• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.56-60
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• 2016

Sapphire has a high hardness and strength and chemical stability as a superior material. It is used mainly as a material for a semiconductor as well as LED. Recently, the cover glass industry used by a sapphire is getting a lot of attention. The sapphire substrate is manufactured through ingot sawing, lapping, diamond mechanical polishing (DMP) and chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process. DMP is an important process to ensure the surface quality of several nm for CMP process as well as to determine the final form accuracy of the substrate. In DMP process, the material removal is achieved by using the mechanical energy of the relative motion to each other in the state that the diamond slurry is disposed between the sapphire substrate and the polishing platen. The polishing platen is one of the most important factors that determine the material removal characteristics in DMP. Especially, it is known that the geometric characteristics of the polishing platen affects the material removal amount and its distribution. This paper investigated the material removal characteristics and the effects of the polishing platen groove in sapphire DMP. The experiments were preliminarily carried out to evaluate the sapphire material removal characteristics according to process parameters such as pressure, relative velocity and so on. In the experiment, the monitoring apparatus was applied to analyze process phenomena in accordance with the processing conditions. From the experimental results, the correlation was analyzed among process parameters, polishing phenomena and the material removal characteristics. The material removal equation based on phenomenological factors could be derived. And the experiment was followed to investigate the effects of platen groove on material removal characteristics.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.140-154
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• 2024

As the trend towards miniaturization in semiconductor integration process, the limitations of interconnection metals such as copper, tungsten have become apparent, prompting research into the emergence of new materials like cobalt and emphasizing the importance of studying the corresponding process conditions. During the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process, corrosion inhibitors are added to the slurry, forming passivation layers on the cobalt surface, thereby playing a crucial role in controlling the dissolution rate of the metal surface, enhancing both removal rate and selectivity. This review investigates the understanding of the cobalt polishing process and examines the characteristics and behavior of corrosion inhibitors, a type of slurry additive, on the cobalt surface. Among the corrosion inhibitors examined, benzotriazole (BTA), 1,2,4-triazole (TAZ), and potassium oleate (PO) all improved surface characteristics through their interaction with cobalt. These findings provide important guidelines for selecting corrosion inhibitors to optimize CMP processes for cobalt-based semiconductor materials. Future research should explore combinations of various corrosion inhibitors and the development of new compounds to further enhance the efficiency of semiconductor processes.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2012

Three-dimensional integrated circuit(3D IC) technology has become increasingly important due to the demand for high system performance and functionality. In this work, BOE and HF wet etching of Cu line surfaces after CMP were conducted for Cu-Cu pattern direct bonding. Step height of Cu and $SiO_2$ as well as Cu dishing after Cu CMP were analyzed by the 3D-Profiler. Step height increased and Cu dishing decreased with increasing BOE and HF wet etching times. XPS analysis of Cu surface revealed that Cu surface oxide layer was partially removed by BOE and HF wet etching treatment. BOE treatment showed not only the effective $SiO_2$ etching but also reduced dishing and Cu surface oxide rather than HF treatment, which can be used as an meaningful process data for reliable Cu-Cu pattern bonding characteristics.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.375-375
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• 2010

CdTe as an absorber material is widely used in thin film solar cells with the heterostructure due to its almost ideal band gap energy of 1.45 eV, high photovoltaic conversion efficiency, low cost and stable performance. The deposition methods and preparation conditions for the fabrication of CdTe are very important for the achievement of high solar cell conversion efficiency. There are some rearranged reports about the deposition methods available for the preparation of CdTe thin films such as close spaced sublimation (CSS), physical vapor deposition (PVD), vacuum evaporation, vapor transport deposition (VTD), closed space vapor transport, electrodeposition, screen printing, spray pyrolysis, metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and RF sputtering. The RF sputtering method for the preparation of CdTe thin films has important advantages in that the thin films can be prepared at low growth temperatures with large-area deposition suitable for mass-production. The authors reported that the optical and electrical properties of CdTe thin film were closely connected by the thickness-uniformity of the film in the previous study [1], which means that the better optical absorbance and the higher carrier concentration could be obtained in the better condition of thickness-uniformity for CdTe thin film. The thickness-uniformity could be controlled and improved by the some process parameters such as vacuum level and RF power in the sputtering process of CdTe thin films. However, there is a limitation to improve the thickness-uniformity only in the preparation process [1]. So it is necessary to introduce the external or additional method for improving the thickness-uniformity of CdTe thin film because the cell size of thin film solar cell will be enlarged. Therefore, the authors firstly applied the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process to improving the thickness-uniformity of CdTe thin films with a G&P POLI-450 CMP polisher [2]. CMP process is the most important process in semiconductor manufacturing processes in order to planarize the surface of the wafer even over 300 mm and to form the copper interconnects with damascene process. Some important CMP characteristics for CdTe were obtained including removal rate (RR), WIWNU%, RMS roughness, and peak-to-valley roughness [2]. With these important results, the CMP process for CdTe thin films was performed to improve the thickness-uniformity of the sputtering-deposited CdTe thin film which had the worst two thickness-uniformities of them. Some optical properties including optical transmittance and absorbance of the CdTe thin films were measured by using a UV-Visible spectrophotometer (Varian Techtron, Cary500scan) in the range of 400 - 800 nm. After CMP process, the thickness-uniformities became better than that of the best condition in the previous sputtering process of CdTe thin films. Consequently, the optical properties were directly affected by the thickness-uniformity of CdTe thin film. The absorbance of CdTe thin films was improved although the thickness of CdTe thin film was not changed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.112-112
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• 2008

박막형 태양전지에 관한 연구는 1954년 D.C. Reynolds 가 단결정 CdS 에서 광기전력을 발견하면서부터 시작되었다. 고효율 단결정 규소 태양전지가 간편하게 제작되고 박막형 태양전지의 수명문제가 대두되어 한때는 연구가 중단되어지기도 하였으나, 에너지 문제가 심각해지면서 값이 저렴하고 넓은 면적에 쉽게 실용화 할 수 있는 박막형 태양전지에 많은 관심을 가지게 되었다. 박막형 태양전지에 사용되는 CdS는 II-VI 족 화합물 반도체로서 에너지금지대폭이 2.42eV인 직접천이형 n-type 반도체로서 대부분의 태양광을 통과시킬 수 있으며 가시광선을 잘 투과시키고 낮은 비저항으로서 광흡수층인 CdTe/$CuInSe_2$ 등과 같이 태양전지의 광투과층(윈도레이어)으로 널리 사용되고 있다. 이러한 이종접합 박막형 태양전지의 효율을 높이기 위해선 윈도레이어 재료인 CdS 박막의 낮은 전기 비저항치와 높은 광 투과도 값이 요구되어지고 있다. CdS 박막의 제작방법으로는 spray pyrolysis법, 스크린프린팅, 소결법, puttering법, 전착법, CBD(chemical bath deposition)법 및 진공증착법 등의 여러 가지 방법들이 보고되었다. 이 중 sputtering의 경우, 다른 방법들에서는 얻기 어려운 매우 얇은 두께의 박막 증착이 가능하며, 균일성 또한 우수하다. 또한 대면적화가 용이하여 양산화 기술로는 다른 제조 방법들에 비해 많은 장점을 가지고 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 sputtering에 의해 증착한 CdS의 박막에 광투과도 등의 향상을 위하여 CMP( chemical mechanical polishing) 공정을 적용하여 표면 특성을 개선하고자 하였다. 그 기초적인 자료로서 CdS 박막의 CMP 공정 조건에 따른 연마율과 비균일도, 표면 특성 등을 ellipsometer, AFM(atomic force microscopy) 및 SEM(scanning electron microscope) 등을 활용 하여 분석하였다.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.67-72
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• 2007

High Pressure Micro Jet (HPMJ) pad conditioning system was investigated as an alternative to diamond disc conditioning in copper CMP. A series of comparative 50-wafer marathon runs were conducted at constant wafer pressure and sliding velocity using Rohm & Haas IC1000 and Asahi-Kasei EMD Corporation (UNIPAD) concentrically grooved pads under ex-situ diamond conditioning or HPMJ conditioning. SEM images indicated that fibrous surface was restored using UNIPAD pads under both diamond and HPMJ conditioning. With IC1000 pads, asperities on the surface were significantly collapsed. This was believed to be due to differences in pad wear rates for the two conditioning methods. COF and removal rate were stable from wafer to wafer using both diamond and HPMJ conditioning when UNIPAD pads were used. Also, HPMJ conditioning showed higher COF and removal rate when compared to diamond conditioning for UNIPAD. On the other hand, COF and removal rates for IC1000 pads decreased significantly under HPMJ conditioning. Regardless of pad conditioning method adopted and the type of pad used, linear correlation was observed between temperature and COF, and removal rate and COF.

• International Journal of Heart Failure
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.129-136
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• 2024

Background and Objectives: Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of hospitalization and death worldwide. The Steady Movement with Innovating Leadership for Heart Failure (SMILE HF) aims to evaluate the clinical characteristics, management, hospital course, and long-term outcomes of patients hospitalized for acute HF in South Korea. Methods: This prospective, observational multicenter cohort study was conducted on consecutive patients hospitalized for acute HF in nine university hospitals since September 2019. Enrolment of 2000 patients should be completed in 2024, and follow-up is planned through 2025. Results: Interim analysis of 1,052 consecutive patients was performed to understand the baseline characteristics. The mean age was 69±15 years; 57.6% were male. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 39±15%. The prevalences of HF with reduced ejection fraction, HF with mildly reduced ejection fraction, and HF with preserved ejection fraction were 50.9%, 15.3%, and 29.2%. Ischemic cardiomyopathy (CMP) was the most common etiology (32%), followed by tachycardia-induced CMP (12.8%) and idiopathic dilated CMP (9.5%). The prescription rate of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blockers/angiotensin receptor/neprilysin inhibitor, beta-blockers, spironolactone, and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors at discharge were 76.8%, 66.5%, 50.0%, and 17.5%, respectively. The post-discharge 90-day mortality and readmission rates due to HF aggravation were 2.0% and 6.4%, respectively. Our analysis reveals the current state of acute HF in South Korea. Conclusions: Our interim analysis provides valuable insights into the clinical characteristics, management, and early outcomes of acute HF patients in South Korea, highlighting the current state and treatment patterns in this population.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.580-585
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• 2011

This article aims to enhance the biodegradability and environment-friendliness of petroleum based biodegradable poly(butylene adipate-co-succinate-co-terephthalate)(PBAST) by blending chemically modified thermoplastic starch(CMPS). CMPS is a kind of bio-based biodegradable resin which is manufactured by reacting starch with maleic anhydride(MA) in the presence of a plasticizer and a free radical initiator. The characteristic properties of PBAST/CMPS blends were investigated by observing their morphology, thermal, mechanical properties, and biodegradability. The good interfacial adhesion between the phases examined by SEM revealed that PBAST/CMPS blends were compatible blends. The tensile strength and elongation decreased with increasing CMPS content, while modulus increased. The biodegradability of the blends was much higher than that of pristine PBAST and increased with increasing CMPS contents.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2004.07b
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• pp.1288-1291
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• 2004

In this study, physical characteristics of alumina slurry on variation of pH value and the effect of non-ionic surfactants on alumina slurry for copper chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) slurry have been investigated. After pH value of the slurry with alumina abrasive was changed by adding various amount of $HNO^3$ or KOH, the differences of settling rate, particle size, and zeta-potential were estimated. Better settling rates were shown in slurries with alumina abrasive at near pH 1. Higher zeta-potential was shown at around pH 2 in alumina slurry and the point of zero charge (PZC) was measured at about pH $9\sim10$. Non-ionic surfactant was added in the slurry with 5wt% alumina abrasive to get its effect on slurry practically. Abrasive size was smaller increased when amount of surfactant increased in slurry with P-4 as abrasive; on the other side, it was smaller when amount of surfactant decreased with AES-12. Variation of zeta-potential has no tendency with adding surfactant; however, values of zeta-potential were between $35\sim50mV$. The proper amount of surfactant was $0.1\sim1.0wt%$ in slurry with P-4 and $0.5\sim1.0wt%$ in slurry with AES-12 respectively. Excellent dispersion stabilization was obtained by addition of non-ionic surfactant

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.61-66
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• 2012

Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) is a polishing process used in the microelectronic fabrication industries to achieve a globally planar wafer surface for the manufacturing of integrated circuits. Pad conditioning plays an important role in the CMP process to maintain a material removal rate (MRR) and its uniformity. For metal CMP process, highly acidic slurry containing strong oxidizer is being used. It would affect the conditioner surface which normally made of metal such as Nickel and its alloy. If conditioner surface is corroded, diamonds on the conditioner surface would be fallen out from the surface. Because of this phenomenon, not only life time of conditioners is decreased, but also more scratches are generated. To protect the conditioners from corrosion, thin organic film deposition on the metal surface is suggested without requiring current conditioner manufacturing process. To prepare the anti-corrosion film on metal conditioner surface, vapor SAM (self-assembled monolayer) and FC (Fluorocarbon) -CVD (SRN-504, Sorona, Korea) films were prepared on both nickel and nickel alloy surfaces. Vapor SAM method was used for SAM deposition using both Dodecanethiol (DT) and Perfluoroctyltrichloro silane (FOTS). FC films were prepared in different thickness of 10 nm, 50 nm and 100 nm on conditioner surfaces. Electrochemical analysis such as potentiodynamic polarization and impedance, and contact angle measurements were carried out to evaluate the coating characteristics. Impedance data was analyzed by an electrical equivalent circuit model. The observed contact angle is higher than 90o after thin film deposition, which confirms that the coatings deposited on the surfaces are densely packed. The results of potentiodynamic polarization and the impedance show that modified surfaces have better performance than bare metal surfaces which could be applied to increase the life time and reliability of conditioner during W CMP.