• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.6 no.7
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• pp.700-708
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• 1996

Electroless plating technique was utilized to flip chip bonding to improve surface mount characteristics. Each step of plating procedure was studied in terms pf pH, plating temperature and plating time. Al patterned 4 inch Si wafers were used as substrstes and zincate was used as an activation solution. Heat treatment was carried out for all the specimens in the temperature range from room temperature to $400^{\circ}C$ for $30^{\circ}C$ minutes in a vacuum furnace. Homogeneous distribution of Zn particles of size was obtained by the zincate treatment with pH 13 ~ 13.5, solution concentration of 15 ~ 25% at room temperature. The plating rates for both Ni-P and Au electroless plating steps increased with increasing the plating temperature and pH. The main crystallization planes of the plated Au were found to be (111) a pH 7 and (200) and (111) at pH 9 independent of the annealing temperature.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1-7
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• 2017

Cobalt silicide was used as a counter electrode in order to confirm its reliability in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) devices. 100 nm-Co/300 nm-Si/quartz was formed by an evaporator and cobalt silicide was formed by vacuum heat treatment at $700^{\circ}C$ for 60 min to form approximately 350 nm-CoSi. This process was followed by etching in $80^{\circ}C$-30% $H_2SO_4$ to remove the cobalt residue on the cobalt silicide surface. Also, for the comparison against Pt, we prepared a 100 nm-Pt/glass counter electrode. Cobalt silicide was used for the counter electrode in order to confirm its reliability in DSSC devices and maintained for 0, 168, 336, 504, 672, and 840 hours at $80^{\circ}C$. The photovoltaic properties of the DSSCs employing cobalt silicide were confirmed by using a simulator and potentiostat. Cyclic-voltammetry, field emission scanning electron microscopy, focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectrometry analyses were used to confirm the catalytic activity, microstructure, and composition, respectively. The energy conversion efficiency (ECE) as a function of time and ECE of the DSSC with Pt and CoSi counter electrodes were maintained for 504 hours. However, after 672 hours, the ECEs decreased to a half of their initial values. The results of the catalytic activity analysis showed that the catalytic activities of the Pt and CoSi counter electrodes decreased to 64% and 57% of their initial values, respectively(after 840 hours). The microstructure analysis showed that the CoSi layer improved the durability in the electrolyte, but because the stress concentrates on the contact surface between the lower quartz substrate and the CoSi layer, cracks are formed locally and flaking occurs. Thus, deterioration occurs due to the residual stress built up during the silicidation of the CoSi counter electrode, so it is necessary to take measures against these residual stresses, in order to ensure the reliability of the electrode.