• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.39-43
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• 2023

Carrier-selective contacts (CSCs) solar cells are considerably attractive on highly efficient crystalline silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells due to their advantages of high thermal tolerance and the simple fabrication process. CSCs solar cells require a hole selective contact (HSC) layer that selectively collects only holes. In order to selectively collect holes, it must have a work function characteristic of 5.0 eV or more when contacted with n-type Si. The VO_x, NiO_x, and CuI_x thin films were fabricated and analyzed respectively to confirm their potential usage as a hole-selective contact (HSC) layer. All thin films showed characteristics of band-gap engergy > 3.0 eV, work function > 5.0 eV and minority carrier lifetime > 1.5 ms.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 2011

In this study, the interface soaking effect in InAs/GaAs strained-layer superlattice (SLS) on crystalline phase modulation has been analyzed by the x-ray diffraction (XRD) curve. The strain variation induced by As and/or Sb soaking was determined by the separation angle between the substrate peak and the 0th-order superlattice satellite peak in the XRD spectra. Contrated that the As/InAs soaking arises minor GaAs-like interfacial layer, the Sb/GaSb soaking induces InSb-like one. The Fourier-transformed curves of the Pendellosung interference oscillation shows that the optimum soaking times of As/InAs and Sb/GaSb are 2 sec and 12 sec, at which the highest crystallineity has, respectively. An anomalous twin-peak phenomenon that a satellite peak splits into two peaks was observed in the SLS structure co-soaked by As and Sb at InAs${\rightarrow}$GaSb interfaces. We suggest that it may be resulted from coexistence of two kinds crystalline phases of InAsSb and GaAsSb due to intermixing of In${\leftrightarrow}$Ga and Sb${\leftrightarrow}$As.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.715-719
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• 2009

The phase change electrode board for the bio-information detection through electrical property response of phase change material was developed in this study. We manufactured the electrode board using Aluminum first that is widely used in conventional semiconductor device process. Without further treatment, these aluminum electrodes tend to contain voids in PETEOS(plasma enhanced tetraethyoxysilane) material that are easily detected by cross-sectional SEM(Scanning Electron Microscope). The voids can be easily attacked and transformed into holes in between PETEOS and electrodes after etch back and washing process. In order to resolve this issue of Al electrode board, we developed a electrode board manufacturing method using low resistivity TiN, which has advantages in terms of the step-coverage of phase change($Ge_2Sb_2Te_5$, GST) thin film as well as thermodynamic stability, without etch back and washing process. This TiN material serves as the top and bottom electrode in PRAM(Phase-change Random Access Memory). The good connection between the TiN electrode and GST thin film was confirmed by observing the cross-section of TiN electrode board using SEM. The resistances of amorphous and crystalline GST thin film on TiN electrodes were also measured, and 1000 times difference between the amorphous and crystalline resistance of GST thin film was obtained, which is well enough for the signal detection.

• KEPCO Journal on Electric Power and Energy
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.97-101
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• 2016

ZnO has nanostructured material because of unique properties suitable for various applications. Amongst all chemical and physics methods of synthesis of ZnO nanostructure, the hydrothermal method is attractive for its simplicity and environment friendly condition. Nanostructure ZnO thin films have been successfully synthesized on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate using hydrothermal method. A possible growth mechanism of the various nanostructures ZnO is discussed in schematics. The prepared materials were characterized by standard analytical techniques, i.e., X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD study showed that the obtained ZnO nanostructure thin films are in crystalline nature with hexagonal wurtzite phase. The SEM image shows substrate surface covered with nanostructure ZnO nanrod. The UV-vis absorption spectrum of the synthesized nanostructure ZnO shows a strong excitonic absorption band at 365 nm which indicate formation nanostructure ZnO thin film. Photoluminescence spectra illustrated two emission peaks, with the first one at 424 nm due to the band edge emission of ZnO and the second broad peak centered around 500 nm possibly due to oxygen vacancies in nanostructure ZnO. The Raman measurements peaks observed at $325cm^{-1}$, $418cm^{-1}$, $518cm^{-1}$ and $584cm^{-1}$ indicated that nanostrusture ZnO thin film is high crystalline quality. We trust that nanostructure ZnO material can be effectively will be used as a highly active and stable phtocatalysis application.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.174-178
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• 2008

Nano-crystalline slaked lime was synthesized using design of experiment. In order to synthesize slaked lime, calcium chloride $(CaCl_2)$ and urea were used as starting materials. Calcium chloride solution and urea solution were mixed and heated in vessel that calcium carbonate was precipitated during heating. Precipitates were filtered, washed several times using D.I.water and ethanol and finally dried in oven. Slaked lime $(Ca(OH)_2)$ has been fabricated by the hydration of calcined $CaCO_3$. Design of experiment (Taguchi method) was used to optimize parameter, to minimize noise factors of experiment and to statistically analyze the results. Slaked lime having about 50 nm in optimized crystallite size could be obtained by calcination of $CaCO_3$ at $1000^{\circ}C$ for 0.5 h and hydration with D.I water containing ethanol and oxalic acid.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.296-303
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• 2002

For potential application to quantum mechanical devices, nano-composite thin films, consisting of GaAs quantum dots dispersed in SiO$_2$ glass matrix, were fabricated and studied in terms of structural, chemical, and optical properties. In order to form crystalline GaAs quantum dots at room temperature, uniformly dispersed in $SiO_2$matrix, the composite films were made to consist of alternating layers of GaAs and $SiO_2$in the manner of a superlattice using RF magnetron sputter deposition. Among different film samples, nominal thickness of an individual GaAs layer was varied with a total GaAs volume fraction fixed. From images of High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), the formation of GaAs quantum dots on SiO$_2$was shown to depend on GaAs nominal thickness. GaAs deposits were crystalline and GaAs compound-like chemically according to HRTEM and XPS analysis, respectively. From measurement of optical absorbance using a spectrophotometer, absorption edges were determined and compared among composite films of varying GaAs nominal thicknesses. A progressively larger shift of absorption edge was noticed toward a blue wavelength with decreasing GaAs nominal thickness, i.e. quantum dots size. Band gaps of the composite films were also determined from Tauc plots as well as from PL measurements, displaying a linear decrease with increasing GaAs nominal thickness.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.276-281
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• 2015

Nanostructured $TiO_2-SiO_2$ materials have widely been used as anti-reflecting coating, optical-chemical sensors and catalysts because of their superior optical and thermal properties as well as chemical durability. Web type $SiO_2$ microfibers with nano-crystalline $TiO_2$ were prepared by electrospinning of Ti-PCS mixed solution and oxidation controlled heat-treatment, rather simple than sol-gel process. Nano-crystalline anatase phase were formed for the heat-treatment up to $1200^{\circ}C$ and they were finely dispersed in the amorphous $SiO_2$ matrix.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.95-100
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• 2021

If we know the location of the hull block and the welding feeder in the shipyard, we can easily obtain the location information of the worker. That data is very useful for implementing a workplace safety monitoring system. However, it is difficult to apply a fixed communication network to the workplace due to the specificity of the hull structure and welding process. In this study, inductive power line communication, which can replace dedicated communication line, was reviewed. A ferrite core was used as an inductive coupler to be installed on the power cable of the welding machine, and a nano-crystalline core was applied as a coupler to be fastened to the support rod of the metal block. In order to visualize the operating principle of the proposed couplers, 3D modeling and finite element analysis were performed with the COMSOL AC/DC module. In the communication performance test using an aluminum profile, when the communication channel was formed by the contact of the welding electrode, the bandwidth was kept above 6 Mbps.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.313-320
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• 2011

100 nm-thick hydrogenated amorphous silicon $({\alpha}-Si:H)$ films were deposited on a glass and glass/30 nm Ni substrates by inductively-coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) at temperatures ranging from 100 to $550^{\circ}C$. The sheet resistance, microstructure, phase transformation and surface roughness of the films were characterized using a four-point probe, AFM (atomic force microscope), TEM (transmission electron microscope), AES (Auger electron spectroscopy), HR-XRD(high resolution X-ray diffraction), and micro-Raman spectroscopy. A nano-thick NiSi phase was formed at substrate temperatures >$400^{\circ}C$. AFM confirmed that the surface roughness did not change as the substrate temperature increased, but it increased abruptly to 6.6 nm above $400^{\circ}C$ on the glass/30 nm Ni substrates. HR-XRD and micro-Raman spectroscopy showed that all the Si samples were amorphous on the glass substrates, whereas crystalline silicon appeared at $550^{\circ}C$ on the glass/30 nm Ni substrates. These results show that crystalline NiSi and Si can be prepared simultaneously on Ni-inserted substrates.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.100-101
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• 2012

The plasma damage free and room temperature processedthin film deposition technology is essential for realization of various next generation organic microelectronic devices such as flexible AMOLED display, flexible OLED lighting, and organic photovoltaic cells because characteristics of fragile organic materials in the plasma process and low glass transition temperatures (Tg) of polymer substrate. In case of directly deposition of metal oxide thin films (including transparent conductive oxide (TCO) and amorphous oxide semiconductor (AOS)) on the organic layers, plasma damages against to the organic materials is fatal. This damage is believed to be originated mainly from high energy energetic particles during the sputtering process such as negative oxygen ions, reflected neutrals by reflection of plasma background gas at the target surface, sputtered atoms, bulk plasma ions, and secondary electrons. To solve this problem, we developed the NBAS (Neutral Beam Assisted Sputtering) process as a plasma damage free and room temperature processed sputtering technology. As a result, electro-optical properties of NBAS processed ITO thin film showed resistivity of $4.0{\times}10^{-4}{\Omega}{\cdot}m$ and high transmittance (>90% at 550 nm) with nano- crystalline structure at room temperature process. Furthermore, in the experiment result of directly deposition of TCO top anode on the inverted structure OLED cell, it is verified that NBAS TCO deposition process does not damages to the underlying organic layers. In case of deposition of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) thin film on the plastic polymer substrate, the room temperature processed sputtering coating of high quality TCO thin film is required. During the sputtering process with higher density plasma, the energetic particles contribute self supplying of activation & crystallization energy without any additional heating and post-annealing and forminga high quality TCO thin film. However, negative oxygen ions which generated from sputteringtarget surface by electron attachment are accelerated to high energy by induced cathode self-bias. Thus the high energy negative oxygen ions can lead to critical physical bombardment damages to forming oxide thin film and this effect does not recover in room temperature process without post thermal annealing. To salve the inherent limitation of plasma sputtering, we have been developed the Magnetic Field Shielded Sputtering (MFSS) process as the high quality oxide thin film deposition process at room temperature. The MFSS process is effectively eliminate or suppress the negative oxygen ions bombardment damage by the plasma limiter which composed permanent magnet array. As a result, electro-optical properties of MFSS processed ITO thin film (resistivity $3.9{\times}10^{-4}{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$, transmittance 95% at 550 nm) have approachedthose of a high temperature DC magnetron sputtering (DMS) ITO thin film were. Also, AOS (a-IGZO) TFTs fabricated by MFSS process without higher temperature post annealing showed very comparable electrical performance with those by DMS process with $400^{\circ}C$ post annealing. They are important to note that the bombardment of a negative oxygen ion which is accelerated by dc self-bias during rf sputtering could degrade the electrical performance of ITO electrodes and a-IGZO TFTs. Finally, we found that reduction of damage from the high energy negative oxygen ions bombardment drives improvement of crystalline structure in the ITO thin film and suppression of the sub-gab states in a-IGZO semiconductor thin film. For realization of organic flexible electronic devices based on plastic substrates, gas barrier coatings are required to prevent the permeation of water and oxygen because organic materials are highly susceptible to water and oxygen. In particular, high efficiency flexible AMOLEDs needs an extremely low water vapor transition rate (WVTR) of $1{\times}10^{-6}gm^{-2}day^{-1}$. The key factor in high quality inorganic gas barrier formation for achieving the very low WVTR required (under ${\sim}10^{-6}gm^{-2}day^{-1}$) is the suppression of nano-sized defect sites and gas diffusion pathways among the grain boundaries. For formation of high quality single inorganic gas barrier layer, we developed high density nano-structured Al2O3 single gas barrier layer usinga NBAS process. The NBAS process can continuously change crystalline structures from an amorphous phase to a nano- crystalline phase with various grain sizes in a single inorganic thin film. As a result, the water vapor transmission rates (WVTR) of the NBAS processed $Al_2O_3$ gas barrier film have improved order of magnitude compared with that of conventional $Al_2O_3$ layers made by the RF magnetron sputteringprocess under the same sputtering conditions; the WVTR of the NBAS processed $Al_2O_3$ gas barrier film was about $5{\times}10^{-6}g/m^2/day$ by just single layer.