• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.263-267
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• 2007

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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• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics A
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• v.30A no.8
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• pp.34-41
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• 1993

Effect of high temperature annealing conditions on Ta$_{2}O_{5}$ thin films was investigated. Ta$_{2}O_{5}$ thin films were deposited on P-type silicon substrates by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using tantalum ethylate. Ta(C$_{2}H_{5}O)_{5}$, and nitrous oxide. N$_{2}$O. The microstructure changed from amorphous to polycrystalline above 700.deg. C annealing temperature. The refractive index, dielectric onstant and leakage current of the film increased as annealing temperature increased. However, annealing in oxygen ambient reduced leakage currents and dielectric constant due to the formation of interfacial SiO$_{2}$ layer. By optimizing annealing temperature and ambient, leakage current lower than 10$^{-8}$ A/cm$^{2}$ and maximum capacitance of 9 fF/${\mu}m^{2}$ could be obtained.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.554-559
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• 2005

Ni/Cr thin film is very interesting material as thin film resistors, filaments, and humidity sensors because their relatively large resistivity, more resistant to oxidation and a low temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR). These interesting properties of Ni/Cr thin films are dependent upon the preparation conditions including the deposition environment and subsequent annealing treatments. Ni/Cr thin films of 250 nm were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering on $Al_2O_3/Si$ substrate with 2-inch Ni/Cr (80/20) alloy target at room temperature for 45 minutes. Annealing treatments were performed at $400^{\circ}C,\;500^{\circ}C,\;and\;600^{\circ}C$ for 6 hours in air or $H_2$ ambient, respectively. The clear crystal boundaries without crystal growth and the densification were accomplished when the pores were disappeared in air ambient. Most of surface was oxidic including NiO, $Ni_2O_3$ and $Cr_xO_y$(x=1,2, y=2,3) after annealing in air ambient. The crystal growth in $H_2$ ambient was formed and stabilized by combination with each other due to the suppression of oxidized substance on film surface. Most oxidic Ni was restored when the oxidic Cr was present due to its stability in high-temperature $H_2$ ambient.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.61-62
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• 2005

The present article deals with in situ post annealing of ZnO in sputtering system. The ZnO thin films were grown at low temperature of $100^{\circ}C$ and at working pressure of 15 mTorr with RF magnetron sputtering. Having been gown, ZnO thin films were annealed in situ at different temperatures, at annealing ambient pressure of 15 mTorr and in ambients of oxygen and argon respectively. Through analyses of XRDs, it is can be concluded that the crystallinity of annealed ZnO thin films becomes much better than that of as-grown ZnO thin film.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.103-108
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• 2005

ZnO thin films on (001) sapphire substrates have been deposited by pulsed laser deposition(PLD) technique using an Nd:YAG laser with a wavelength of 266nm. Before post-annealing treatment in the oxygen ambient, the experiment of the deposition of ZnO thin films has been performed for substrate temperatures in the range of $300\~450^{\circ}C$ and oxygen gas flow rate of $100\~700\;sccm$. In order to investigate the effect of post-annealing treatment of ZnO thin films, films have been annealed at various temperatures after deposition. After post-annealing treatment in the oxygen ambient, the structural properties of ZnO thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and the optical properties of the ZnO were characterized by photoluminescence(PL).

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
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• v.48 no.7
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• pp.525-529
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• 1999

The influence of ambient gases on field emission performance of Mo-field emitter array(FEA) in the frit-sealing step of field emission display(FED) packaging process was investigated. Mo-tip FEA was mounted on the glass substrate having a surrounded frit(Ferro FX11-137) and fired at $415^{\circ}C$ in the ambient gases of air, $N_2$ and Ar. The Ar gas was proved to be most proper ambient among the used gases through evaluating the turn-on voltage and field emission current of the fired Mo-tip FEA devices. It was confirmed that the Mo surface fired in Ar ambient was less oxidized when compared with another ones annealed in air and Ar ambient by the AFM, XPS, AES and SIMS analysis. Finally, the 3.5 inch-sized Mo-tip FED, which was packaged using frit-sealing process in the Ar ambient, was proposed.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.127-130
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• 2011

We investigated the effects of $O_2$ annealing (i.e., temperature and time) on the characteristics of hafnium silicate ($HfSi_xO_y$) films deposited on a Si substrate by atomic layer deposition process (ALD). We found that the post deposition annealing under oxidizing ambient causes the oxidation of residual Hf metal components, resulting in the improvement of electrical characteristics (e.g., hysteresis window and leakage current are decreased). In addition, we observed the annealing temperature is more important than the annealing time for post deposition annealing. Based on these observations, we suggest that post deposition annealing under oxidizing ambient is necessary to improve the electrical characteristics of $HfSi_xO_y$ films deposited by ALD. However, the annealing temperature has to be carefully controlled to minimize the regrowth of interfacial oxide, which degrades the value of equivalent oxide thickness.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.206-212
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• 1997

The reflow characteristics of copper, which is expected to be used as interconnection materials in the next generation semiconductor devices, were investigated. Copper films were deposited on hole and trench patterns by metal organic chemical vapor deposition and annealed in nitrogen and oxygen ambient with the annealing temperatures ranging from $350^{\circ}C$ to $550^{\circ}C$. Copper films were not reflowed into the patterns upon the annealing in nitrogen ambient, but reflowed at the annealing temperature higher than $450^{\circ}C$ in oxygen ambient. It is considered that the reflow takes place as the heat generated by the oxidation of copper liquefies the copper film partly and the liquid copper fills the patterns for minimizing the surface energy and the potential energy. Upon the annealing in oxygen ambient, the copper oxide whose thickness was less than 300$\AA$ formed at the surface of an agglomerate and the resistivity of copper film increased drastically at an annealing temperature of $550^{\circ}C$ due to the copper agglomeration.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.93-96
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• 2009

The Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films were deposited on a glass substrate by RF magnetron sputtering in pure Ar and $Ar+H_2$ gas ambient at temperature of $100^{\circ}C$ and annealed in hydrogen ambient at the temperature range from 100 to 300 $^{\circ}C$, respectively. It was found that either the addition of hydrogen to the sputtering gas or the annealing treatment effectively reduced the resistivity of the AZO films. When the AZO films were annealed at the temperature of 300 $^{\circ}C$ for lhr in a hydrogen atmosphere, the resistivity decreased from $2.60{\times}10^{-3}\;{\Omega}cm$ to $8.42{\times}l0^{-4}\;{\Omega}cm$ for the film deposited in pure Ar gas ambient. Under the same annealing conditions of temperature and hydrogen ambient, the resistivity of AZO films deposited in the $Ar+H_2$ gas mixture decreased from $8.22{\times}l0^{-4}\;{\Omega}cm$ to $4.25{\times}l0^{-4}\;{\Omega}cm$. The lowest resistivity of $4.25{\times}l0^{-4}\;{\Omega}cm$ was obtained by adding hydrogen gas to the deposition and annealing process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of all films showed preferable growth orientation of (002) plane. The average transmittance is above 85 % and in the range of 400-1000 nm for all films.