• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.632-636
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• 2009

The local oxidation using an atomic force microscopy (AFM) is useful for Si-based fabrication of nanoscale structures and devices. SiC is a wide band-gap material that has advantages such as high-power, high-temperature and high-frequency in applications, and among several SiC polytypes, 4H-SiC is the most attractive polytype due to the high electron mobility. However, the AFM local oxidation of 4H-SiC for fabrication is still difficult, mainly due to the physical hardness and chemical inactivity of SiC. In this paper, we investigated the local oxidation of 4H-SiC surface using an AFM. We fabricated oxide patterns using a contact mode AFM with a Pt/Ir-coated Si tip (N-type, 0.01-0.025 ${\Omega}cm$) at room temperature, and the relative humidity ranged from 40 to 50 %. The height of the fabricated oxide pattern (1-3 nm) on SiC is similar to that of typically obtained on Si ($10^{15}^{\sim}10^{17}$ $cm^{-3}$). We perform the 2-D simulation to further analyze the electric field between the tip and the surface. We demonstrated that a specific electric field (4 ${\times}$ $10^7\;V/m$) and a doping concentration ($^{\sim}10^{17}$ $cm^{-3}$) is sufficient to switch on/off the growth of the local oxide on SiC.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 2000.06b
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• pp.107-110
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• 2000

In this experiment, we fabricated pyramid-type silicon tunneling devices in which a tunneling current flow between a micro-tip and Si$_3$N$_4$ thin film membrane. A MEMS process was used for the fabrication of the tunneling devices. The micro-tips were formed on Si wafers by undercutting a differently oriented square of SiO$_2$ with KOH. The stiffness of the Si$_3$N$_4$ films were observed and the model for the stiffness calculation, which is useful in predicting the stiffness even when the stiffness ranges beyond the scope of the normal experimental condition, was suggested.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.167-173
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• 2004

Recently, it has been reported that frictional behavior at nanometer scale can be different from that at macro scale. In this article, friction and wear tests were conducted using an AFM to investigate the effect of real contact area on the coefficient of friction and wear property. SiO$_2$, Hica, and SiGe were used in friction test and the AFM tip was Si$_3$N$_4$. The real contact area between an AFM tip and flat surface was calculated by the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) theory. Wear specimen was Mica, and the diamond tip was used. We found that the coefficient of friction is constant below a critical area, but it is degraded over the area. Moreover, it is found that wear depth increased rapidly from a certain load and was degraded as a function of the number of the scanning cycles. Also, the range of scanning velocity used in this study had little effect on the wear depth.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.218-223
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• 2014

This paper presents a method of controlling the stiffness of a tungsten probe for an atomic force microscope (AFM) in order to provide high-quality phase contrast images in accordance with sample characteristics. While inducing sufficient deformation on sample surfaces with commercial Si or $Si_3N_4$ probes is difficult because of their low stiffness, a tungsten probe fabricated by electrochemical etching with appropriately high stiffness can generate relatively large elastic deformation without damaging sample surfaces. The fabrication of the tungsten probe involves two separate procedures. The first procedure involves immersing a tungsten wire with both ends bent parallel to the surface of an electrolyte and controlling the stiffness of the tungsten cantilever by decreasing its diameter using electrochemical etching in the direction of the central axis. The second procedure involves immersing the end of the etched tungsten cantilever in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the electrolyte and fabricating a tungsten tip with a tip radius of 20-50 nm via the necking phenomenon. The latter etching process applies pulse waves every 0.25 seconds to the manufactured tip to improve its yield. Finite element analysis (FEA) of the stiffness of the tungsten probe as a function of its diameter showed that the stiffness of the tungsten probes greatly varies from 56 N/m to 3501 N/m according to the cantilever diameters from $30{\mu}m$ to $100{\mu}m$, respectively. Thus, the proposed etching method is effective for producing a tungsten probe having specific stiffness for optimal use with an AFM and certain samples.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.276-282
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• 2001

Nano adhesion between SPM (scanning probe microscope) tips and 075 (octadecyltrichlorosilane) SAM (self-assembled monolayer) was experimentally studied. Tests were performed to measure the nano adhesion and friction in both AFM(atomic force microscope) and LFM(lateral force microscope) modes in various conditions of relative humidity. OTS SAM was formed on Si-wafer (100) surfaces, and Si$_3$N$_4$ tips of different radius of curvature were used. When the surface was hydrophobic, the adhesion and friction forces were found lower than those of bare Si-wafer. Results also showed that micro-adhesion force increased as the relative humidity and the tip radius of curvature increased. The main parameter for affecting the micro-adhesion was found absorbed humidity on the contact surface. These results were discussed with the JKR model and a capillary force caused by absorbed water.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.4-8
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• 2002

The typical mold method for FED (field emission display) fabrication is used to form a gate electrode, a gate oxide layer, and emitter tip after fabrication of a mold shape using wet-etching of Si substrate. However, in this study, new mold method using a side wall space structure was developed to make sharp emitter tips with the gate electrode. In new method, gate oxide layer and gate electrode layer were deposited on a Si wafer by LPCVD (low pressure chemical vapor deposition), and then BPSG (Boro phosphor silicate glass) thin film was deposited. After then, the BPSG thin film was flowed into the mold at high temperature in order to form a sharp mold structure. TiN was deposited as an emitter tip on it. The unfinished device was bonded to a glass substrate by anodic bonding techniques. The Si wafer was etched from backside by KOH-deionized water solution. Finally, the sharp field emitter array with gate electrode on the glass substrate was formed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.127-134
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• 2001

Nano adhesion and friction between a Sj$_3$N$_4$ AFM tip and thin silver films were experimentally studied. Tests were performed to measure the nano adhesion and friction in both AFM(atomic force microscope) and LFM(lateral force microscope) modes in various ranges of normal load. Thin silver films deposited by IBAD (ion beam assisted deposition) on Si-wafer (100) and Si-wafer of different surface roughness were used. Results showed that nano adhesion and friction decreased as the surface roughness increased. When the Si surfaces were coated by pure silver, the adhesion and friction decreased. But the adhesion and friction were not affected by the thickness of IBAD silver coating. As the normal force increased, the adhesion forces of bare Si-wafer and IBAD silver coating film remained constant, but the friction forces increased linearly. Test results suggested that the friction was mainly governed by the adhesion as long as the normal load was low.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.109-115
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• 2003

Nanotribological characteristics between a Si$_3$N$_4$ AFM tip and hydrophobic thin films were experimentally studied. Tests were performed to measure the nano adhesion and friction in both AFM (atomic force microscope) and LFM (lateral force microscope) modes in various .ranges of normal load. Plasma-modified thin polymeric films were deposited on Si-wafer (100). Results showed that wetting angle of plasma-modified thin polymeric film increased with the treating time, which resulted in the hydrophobic surface and the decrease of adhesion and friction. Nanotribological characteristics of these surfaces were compared with those of other hydrophobic surfaces, such as DLC, OTS and IBAD-Ag coated surfaces. Those of OTS coated surface were superior to those of others, though wetting angle of plasma-modified thin polymeric film is higher.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2002

We have proposed and fabricated two lateral type field emission diodes, poly-Si emitter by utilizing the local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) and GaN emitter using metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process. The fabricated poly-Si diode exhibited excellent electrical characteristics such as a very low turn-on voltage of 2 V and a high emission current of $300{\;}\bu\textrm{A}/tip$ at the anode-to-cathode voltage of 25 V. These superior field emission characteristics was speculated as a result of strong surface modification inducing a quasi-negative electron affinity and the increase of emitting sites due to local sharp protrusions by an appropriate activation treatment. In respect, two kinds of procedures were proposed for the fabrication of the lateral type GaN emitter: a selective etching method with electron cyclotron resonance-reactive ion etching (ECR-RIE) or a simple selective growth by utilizing $Si_3N_4$ film as a masking layer. The fabricated device using the ECR-RIE exhibited electrical characteristics such as a turn-on voltage of 35 V for $7\bu\textrm{m}$ gap and an emission current of~580 nA/l0tips at anode-to-cathode voltage of 100 V. These new field emission characteristics of GaN tips are believed to be due to a low electron affinity as well as the shorter inter-electrode distance. Compared to lateral type GaN field emission diode using ECR-RIE, re-grown GaN emitters shows sharper shape tips and shorter inter-electrode distance.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2002

Nano adhesion and friction between a $Si_{3}N_{4}$ AFM(atomic force microscope) tip and thin silver films were experimentally studied. Tests were performed to measure the nano adhesion and friction in both AFM and LFM(lateral force microscope) modes in various range of normal loads. Thin silver films deposited by IBAD (ion beam assisted deposition) on Si-wafer (100) and other Si-wafers of different surface roughness were used. Results showed that nano adhesion and friction decreased with the surface roughness. When the Si surfaces were coated by pure silver, the adhesion and friction decreased. But the adhesion and friction were not affected by the thickness of IBAD silver coating. As the normal force increased, the adhesion forces of bare Si-wafer and IBAD silver coating film remained constant, but the friction forces increased linearly. Test results suggested that the friction was mainly governed by the adhesion as long as the load was low.