• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.582-588
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• 2019

FeVSb1-xTex (0.02 ≤ x ≤ 0.10) half-Heusler alloys were fabricated by mechanical alloying process and subsequent vacuum hot pressing. Near single half-Heusler phases are formed in vacuum hot pressed samples but a second phase of FeSb2 couldn't be avoided. After doping, the lattice thermal conductivity in the system was shown to decrease with increasing Te concentration and with increasing temperature. The lowest thermal conductivity was achieved for FeVSb0.94Te0.06 sample at about 657 K. This considerable reduction of thermal conductivities is attributed to the increased phonon scattering enhanced by defect structure, which is formed by doping of Te at Sb site. The phonon scattering might also increase at grain boundaries due to the formation of fine grain structure. The Seebeck coefficient increased considerably as well, consequently optimizing the thermoelectric figure of merit to a peak value of ~0.24 for FeVSb0.94Te0.06. Thermoelectric properties of various Te concentrations were investigated in the temperature range of around 300~973 K.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.318.2-318.2
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• 2014

The high contact resistance is still one of the major issues to be resolved in CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells. CdTe/Metal Schottky contact induced a high contact resistance in CdS/CdTe solar cells. It has been reported that the work function of CdTe thin film is more than 5.7 eV. There has not been a suitable back contact metal, because CdTe thin film has a high work function. In a few decades, some buffer layer was reported to improve a back contact problem. Buffer layers which are Te, $Sb_2Te_3$, $Cu_2Te$, ZnTe:Cu and so on was inserted between CdTe and metal electrode. A formed buffer layers made a tunnel junction. Hole carriers which was excited in CdTe film by light absorption was transported from CdTe to back metal electrode. In this report, we reported the variation of solar cell performance with different buffer layer at the back contact of CdTe thin film solar cell.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2023

High-temperature and high-pressure post-processing applied to sintered thermoelectric materials can create nanoscale defects, thereby enhancing their thermoelectric performance. Here, we investigate the effect of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) as a post-processing treatment on the thermoelectric properties of p-type Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te_3.0 compounds sintered via spark plasma sintering. The sample post-processed via HIP maintains its electronic transport properties despite the reduced microstructural texturing. Moreover, lattice thermal conductivity is significantly reduced owing to activated phonon scattering, which can be attributed to the nanoscale defects created during HIP, resulting in an ~18% increase in peak zT value, which reaches ~1.43 at 100℃. This study validates that HIP enhances the thermoelectric performance by controlling the thermal transport without having any detrimental effects on the electronic transport properties of thermoelectric materials.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2004.07a
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• pp.340-343
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• 2004

The phase transition between amorphous and crystalline states in chalcogenide semiconductor films can controlled by electric pulses or pulsed laser hem: hence some chalcogenide semiconductor films can be applied to electrically write/erase nonvolatile memory devices, where the low conductive amorphous state and the high conductive crystalline state are assigned to binary states. This letters researched into the characteristic of phase change transition in differential Chalcogenide thin films materials. The electrode used Al and experimented on 100nm, 300nm, 500nm respectively.

• Journal of Korean Vacuum Science & Technology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.107-117
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• 1998

Epitaxial undoped and Sb-doped si films have been grown on Si(001) substrates at temperatures T between 80 and 750$^{\circ}C$ using energetic Si in ultra-high-vacuum Kr+-ion-beam sputter deposition(IBSD). Critical epitaxial thicknesses te, The average thickness of epitaxial layers, in undoped films were found to range from 8nm at Ts=80$^{\circ}C$ to > 1.2 ${\mu}$m at Ts=300$^{\circ}C$ while Sb incorporation probabilities $\sigma$sb varied from unity at Ts 550$^{\circ}C$ to 0.1 at 750$^{\circ}C$. These te and $\sigma$Sb values are approximately one and one-to-three orders of magnitude, respectively, higher than reported results achieved with molecular-beam epitaxy. Plan-view and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution x-ray diffraction, channeling and axial angular-yield profiles by Rutherford back scattering spectroscopy for epitaxial Si1-x Gex(001) alloy films (0.15$\leq$x$\leq$0.30) demonstrated that the films are of extremely high crystalline quality. critical layer thicknesses hc the film thickness where strain relaxation starts, I these alloys wre found to increase rapidly with decreasing growth temperature. For Si0.70 Ge0.30, hc ranged from 35nm at Ts=550$^{\circ}C$ to 650nm at 350$^{\circ}C$ compared to an equilibrium value of 8nm.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.454-458
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• 2017

$Bi_2Te_3$-based alloys have been intensively investigated as active materials for thermoelectric power generation devices from low-temperature (< $250^{\circ}C$) waste heat. In the present study, we fabricated Pb-doped, p-type $Bi_{0.48}Sb_{1.52}Te_3$ polycrystalline bulks by using meltsolidification and spark plasma sintering techniques, and evaluated their thermoelectric transport properties in an effort to develop optimized composition for low-temperature power generation applications. The electronic and thermal transport properties of $Bi_{0.48}Sb_{1.52}Te_3$ could be manipulated by Pb doping. As a result, the temperature for a peak thermoelectric performance (zT) gradually shifted toward higher temperatures with Pb content, suggesting that thermoelectric power generation efficiency can be enhanced by controlled Pb doping.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.120-122
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• 2003

We have been investigated phase-change with temperature and electric field in chalcogenide $Ge_2Sb_2Te_5$ thin film. $T_c$(crystallization temperature) is confirmed by measuring the resistance and conductivity with the varying temperature on the hotplate. We have measured I-V characteristics with $Ge_2Sb_2Te_5$ chalcogenide thin film. It is compared with I-V characteristics after impress the variable pulse. The pulse has variable height and duration that used voltage and current source.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.24.2-24.2
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• 2009

Indium Antimonide(InSb)는 $3{\sim}5\;{\mu}m$대 적외선 감지영역에서 기존 HgCdTe(MCT)를 대체할 물질로 각광받고 있다. 1970년대부터군사적 용도로 미국, 이스라엘 등 일부 선진국에서 연구되기 시작했으며,이온주입, MOCVD, MBE 등 다양한 공정을 통해 제작되어 왔다. InSb 적외선 감지소자는 $3{\sim}5{\mu}m$대에서 HgCdTe와 성능은 대등한데 반해, 기판의 대면적화와 저렴한 가격, 우주공간 및 야전에서 소자 동작의안정성 등으로 InSb적외선 감지기는 냉각형 고성능 적외선 감지영역에서 HgCdTe를 대체해 가고 있다. 하지만 InSb는 77 K에서 0.225eV의 작은 밴드갭을 갖고 있기 때문에 누설전류로 인한 성능저하가 고질적인문제로 대두되었고, 이를 해결하기 위한 고품질 절연막 연구가 InSb적외선 수광 소자 연구의 주요이슈 중 하나가 되어왔다. 그 동안 PECVD, photo-CVD, anodic oxidation 등의 공정을 이용하여 $SiO_2$, $Si_3N_4$, 양극산화막(anodic oxide) 등 다양한 절연막에 대한 연구가 진행되었고[1,2], 절연막과 반도체 사이 계면에서의 열확산을 억제하여 계면트랩밀도를 최소화하기 위한 공정개발이 이루어졌다[3]. 하지만 InSb 적외선 감지기술은 국방 및 우주개발의 핵심기술중 하나로 그 기술의 이전이 엄격히 통제되고 있으며, 현재도 미국과 이스라엘, 일본, 영국 등 일부 선진국 만이 기술을 확보하고 있고, 국내의 경우 연구가 매우 취약한 실정이다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 InSb 적외선 감지기의 암전류를 제어하기 위한 낮은 계면트랩밀도를 갖는 절연막 증착 공정을 찾고자 하였다. 본 연구에서는 n형 (100) InSb 기판 ($n=0.2{\sim}0.85{\times}10^{15}cm^{-3}$ @ 77K)에 PECVD를 이용하여 $SiO_2$, $Si_3N_4$ 등을 증착하고 절연막으로서 이들의 특성을 비교 분석하였다. $SiO_2$는 160, 200, $240^{\circ}C$에서 $Si_3N_4$는 200, $300^{\circ}C$에서 증착하였다. Atomic Force Microscopy(AFM) 사진으로 확인한 결과, 모든 샘플에서표면거칠기가 ~2 nm의 평탄한 박막을 얻을 수 있었다. Capacitance-Voltage 측정(77K)을 통해 절연막 특성을 평가하였다. $SiO_2$와 $Si_3N_4$ 모두에서 온도가 증가할수록 벌크트랩밀도가 감소하는 경향을 볼 수 있었는데, 이는 고온에서 증착할 수록 박막 내의 결함이 감소했음을 의미한다. 반면계면트랩밀도는 온도가 증가함에 따라, 1011 eV-1cm-2 대에서 $10^{12}eV^{-1}cm^{-2}$ 대로 증가하였는데, 이는 고온에서 증착할 수 록 InSb 표면에서의 결함은 증가하였음을의미한다. 암전류에 큰 영향을 주는 것은 계면트랩밀도 이므로, $SiO_2$와 $Si_3N_4$ 모두 $200^{\circ}C$이하의 저온에서 증착시켜야 함을 확인할 수 있었다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.139.2-139.2
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• 2016

Electrons and phonons in chalcogenide-based materials play are important factors in the performance of an optical data storage media and thermoelectric devices. However, the fundamental kinetics of carriers in chalcogenide materials remains controversial, and active debate continues over the mechanism responsible for carrier relaxation. In this study, we investigated ultrafast carrier dynamics in an multilayered $\{Sb(3{\AA})/Te(9{\AA})\}n$ thin film during the transition from the amorphous to the crystalline phase using optical pump terahertz probe spectroscopy (OPTP), which permits the relationship between structural phase transition and optical property transitions to be examined. Using THz-TDS, we demonstrated that optical conductance and carrier concentration change as a function of annealing temperature with a contact-free optical technique. Moreover, we observed that the topological surface state (TSS) affects the degree of enhancement of carrier lifetime, which is closely related to the degree of spin-orbit coupling (SOC). The combination of an optical technique and a proposed carrier relaxation mechanism provides a powerful tool for monitoring TSS and SOC. Consequently, the response of the amorphous phase is dominated by an electron-phonon coupling effect, while that of the crystalline structure is controlled by a Dirac surface state and SOC effects. These results are important for understanding the fundamental physics of phase change materials and for optimizing and designing materials with better performance in optoelectronic devices.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.115-121
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• 2017

In this work, p-type Bi-Sb-Te alloys powders are prepared using gas atomization, a mass production powder preparation method involving rapid solidification. To study the effect of the sintering temperature on the microstructure and thermoelectric properties, gas-atomized powders are consolidated at different temperatures (623, 703, and 743 K) using spark plasma sintering. The crystal structures of the gas-atomized powders and sintered bulks are identified using an X-ray diffraction technique. Texture analysis by electron backscatter diffraction reveals that the grains are randomly oriented in the entire matrix, and no preferred orientation in any unique direction is observed. The hardness values decrease with increasing sintering temperature owing to a decrease in grain size. The conductivity increases gradually with increasing sintering temperature, whereas the Seebeck coefficient decreases owing to increases in the carrier mobility with grain size. The lowest thermal conductivity is obtained for the bulk sintered at a low temperature (603 K), mainly because of its fine-grained microstructure. A peak ZT of 1.06 is achieved for the sample sintered at 703 K owing to its moderate electrical conductivity and sustainable thermal conductivity.