• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.657-657
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• 2013

In-situ observations of nano-scale behavior of nanomaterials are very important to understand onthe nano-scale phenomena associated with phase change, atomic movement, electrical or optical properties, and even reactions which take place in gas or liquid phases. We have developed on the in-situ experimental technologies of nano-materials (nano-cluster, nanowire, carbon nanotube, and graphene, et al.) and their interactions (percolation of metal nanoclusters, inter-diffusion, metal contacts and phase changes in nanowire devices, formation of solid nano-pores, melting behavior of isolated nano-metal in a nano-cup, et al.) by nano-discovery membrane platform [1-4]. Between two microelectrodes on a silicon nitride membrane platform, electrical percolations of metal nano-clusters are observed with nano-structures of deposited clusters. Their in-situ monitoring can make percolation devices of different conductance, nanoclusters based memory devices, and surface plasmonic enhancement devices, et al. As basic evidence on the phase change memory, phase change behaviors of nanowire devices are observed at a nano-scale.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.1435-1440
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• 2013

To investigate the influence of the carbon matrix on the electrochemical performance of Si/C composites, four types of Si/C composites were prepared using graphite, petroleum coke, pitch and sucrose as carbon precursors. A ball mill was used to prepare Si/C blends from graphite and petroleum coke, whereas a dispersion technique was used to fabricate Si/C composites where Si was embedded in disordered carbon matrix derived from pitch or sucrose. The Si/pitch-based carbon composite showed superior Si utilization (96% in the first cycle) and excellent cycle retention (70% after 40 cycles), which was attributed to the effective encapsulation of Si and the buffering effect of the surrounding carbon matrix on the silicon particles.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.246-249
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• 2013

Nano-sized ${\beta}$-SiC nanoparticles were synthesized combined with a sol-gel process and a carbothermal process. TEOS and carbon black were used as starting materials for the silicon source and carbon source, respectively. $SiO_2$ nanoparticles were synthesized using a sol-gel technique (Stober process) combined with hydrolysis and condensation. The size of the particles could be controlled by manipulating the relative rates of the hydrolysis and condensation reactions of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) within the micro-emulsion. The average particle size and morphology of synthesized silicon dioxide was about 100nm and spherical, respectively. The average particles size and morphology of the used carbon black powders was about 20nm and spherical, respectively. The molar ratio of silicon dioxide and carbon black was fixed to 1:3 in the preparation of each combination. $SiO_2$ and carbon black powders were mixed in ethanol and ball-milled for 12 h. After mixing, the slurries were dried at $80^{\circ}C$ in an oven. The dried powder mixtures were placed in alumina crucibles and synthesized in a tube furnace at $1400{\sim}1500^{\circ}C$ for 4 h with a heating rate of $10^{\circ}C$/min under flowing Ar gas (160 cc/min) and furnace cooling down to room temperature. SiC nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, TEM, and SAED. The XRD results showed that high purity beta silicon carbide with excellent crystallinity was synthesized. TEM revealed that the powders are spherical shape nanoparticles with diameters ranging from 15 to 30 nm with a narrow distribution.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.104-109
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• 2021

Tactile sensors and integrated circuits that detect external stimuli have been developed for use in various industries. Most tactile sensors have been developed using the MEMS(micro electro-mechanical systems) process in which metal electrodes and strain sensors are applied to a silicon substrate. However, tactile sensors made of highly brittle silicon lack flexibility and are prone to damage by external forces. Flexible tactile sensors based on polydimethylsiloxane and using a multi-walled carbon nano-tube mixture as a pressure-sensitive material are currently being developed as an alternative to overcome these limitations. In this study, a manufacturing process of pressure-sensitive materials with low initial electrical resistance is developed and applied to the fabrication of flexible tactile sensors. In addition, flexible tactile sensors are developed with pressure-sensitive materials dispensed on a substrate with flexible mechanical properties. Finally, a study is conducted on the change in electrical resistance of pressure-sensitive materials according to the modulus of elasticity of the substrate.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.321-328
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• 2011

The 30 nm-thick Ni layers was deposited on a flexible polyimide substrate with an e-beam evaporation. Subsequently, we deposited a Si layer using a catalytic CVD (Cat-CVD) in a hydride amorphous silicon (${\alpha}$-Si:H) process of $T_{s}=180^{\circ}C$ with varying thicknesses of 55, 75, 145, and 220 nm. The sheet resistance, phase, degree of the crystallization, microstructure, composition, and surface roughness were measured by a four-point probe, HRXRD, micro-Raman spectroscopy, FE-SEM, TEM, AES, and SPM. We confirmed that our newly proposed Cat-CVD process simultaneously formed both NiSi and crystallized Si without additional annealing. The NiSi showed low sheet resistance of < $13{\Omega}$□, while carbon (C) diffused from the substrate led the resistance fluctuation with silicon deposition thickness. HRXRD and micro-Raman analysis also supported the existence of NiSi and crystallized (>66%) Si layers. TEM analysis showed uniform NiSi and silicon layers, and the thickness of the NiSi increased as Si deposition time increased. Based on the AES depth profiling, we confirmed that the carbon from the polyimide substrate diffused into the NiSi and Si layers during the Cat-CVD, which caused a pile-up of C at the interface. This carbon diffusion might lessen NiSi formation and increase the resistance of the NiSi.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.415-419
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• 2003

Carbon nanotubes were formed on silicon substrate using microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method. The possibility of carbon nanotubes formation was related to the thickness of nickel catalyst. The growth behavior of carbon nanotubes under the identical thickness of nickel catalyst was strongly dependent on the magnitude of the applied bias voltage. High negative bias voltage (-400 V) gave the vertically well-aligned carbon nanotubes. The vertically well-aligned carbon nanotubes have the multi-walled structure with nickel catalyst at the end position of the nanotubes.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.374-380
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• 2011

Carbon coils could be synthesized on nickel catalyst layer-deposited silicon oxide substrate using $C_2H_2$ and $H_2$ as source gases and $SF_6$ as an additive gas under thermal chemical vapor deposition system. The characteristics (formation density and morphology) of as-grown carbon coils according to the injection stage of $SF_6$ gas incorporation were investigated. A continuous injecting of $SF_6$ gas flow could give rise to many types of carbon coils-related geometries, namely linear tub, micro-sized coil, nano-sized coil, and wave-like nano-sized coil. However, the limitation of the geometry as the nano-sized geometries of carbon coils could be achieved by the incorporation of $SF_6$ in a short time (1 min) during the initial deposition stage. A delayed injection of a short time $SF_6$ gas flow can deteriorate the limitation of the geometries. It confirms that the injection time and its starting point of $SF_6$ gas flow would be very important to determine the geometries of carbon coils.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.32-35
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• 2008

Thermally stable diffusion barrier of tungsten carbon nitride(W-C-N) and of tungsten boron carbon nitride(W-B-C-N) thin films have studied to investigate the impurity behaviors of boron and nitrogen. In this paper we newly deposited tungsten boron carbon nitride(W-B-C-N) thin film for various $W_2B$ target power on silicon substrate. The impurities of the 100nm-thick W-C-N and W-B-C-N thin films provide stuffing effect for preventing the inter-diffusion between W-C-N or W-B-C-N thin films and silicon during the high temperature($700^{\circ}C{\sim}1000^{\circ}C$) annealing process.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.18-22
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• 2000

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the effect of nano-contact condition on the nano-adhesion phenomena. SPM(scanning probe microscope) tips with different radius of curvature were fabricated by a series of masking and etching processes. DLC(diamond-like carbon) and W-DLC (tungsten-incorporated diamond-like carbon) were coated on (100) silicon wafer by PACVD(plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition). Pull-off forces of Pure Si-wafer, DLC and W-DLC were measured with SPM(scanning probe microscope). Also, the same series of tests were carried out with the tips with different radius of curvature. Results showed that DLC and W-DLC showed much lower pull-off force than Si-wafer and Pull-off force increased with the tip radius.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.23-56
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• 2014

The significant growth of the Si photovoltaic industry has been so far limited due to the high cost of the Si photovoltaic system. In this regard, the most expensive factors are the intrinsic cost of silicon material and the Si solar cell fabrication processes. Conventional Si solar cells have p-n junctions inside for an efficient extraction of light-generated charge carriers. However, the p-n junction is normally formed through very expensive processes requiring very high temperature (${\sim}1000^{\circ}C$). Therefore, several systems are currently under study to form heterojunctions at low temperatures. Among them, carbon nanotube (CNT)/Si hybrid solar cells are very promising, with power conversion efficiency up to 15%. In these cells, the p-type Si layer is replaced by a semitransparent CNT film deposited at room temperature on the n-doped Si wafer, thus giving rise to an overall reduction of the total Si thickness and to the fabrication of a device with cheaper methods at low temperatures. In particular, the CNT film coating the Si wafer acts as a conductive electrode for charge carrier collection and establishes a built-in voltage for separating photocarriers. Moreover, due to the CNT film optical semitransparency, most of the incoming light is absorbed in Si; thus the efficiency of the CNT/Si device is in principle comparable to that of a conventional Si one. In this paper an overview of several factors at the basis of this device operation and of the suggested improvements to its architecture is given. In addition, still open physical/technological issues are also addressed.