• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2006.06a
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• pp.418-419
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• 2006

We investigate the influence of the ambient gas during thermal annealing on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of europium-silicate thin films. The films were fabricated on substrates by using a radio-frequency magnetron sputtering method and subsequent rapid thermal annealing (RTA). The mechanism for the formation of the europium silicates during the annealing process was investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A series of narrow PL spectra from $Eu^{3+}$ ions was observed from the film annealed in $O_2$ ambient. Broad PL spectra associated with $Eu^{2+}$ ions, with a maximum intensity at 600 nm and a FWHM of 110 nm, were observed from the thin film annealed at $1000^{\circ}C$ in $N_2$ ambient.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2005.07a
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• pp.500-501
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• 2005

Aluminum doped zinc oxide films (ZnO:Al) were deposited on glass substrate by DC magnetron sputtering from a ZnO target mixed with 2 wt% $Al_2O_3$. The effects of substrate bias on the electrical properties and film structure were studied. Films deposited with positive bias have been annealed at $600^{\circ}C$ using rapid thermal anneal (RTA) process. The effects of RTA on the evolution of film microstructure are to be also studied using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Positive bias sputtering may induce lattice defects caused by electron bombardments during deposition. The as-deposited film microstructure evolves from the film with high defect density to more stable film condition. The electrical properties of the films after RTA process were also studied and the results were correlated with the evolution of film microstructures.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2004.04b
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• pp.9-12
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• 2004

This paper investigated the stability of Ta-Mo alloy on thin gate dielectric. Ta-Mo alloy was deposited by using co-sputtering process after thermal growing of 3.4nm and 4.2nm silicon dioxide. When the sputtering power of Ta and Mo were 100W and 70W, respectively, the suitable work function for NMOS gate electrode, 4.2eV, could obtain. To prove interface thermal stability of thin film gate dielectric and Ta-Mo alloy, rapid thermal annealing was performed at $600^{\circ}C$ and $700^{\circ}C$ for 10sec in Ar ambient. The results of interface reaction were surveyed by change of silicon dioxide thickness and work function after annealing process. Also, the reliability of alloy gate and gate dielectric could be confirmed by quantity of leakage current. Ta-Mo alloy was showed low sheet resistance and thermal stability, namely, little change of gate dielectric and work function, after $700^{\circ}C$ annealing process.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2010.05a
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• pp.58.1-58.1
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• 2010

We have developed a novel crystallization process, where the crystallization temperature is lowered compared to the conventional RTA process and the metal contamination is lowered compared to the conventional VIC process. A very-thin a-Si film was deposited and crystallized at $550^{\circ}C$ for 3 h by the VIC process and then a thick a-Si film was deposited and crystallized by the RTA process at $680^{\circ}C$ for 5 min using the VIC poly-Si layer as a crystallization seed layer. The RTA crystallized temperature could be lowered up to $50^{\circ}C$, compared to RTA process alone. The poly-Si film appeared a needle-like growth front and relatively well-arranged (111) orientation. In addition, the Ni concentration in the poly-Si film was lowered to $3{\times}10^{17}\;cm^{-3}$ and that at the poly-Si/$SiO_2$ interface was lowered to $5{\times}10^{19}\;cm^{-3}$. The reduction in metal contamination could be greatly helpful to achieve a low leakage current in poly-Si TFT, which is the critical parameter for commercialization of AMOLED.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2006.06a
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• pp.10-11
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• 2006

In this study, the Ni/Co/TiN (6/2/25 nm) structure was deposited for thermal stability estimation. Vacuum (30 mTorrs) annealing was carried out to compare with furnace annealing in nitrogen ambient. The proposed Ni/Co/TiN structure exhibited low temperature silicidation and wide range of rapid thermal process (RTP) windows. The sheet resistance was too high to measure after furnace annealing at $600^{\circ}C$ due to the thin thickness (15 nm) of the nickel silicide. However, the sheet resistance maintained stable characteristics up to $600^{\circ}C$ for 30 min after vacuum annealing. Therefore, the low resistance of thin film nickel silicide was obtained by vacuum annealing at $600^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2016

The conduction behavior and electron concentration change in a-IGZO thin-films according to the RTA (rapid thermal annealing) were studied. The electrical characteristics of TFTs (thin-film-transistors) annealed by different temperatures were measured. The sheet resistance, electron concentration, and oxygen vacancy of a-IGZO film were measured by the four-point-probe-measurement, hall-effect-measurement, and XPS analysis. The RTA process increased the driving current of IGZO TFTs but the VTH shifted to the negative direction at the same time. When the RTA temperature is higher than $250^{\circ}C$, the leakage current at off-state increased significantly. This is attributed to the increase of oxygen vacancy resulting in the increase of electron concentration. We demonstrate that the RTA is a promising process to adjust the VTH of TFT because the RTA process can easily modify the electron concentration and control the conductivity of IGZO film with short process time.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.665-670
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• 2020

Buffer layer in CIGS thin-film solar cells improves energy conversion efficiency through band alignment between the absorption layer and the window layer. ZnS is a non-toxic II-VI compound semiconductor with direct-transition band gaps and n-conductivity as well as with excellent lattice matching for CIGS absorbent layers. In this study, the structural and optical properties of ZnS thin films, deposited by RF magnetron sputtering method and subsequently performed by the rapid thermal annealing treatment, were investigated for the buffer layer. The zincblende cubic structures along (111), (220), and (311) were shown in all specimens. The rapid thermal annealed specimens at the relatively low temperatures were polycrystalline structure with the wurtzite hexagonal structures along (002). Rapid thermal annealing at high temperatures changed the polycrystalline structure to the single crystal of the zincblende cubic structures. Through the chemical analysis, the zincblende cubic structure was obtained in the specimen with the ratio of Zn/S near stoichiometry. ZnS thin film showed the shifted absorption edge towards the lower wavelength as annealing temperature increased, and the mean optical transmittance in the visible light range increased to 80.40% under 500℃ conditions.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.233-240
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• 2021

For the production of neodymium-doped zinc sulfide thin films in various amounts, zinc sulfide and neodymium were simultaneously deposited using an RF magnetron sputtering equipment to form a thin films, and rapid thermal annealing was performed at 400℃ for 30 minutes as a post-treatment process. The structure, shape, and optical properties of ZnS thin films having various neodymium doping contents (0.35at.%, 1.31at.%, 1.82at.% and 1.90at.%) were studied. The X-ray diffraction pattern was grown to a (111) cubic structure in all thin films. The surface and structural morphology of the thin films due to the neodymium doping content was explained through SEM and AFM images. Only elements of Zn, S, and Nd that do not contain other impurities were identified through EDAX. The transmittance and band gap of the prepared thin films were confirmed using the UV-vis spectrum.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.415-418
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• 2015

In this paper, $TiO_2$ based thin-film transistors (TFTs) were fabricated using by an atomic layer deposition with high aspect ratio and excellent step coverage. $TiO_2$ semiconducting layer was deposited showing a rutile phase through the rapid thermal annealing process, and exhibited TFT characteristics with a $200{\mu}m$ channel length of low-leakage currents (none of current flow during off-state), stable threshold voltages (-10 V ~ 0 V), and a much higher on/off current ratio (<$10^5$), respectively.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.94-99
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• 2017

Dinickel-silicide $(Ni_2Si)/glass$ was employed as a counter electrode for a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) device. $Ni_2Si$ was formed by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at $700^{\circ}C$ for 15 seconds of a 50 nm-Ni/50 nm-Si/glass structure. For comparison, $Ni_2Si$ on quartz was also prepared through conventional electric furnace annealing (CEA) at $800^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes. XRD, XPS, and EDS line scanning of TEM were used to confirm the formation of $Ni_2Si$. TEM and CV were employed to confirm the microstructure and catalytic activity. Photovoltaic properties were examined using a solar simulator and potentiostat. XRD, XPS, and EDS line scanning results showed that both CEA and RTA successfully led to tne formation of nano $thick-Ni_2Si$ phase. The catalytic activity of $CEA-Ni_2Si$ and $RTA-Ni_2Si$ with respect to Pt were 68 % and 56 %. Energy conversion efficiencies (ECEs) of DSSCs with $CEA-Ni_2Si$ and $RTA-Ni_2Si$catalysts were 3.66 % and 3.16 %, respectively. Our results imply that nano-thick $Ni_2Si$ may be used to replace Pt as a reduction catalytic layer for a DSSCs. Moreover, we show that nano-thick $Ni_2Si$ can be made available on a low-cost glass substrate via the RTA process.