• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.382-382
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• 2012

CIGS thin films have received great attention as a promising material for solar cells due to their high absorption coefficient, appropriate bandgap, long-term stability, and low cost production. CIGS thin films are deposited by various methods such as co-evaporation, sputtering, spray pyrolysis and electro-deposition. The deposition technique is one of the most important processes in preparing CIGS thin film solar cells. Among these methods, co-evaporation is one of the best technique for obtaining high quality and stoichiometric CIGS films. However, co-evaporation method is known to be unsuitable for commercialization. The sputtering is known to be very effective and feasible process for mass production. In this study, CIGS thin films have prepared by rf magnetron sputtering using a $Cu(In_{1-x}Ga_x)Se_2$ single quaternary target without post deposition selenization. This process has been examined by the effects of deposition parameters on the structural and compositional properties of the films. In addition, we will explore the influences of substrate temperature and additional annealing treatment after deposition on the characteristics of CIGS thin films. The thickness of CIGS films will be measured by Tencor-P1 profiler. The crystalline properties and surface morphology of the films will be analyzed using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The optical properties of the films will be determined by UV-Visible spectroscopy. Electrical properties of the films will be measured using van der Pauw geometry and Hall effect measurement at room temperature using indium ohmic contacts.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.186-190
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• 2014

To establish the coating conditions for $^{57}Co$, non-radioactive Co ions are dissolved in an acid solution and electroplated on to a copper plate. Then, the thermal diffusion of electroplated Co into a copper matrix was studied to apply a $^{57}Co$ $M{\ddot{o}}ssbauer$ source. Nanocrystalline Co particles were coated on a Cu substrate using DC electro-deposition at a pH of 1.89 to 5 and $20{\sim}30mA/cm^2$. The average grain size was up to 54 nm as the pH increased to 5. The second phase of Co-oxide was formatted as the pH was increased above 4. The diffusion degree was evaluated by mapping using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The influence of different annealing conditions was investigated. The diffusion depth of Co depends on the annealing temperature and time. The results obtained confirm that the deposited Co diffused almost completely into a copper matrix without substantial loss at an annealing temperature of $900^{\circ}C$ for 2 hours.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.43-52
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• 2017

In this paper, for the first time, the electroanalytical study of Triethylenediamine, TEDA was done on a typically graphene modified carbon paste electrode (Gr/CPE) in pH=10.5 of phosphate buffer solutions (PBS). The surface morphology of the bare and modified electrodes was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The electro-oxidation of TEDA was investigated at the surface of modified electrode. The results revealed that the oxidation peak current of TEDA at the surface of Gr/CPE is 2.70 times than that shown at bare-CPE. A linear calibration plot was observed in the range of 1.0 to 202.0 ppm. In this way, the detection limit was found to be 0.18 ppm. The method was then successfully applied to determination of TEDA in aqueous samples obtained from two kinds of activated carbon from the masks of war. On the other hand, density functional theory (DFT) method at B3LYP/6-311++G** level of theory and a conductor-like Polarizable Continuum Model (CPCM) was used to calculate the $pK_a$ values of TEDA. The energies of lowest unoccupied molecular orbital ($E_{LUMO}$) and highest occupied molecular orbital ($E_{HOMO}$), gap energy (${\Delta}E$) and some thermodynamic parameters such as Gibbs free energy of TEDA and its conjugate acid ($HT^+$) were calculated. The results of calculated $pK_a$ were found to be in good agreement with the experimental values.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.411-418
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• 2011

The current study investigates the electroplating characteristics of Sn-Cu eutectic micro-bumps electroplated on a Si chip for flip chip application. Under bump metallization (UBM) layers consisting of Cr, Cu, Ni and Au sequentially from bottom to top with the aim of achieving Sn-Cu bumps $10\times10\times6$ ${\mu}m$ in size, with 20${\mu}m$ pitch. In order to determine optimal plating parameters, the polarization curve, current density and plating time were analyzed. Experimental results showed the equilibrium potential from the Sn-Cu polarization curve is -0.465 V, which is attained when Sn-Cu electro-deposition occurred. The thickness of the electroplated bumps increased with rising current density and plating time up to 20 mA/$cm^2$ and 30 min respectively. The near eutectic composition of the Sn-0.72wt%Cu bump was obtained by plating at 10 mA/$cm^2$ for 20 min, and the bump size at these conditions was $10\times10\times6$ ${\mu}m$. The shear strength of the eutectic Sn-Cu bump was 9.0 gf when the shearing tip height was 50% of the bump height.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.179-187
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• 2023

Nanogenerators containing biomaterials are eco-friendly electronic devices in terms of being a non-polluting energy source and biodegradable electronic waste. In particular, the amount of waste will be also reduced if the biomaterial can be extracted from biowaste. In this study, a triboelectric nanogenerator was fabricated using animal collagen present in the skin of a mammal and its characteristion was proformed. The electro-anodic layer of the triboelectric nanogenerator was constructed by forming a collagen film using the spin coating method, and it was confirmed that the film was porous from scanning electron microscopy. The fabricated triboelectric nanogenerator exhibited an open-circuit voltage from 7 V at 3 Hz to 15 V at 5 Hz due to periodic mechanical movement, and a short-circuit current of 3.8 uA at 5 Hz. In conclusion, collagen-containing triboelectric nanogenerators can be power source for low-power operating devices such as sensors and are also expected to be useful for reducing electronic waste.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.875-884
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• 2023

Hydrogen infiltration into metals has been reported to induce alterations in their mechanical properties under load. In this study, we conducted CTOD (Crack Tip Opening Displacement) tests on steel specimens designed for use in liquid hydrogen storage systems. Electrochemical hydrogen charging was performed using both FCC series austenitic stainless steel and BCC series structural steel specimens, while CTOD testing was carried out using a 500kN-class material testing machine. Results indicate a notable divergence in behavior: SS400 test samples exhibited a higher susceptibility to failure compared to austenitic stainless steel counterparts, whereas SUS 316L test samples displayed minimal changes in displacement and maximum load due to hydrogen charging. However, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) analysis results presented challenges in clearly explaining the mechanical degradation phenomenon in the tested materials. This study's resultant database holds significant promise for enhancing the safety design of liquid hydrogen storage systems, providing invaluable insights into the performance of various steel alloys under the influence of hydrogen embrittlement.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.155-165
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• 2024

A hybrid thin film was prepared by doping reduced graphene oxide (rGO) into a sol-gel solution mixed with aluminum, titanium, and strontium using a brush coating method. The annealing temperature was carried out at 160, 260, and 360℃, and the difference in oxidation reaction was observed. The sol-gel solution created during the membrane manufacturing process generates a contractile force due to the shear stress of the brush bristles, forming a microgroove structure. This structure was confirmed through scanning electron microscopy analysis, and the presence of rGO was clearly revealed. As the annealing temperature increases, the oxidation and reduction reactions on the thin film surface become more active, so the intensity of the surface mixture increases. Moreover, the electro-optical properties were stabilized and improved by increasing the intensity of the mixtures. Likewise, the voltage-capacitance values are also significantly improved. Lastly, the transmittance measurement showed that it was suitable for liquid crystal display application.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.35-39
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• 2011

In this work, mesoporous carbons (CMK-3) were prepared by a conventional templating method using mesoporous silica (SBA-15) for using catalyst supports in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The CMK-3 were chemically activated to obtain high surface area and small pore diameter with different potassium hydroxide (KOH) amounts, i.e., 0, 1, 3, and 4 g as an activating agent. And then Pt-Ru was deposited onto activated CMK-3 (K-CMK-3) by a chemical reduction method. The characteristics of Pt-Ru catalysts deposited onto K-CMK-3 were determined by surface area and pore size analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and inductive coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The electrochemical properties of Pt-Ru/K-CMK-3 catalysts were also analyzed by cyclic voltammetry (CV). From the results, the K3g-CMK-3 carbon supports activated with 3 g KOH showed the highest specific surface areas. In addition, the K3g-CMK-3 led to uniform dispersion of Pt-Ru onto K-CMK-3, resulted in the enhancement of elelctro-catalystic activity of Pt-Ru catalysts.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.67-72
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• 2008

We have studied the effect of heat treatment of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) as a counter electrode on the electro-chemical properties of dye-snsitized solar cells. MWNTs on the p-type Si substrate were synthesized by thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using Fe catalysts. We prepared the two types of MWNTs samples with the different diameters. The rapid thermal annealing (RTA) treatment for the MWNTs was carried out at the growth temperature ($900^{\circ}C$) for 1 minute with $N_2$ gas atmosphere. The structural, electrical and electrochemical properties of MWNTs were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Raman spectroscopy, 2-point probe station and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The I(D)/I(G) ratio of heat-treated MWNTs in Raman spectra was considerably decreased. It was also found that the heat-treated MWNTs showed better redox reaction of iodide at the interface between MWNTs surface and electrolyte than that of as-grown MWNTs. The redox resistance value of heat-treated electrodes was measured to be much lower than that of as-grown electrode at the interface. As a result, the counter electrode using the heat-treated MWNTs showed better electrochemical properties.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.39-47
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• 2014

The peculiar feature of cathodic protection in seawater has the capability to form mineral calcareous deposits such as magnesium and calcium on metal surfaces. It is assumed that $OH^-$ ions are generated close to the metal surface as a result of cathodic protection and generated $OH^-$ ions increases the pH of the metal/seawater interface outlined as the following formulae. (1) $O_2+2H_2O+4e{\rightarrow}4OH^-$, or (2) $2H_2O+2e{\rightarrow}H_2+2OH^-$. And high pH causes precipitation of $Mg(OH)_2$ and $CaCO_3$ in accordance with the following formulae. (1) $Mg^{2+}+2OH^-{\rightarrow}Mg(OH)_2$, (2) $Ca^{2+}+CO{_3}^{2-}{\rightarrow}CaCO_3$. The focus of this study was to increase the amount of $CO{_3}^{2-}$ with the injection of $CO_2$ gas to the solution for accelerating process of the following formulae. (1) $H_2O+CO_2{\rightarrow}H_2CO_3$, (2) $HCO^{3-}{\rightarrow}{H^+}+CO{_3}^{2-}$. Electrodeposit films were formed by an electro-deposition technique on steel substrates in solutions of both natural seawater and natural seawater dissolved $CO_2$ gas with different current densities, over different time periods. The contents of films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD). The adhesion and corrosion resistance of the coating films were evaluated by anodic polarization. From an experimental result, only $CaCO_3$ were found in solution where injected $CO_2$ gas regardless of current density. In case of injecting the $CO_2$ gas, weight gain of electrodeposits films hugely increased and it had appropriate physical properties.