• Journal of Information Display
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2010

The intermediate connectors play crucial roles in the performance of tandem organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) because they are required to facilitate charge carrier transport and to guarantee transparency for light transmission and deposition compatibility. Understanding the physical properties of the intermediate connector is not only fundamentally important but is also crucial to developing high-efficiency organic devices with a tandem structure. In this study, several effective intermediate connectors in tandem OLEDs using a doped or non-doped organic p-n heterojunction were systematically investigated by studying their interfacial electronic structures and corresponding device characteristics. The working mechanisms of the intermediate connectors are discussed herein by referring to their relevant energy levels with respect to those of the neighboring organic layers. The factors affecting the operation of the intermediate connectors in tandem OLEDs, as demonstrated herein, provide guidance for the identification of new materials and device architectures for high-performance devices.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.498-505
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• 2007

This study demonstrated the in-situ functionalization with polymers of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) via emulsion polymerization. Polystyrene-functionalized MWNTs were prepared in an aqueous solution containing styrene monomer, non-ionic surfactant and a cationic coupling agent ([2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trime-thylammonium chloride (MATMAC)). This process produced an interesting morphology in which the MWNTs, consisting of bead-string shapes or MWNTs embedded in the beads, when polymer beads were sufficiently large, produced nanohybrid material. This morphology was attributed to the interaction between the cationic coupling agent and the nanotube surface which induced polymerization within the hemimicellar or hemicylindrical structures of surfactant micelles on the surface of the nanotubes. In a solution containing MATMAC alone without surfactant, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were not well-dispersed, and in a solution containing only surfactant without MATMAC, polymeric beads were synthesized in isolation from CNTs and continued to exist separately. The incorporation of MATMAC and surfactant together enabled large amounts of CNTs (> 0.05 wt%) to be well-dispersed in water and very effectively encapsulated by polymer chains. This method could be applied to other well-dispersed CNT solutions containing amphiphilic molecules, regardless of the type (i.e., anionic, cationic or nonionic). In this way, the solubility and dispersion of nanotubes could be increased in a solvent or polymer matrix. By enhancing the interfacial adhesion, this method might also contribute to the improved dispersion of nanotubes in a polymer matrix and thus the creation of superior polymer nanocomposites.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2000.02a
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• pp.173-173
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• 2000

Multilayered films (MLF) consisting of transition metals and semiconductors have drawn a great deal of interest because of their unique properties and potential technological applications. Fe/Si MLF are a particular topic of research due to their interesting antiferromagnetic coupling behavior. although a number of experimental works have been done to understand the mechanism of the interlayer coupling in this system, the results are controversial and it is not yet well understood how the formation of an iron silicide in the spacer layers affects the coupling. The interpretation of the coupling data had been hampered by the lack of knowledge about the intermixed iron silicide layer which has been variously hypothesized to be a metallic compound in the B2 structure or a semiconductor in the more complex B20 structure. It is well known that both magneto-optical (MO0 and optical properties of a metal depend strongly on their electronic structure that is also correlated with the atomic and chemical ordering. In order to understand the structure and physical properties of the interfacial regions, Fe/Si multilayers with very thin sublayers were investigated by the MO and optical spectroscopies. The Fe/si MLF were prepared by rf-sputtering onto glass substrates at room temperature with a totall thickness of about 100nm. The thicknesses of Fe and Si sublayers were varied from 0.3 to 0.8 nm. In order to understand the fully intermixed state, the MLF were also annealed at various temperatures. The structure and magnetic properties of Fe/Si MLF were investigated by x-ray diffraction and vibrating sample magnertometer, respectively. The MO and optical properties were measured at toom temperature in the 1.0-4.7 eV energy range. The results were analyzed in connection with the MO and optical properties of bulk and thin-film silicides with various structures and stoichiometries.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.184-187
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• 2013

The influence of insertion of an ultra-thin Cu-Phthalocyanine (CuPc) between MgO barrier and ferromagnetic layer in magnetic tunnel juctions (MTJs) was investigated. In order to understand the relation between the electronic and structural properties of Fe${\backslash}$MgO${\backslash}$CuPc, the surface (or interface) analysis was carried out systematically by using spin polarized metastable He de-excited spectroscopy for the CuPc films grown on the Si(001)${\backslash}$5 nm MgO(001)${\backslash}$7 nm Fe(001)${\backslash}$1.6 nm MgO(001) multilayer structure as the thickness of CuPc increases from 0 to 5 nm. In particular, for the 1.6 nm CuPc surface, a rather strong spin asymmetry between up- and down-spin band appears while it becomes weaker or disappears for the CuPc films thinner or thicker than ~1.6 nm. Our results emphasize the importance of the interfacial electronic properties of organic layers in the spin transport of the hybrid MTJs.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2008.06a
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• pp.239-240
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• 2008

As semiconductor devices are scaled down for better performance and more functionality, the Cu-based interconnects suffer from the increase of the resistivity of the Cu wires. The resistivity increase, which is attributed to the electron scattering from grain boundaries and interfaces, needs to be addressed in order to further scale down semiconductor devices [1]. The increase in the resistivity of the interconnect can be alleviated by increasing the grain size of electroplating (EP)-Cu or by modifying the Cu surface [1]. Another possible solution is to maximize the portion of the EP-Cu volume in the vias or damascene structures with the conformal diffusion barrier and seed layer by optimizing their deposition processes during Cu interconnect fabrication, which are currently ionized physical vapor deposition (IPVD)-based Ta/TaN bilayer and IPVD-Cu, respectively. The use of in-situ etching, during IPVD of the barrier or the seed layer, has been effective in enlarging the trench volume where the Cu is filled, resulting in improved reliability and performance of the Cu-based interconnect. However, the application of IPVD technology is expected to be limited eventually because of poor sidewall step coverage and the narrow top part of the damascene structures. Recently, Ru has been suggested as a diffusion barrier that is compatible with the direct plating of Cu [2-3]. A single-layer diffusion barrier for the direct plating of Cu is desirable to optimize the resistance of the Cu interconnects because it eliminates the Cu-seed layer. However, previous studies have shown that the Ru by itself is not a suitable diffusion barrier for Cu metallization [4-6]. Thus, the diffusion barrier performance of the Ru film should be improved in order for it to be successfully incorporated as a seed layer/barrier layer for the direct plating of Cu. The improvement of its barrier performance, by modifying the Ru microstructure from columnar to amorphous (by incorporating the N into Ru during PVD), has been previously reported [7]. Another approach for improving the barrier performance of the Ru film is to use Ru as a just seed layer and combine it with superior materials to function as a diffusion barrier against the Cu. A RulTaN bilayer prepared by PVD has recently been suggested as a seed layer/diffusion barrier for Cu. This bilayer was stable between the Cu and Si after annealing at $700^{\circ}C$ for I min [8]. Although these reports dealt with the possible applications of Ru for Cu metallization, cases where the Ru film was prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) have not been identified. These are important because of ALD's excellent conformality. In this study, a bilayer diffusion barrier of Ru/TaCN prepared by ALD was investigated. As the addition of the third element into the transition metal nitride disrupts the crystal lattice and leads to the formation of a stable ternary amorphous material, as indicated by Nicolet [9], ALD-TaCN is expected to improve the diffusion barrier performance of the ALD-Ru against Cu. Ru was deposited by a sequential supply of bis(ethylcyclopentadienyl)ruthenium [Ru$(EtCp)_2$] and $NH_3$plasma and TaCN by a sequential supply of $(NEt_2)_3Ta=Nbu^t$ (tert-butylimido-trisdiethylamido-tantalum, TBTDET) and $H_2$ plasma. Sheet resistance measurements, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) analysis showed that the bilayer diffusion barriers of ALD-Ru (12 nm)/ALD-TaCN (2 nm) and ALD-Ru (4nm)/ALD-TaCN (2 nm) prevented the Cu diffusion up to annealing temperatures of 600 and $550^{\circ}C$ for 30 min, respectively. This is found to be due to the excellent diffusion barrier performance of the ALD-TaCN film against the Cu, due to it having an amorphous structure. A 5-nm-thick ALD-TaCN film was even stable up to annealing at $650^{\circ}C$ between Cu and Si. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation combined with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis revealed that the ALD-Ru/ALD-TaCN diffusion barrier failed by the Cu diffusion through the bilayer into the Si substrate. This is due to the ALD-TaCN interlayer preventing the interfacial reaction between the Ru and Si.