was obtained in the $3000{\AA}\;Ag30{\AA}/Co10{\AA}$ Ag30 A ICo 10 A discontinuous multilayer. Agglomeration of the Co layer was promoted by annealing and hence MR ratio increased when the thickness of Ag layer was thinner than $15{\AA}$. The SiO underlayer enhanced the MR ratio in the $1000{\AA}$ thick multilayer via the layer structure improvement.