• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.2 s.48
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• pp.89-98
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• 2006

The thermal conductivities of bentonite blocks with various dry densities (1.6 and $1.8g/cm^3$), water contents (5, 9.4, 15, 20 wt%) and sand contents (0, 10, 20, 30 wt%) were measured in order to investigate the improvement in physical performance of buffer as an engineered barrier. The raw material was domestic bentonite from Oksan mine located in Gyeongju city. The increase in water content was most effective for improving the thermal conductivity. Especiallly, the bentonite blocks with more than 15 wt% of water content showed more than 1.0 W/mK values of thermal conductivity regardless of their dry densities and sand contents. Therefore, if the domestic Oksan bentonite is used as a buffer material, we can suggest that the manufacture of bentonite block having dry density of $1.6g/cm^3$, sand content of $10{\sim}30$ wt% and water content of 15 wt% will be most effective considering the easiness of a manufacturing of bentonite block and the efficiency of an increase in the thermal conductivity.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.283-293
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• 2015

The buffer is a key component of the engineered barrier system in a high-level radioactive waste (HLW) repository. The present study reviewed the requirements and functional criteria of the buffer reported in literature, and also based on the results, proposed an approach to establish a buffer concept which is applicable to an HLW repository in Korea. The hydraulic conductivity, radionuclide-retarding capacity (equilibrium distribution coefficient and diffusion coefficient), swelling pressure, thermal conductivity, mechanical properties, organic carbon content, and illitization rate were considered as major technical parameters for the functional criteria of the buffer. Domestic bentonite (Ca-bentonite) and, as an alternative, MX-80 (Na-bentonite) were proposed for the buffer of an HLW repository in Korea. The technical specifications for those proposed bentonites were set to parameter values that conservatively satisfy Korea's functional criteria for the Ca-bentonite and Swedish criteria for the Na-bentonite. The thickness of the buffer was determined by evaluating the means of shear behavior, radionuclide release, and heat conduction, which resulted in the proper buffer thickness of 0.25 to 0.5 m. However, the final thickness of the buffer should be determined by considering coupled thermal-hydraulic-mechanical evaluation and economics and engineering aspects as well.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.156-157
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• 2012

단일 셀에서 비휘발성 및 고속의 휘발성 메모리를 모두 구동할 수 있는 다기능 메모리는 모바일 기기 및 embedded 장치의 폭발적인 성장에 있어 그 중요성이 커지고 있다. 따라서 최근 이러한 fusion기술을 응용한 unified RAM (URAM)과 같은 다기능 메모리의 연구가 주목 받고 있다. 이러한 다목적 메모리는 주로 silicon on insulator (SOI)기반의 1T-DRAM과 SONOS기술 기반의 비휘발성 메모리의 조합으로 이루어진다. 하지만 이런 다기능 메모리는 주로 단결정기반의 SOI wafer 위에서 구현되기 때문에 값이 비싸고 사용범위도 제한되어 있다. 따라서 이러한 다기능메모리를 다결정 실리콘을 이용하여 제작한다면 기판에 자유롭게 메모리 적용이 가능하고 추후 3차원 적층형 소자의 구현도 가능하기 때문에 다결정실리콘 기반의 메모리 구현은 필수적이라고 할 수 있겠다. 본 연구에서는 다결정실리콘을 이용한 channel recessed구조의 다기능메모리를 제작하였으며 각 1T-DRAM 및 NVM동작에 따른 memory 특성을 살펴보았다. 실험에 사용된 기판은 상부 비정질실리콘 100 nm, 매몰산화층 200 nm의 SOI구조의 기판을 이용하였으며 고상결정화 방법을 이용하여 $600^{\circ}C$ 24시간 열처리를 통해 결정화 시켰다. N+ poly Si을 이용하여 source/drain을 제작하였으며 RIE시스템을 이용하여 recessed channel을 형성하였다. 상부 ONO게이트 절연막은 rf sputter를 이용하여 각각 5/10/5 nm 증착하였다. $950^{\circ}C$ N2/O2 분위기에서 30초간 급속열처리를 진행하여 source/drain을 활성화 하였다. 계면상태 개선을 위해 $450^{\circ}C$ 2% H2/N2 분위기에서 30분간 열처리를 진행하였다. 제작된 Poly Si MFM에서 2.3V, 350mV/dec의 문턱전압과 subthreshold swing을 확인할 수 있었다. Nonvolatile memory mode는 FN tunneling, high-speed 1T-DRAM mode에서는 impact ionization을 이용하여 쓰기/소거 작업을 실시하였다. NVM 모드의 경우 약 2V의 memory window를 확보할 수 있었으며 $85^{\circ}C$에서의 retention 측정시에도 10년 후 약 0.9V의 memory window를 확보할 수 있었다. 1T-DRAM 모드의 경우에는 약 $30{\mu}s$의 retention과 $5{\mu}A$의 sensing margin을 확보할 수 있었다. 차후 engineered tunnel barrier기술이나 엑시머레이저를 이용한 결정화 방법을 적용한다면 device의 특성향상을 기대할 수 있을 것이다. 본 논문에서는 다결정실리콘을 이용한 다기능메모리를 제작 및 메모리 특성을 평가하였다. 제작된 소자의 단일 셀 내에서 NVM동작과 1T-DRAM동작이 모두 가능한 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 다결정실리콘의 특성상 단결정 SOI기반의 다기능 메모리에 비해 낮은 특성을 보여주었으나 이는 결정화방법, high-k절연막 적용 및 engineered tunnel barrier를 적용함으로써 해결 가능하다고 생각된다. 또한 sputter를 이용하여 저온증착된 O/N/O layer에서의 P/E특성을 확인함으로써 glass위에서의 MFM구현의 가능성도 확인할 수 있었으며, 차후 system on panel (SOP)적용도 가능할 것이라고 생각된다.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.107-119
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• 2014

The worldwide Status-of-Art survey for the in-situ experiments of the engineered barrier system for HLW underground disposal was performed as a preliminary action for the design of the in-situ demonstration at KURT. Some nations, which have executed or is ongoing the in-situ experiments at their underground research facilities, were summarized in this review. The demonstration projects reviewed were TBT/Sweden-France, LOT/Sweden, HE-E/Switzerland, PRACLAY/Belgium, FEBEX/Spain, HORONOBE/Japan, and BCE/Canada. The investigated items for the projects were mainly their purposes, constitutional structures, test conditions, monitoring parameters and the measuring tools, and test results. In this review, the hardware design and the assembling of the test system were more concentrated rather than their experimental results, because the purpose of this review is to achieve the necessary information for the practical design of the in-situ experiment to be installed at KURT. A mid scale in-situ demonstration of EBS at KURT, that is called IN-DBES, will be launched right after the completion the expanding project of KURT in 2015. It is hoped that the structural design, installing methods, hardware equipments required in the establishment of IN-DEBS will be referred on this review.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.262-279
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• 2019

In the engineering barriers of high-level radioactive waste disposal, gases could be generated through a number of processes. If the gas production rate exceeds the gas diffusion rate, the pressure of the gas increases and gases could migrate through the bentonite buffer. Because people and the environment can be exposed to radioactivity, it is very important to clarify gas migration in terms of long-term integrity of the engineered barrier system. In particular, it is necessary to identify the hydro-mechanical mechanism for the dilation flow, which is a very important gas flow phenomenon only in medium containing large amounts of clay materials such as bentonite buffer, and to develop and validate new numerical approach for the quantitative evaluation of the gas migration phenomenon. Therefore, in this study, we developed a two-phase flow model considering the mechanical damage model in order to simulate the gas migration in the engineered barrier system, and validated with 1D gas flow modelling through saturated bentonite under constant volume boundary conditions. As a result of numerical analysis, the rapid increase in pore water pressure, stress, and gas outflow could be simulated when the dilation flow was occurred.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.123-131
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• 2021

The buffer is a key component of an engineered barrier system that safeguards the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Buffers are located between disposal canisters and host rock, and they can restrain the release of radionuclides and protect canisters from the inflow of ground water. Since considerable heat is released from a disposal canister to the surrounding buffer, the thermal conductivity of the buffer is a very important parameter in the entire disposal safety. For this reason, a lot of research has been conducted on thermal conductivity prediction models that consider various factors. In this study, the thermal conductivity of a buffer is estimated using the machine learning methods of: linear regression, decision tree, support vector machine (SVM), ensemble, Gaussian process regression (GPR), neural network, deep belief network, and genetic programming. In the results, the machine learning methods such as ensemble, genetic programming, SVM with cubic parameter, and GPR showed better performance compared with the regression model, with the ensemble with XGBoost and Gaussian process regression models showing best performance.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.400-414
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• 2021

Under high-level radioactive waste repository conditions, bentonite as an engineered barrier material undergoes thermal, hydrological, mechanical, and chemical processes. We report the applications of X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) imaging technique on the characterization and analysis of bentonite over the past decade to provide a reference of the utilization of this technique and the recent research trends. This overview of the X-ray CT technique applications includes the characterization of the bentonite either in pellets or powder form. X-ray imaging has provided a means to extract grain information at the microscale and identify crack networks responsible for the pellets' heterogeneity. Regarding samples of pellets-powder mixtures under hydration, X-ray CT allowed the identification and monitoring of heterogeneous zones throughout the test. Some results showed how zones with pellets only swell faster compared to others composed of pellets and powder. Moreover, the behavior of fissures between grains and bentonite matrix was observed to change under drying and hydrating conditions, tending to close during the former and open during the latter. The development of specializing software has allowed obtaining strain fields from a sequence of images. In more recent works, X-ray CT technique has served to estimate the dry density, water content, and particle displacement at different testing times. Also, when temperature was added to the hydration process of a sample, CT technology offered a way to observe localized and global density changes over time.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.219-230
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• 2017

This study was conducted to predict and evaluate the uncertainty of safety after closure of the second phase surface disposal facility of the Gyeongju intermediate and low level repository in Korea. In this study, four scenarios are developed considering both intact and degraded states of multi-layered covers and disposal containers; also, the fluid flow by a rainfall into the disposal facility is simulated. The rainfall conditions are implemented based on the monthly average data of the past 30 years (1985~2014); the simulation period is 300 years, the management period regulated by institutional provisions. As a result of the evaluation of the basic scenario, in which the integrity of both of the containers and the covers is maintained, it was confirmed that penetration of rainfall does not completely saturate the inside of the disposal facility. It is revealed that the multiple cover layers and concrete containers effectively play the role of barrier against the permeation of rainfall.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.02a
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• pp.218-218
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• 2010

기존의 비휘발성 메모리 소자는 터널 절연막으로 $SiO_2$ 단일 절연막을 이용하였다. 그러나 소자의 축소화와 함께 비휘발성 메모리 소자의 동작 전압을 낮추기 위해서 $SiO_2$ 단일 절연막의 두께도 감소 시켜야만 하였다. 하지만 $SiO_2$ 단일 절연막의 두께 감소에 따라, 메모리의 동작 횟수와 데이터 보존 시간의 감소등의 문제점들로 인해 기술적인 한계점에 이르렀다. 이러한 문제점들을 해결하기 위한 연구가 활발히 진행되고 있는 가운데, 최근 high-k 물질을 기반으로 하는 Tunnel Barrier Engineered (TEB) 기술이 주목 받고 있다. TBE 기술이란, 터널 절연막을 위해 서로 다른 유전율을 갖는 유전체를 적층함으로써 쓰기/지우기 속도의 향상과 함께, 물리적인 두께 증가로 인한 데이터 보존 시간을 향상 시킬 수 있는 기술이다. 따라서, 본 연구에서는 적층된 터널 절연막에 이용되는 $HfO_2$를 FGA (Forming Gas Annealing)와 RTA (Rapid Thermal Annealing) 공정에 의한 열처리 효과를 알아보기 위해, 온도에 따른 전기적인 특성을 MIS-Capacitor 제작을 통하여 분석하였다. 이를 위해 먼저 Si 기판 위에 $SiO_2$를 약 3 nm 성장시킨 후, $HfO_2$를 Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) 방법으로 약 8 nm를 증착 하였고, Aluminum을 약 150 nm 증착 하여 게이트 전극으로 이용하였다. 이를 C-V와 I-V 특성을 이용하여 분석함으로 써, 열처리 공정을 통한 $HfO_2$의 터널 절연막 특성이 향상됨을 확인 하였다. 특히, $450^{\circ}C$ $H_2/N_2$(98%/2%) 분위기에서 진행한 FGA 공정은 $HfO_2$의 전하 트랩핑 현상을 줄일 뿐 만 아니라, 낮은 전계에서는 낮은 누설 전류를, 높은 전계에서는 높은 터널링 전류가 흐르는 것을 확인 하였다. 이와 같은 전압에 대한 터널링 전류의 민감도의 향상은 비휘발성 메모리 소자의 쓰기/지우기 특성을 개선할 수 있음을 의미한다. 반면 $N_2$ 분위기에서 실시한 RTA 공정에서는, 전하 트랩핑 현상은 감소 하였지만 FGA 공정 후 보다는 전하 트랩핑 현상이 더 크게 나타났다. 따라서, 적층된 터널 절연막은 적절한 열처리 공정을 통하여 비휘발성 메모리 소자의 성능을 향상 시킬 수 있음이 기대된다.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.397-410
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• 2022

The safety of the disposal repository for high level radioactive waste should be guaranteed for a quite long period so that the precise evaluations are required. The site characteristics of the discontinuities are essential part of the safe repository design including engineered barrier and natural barrier systems. The discontinuities act like weak planes and at the same time, they act as flow paths so that their features should be investigated thoroughly. RQD (Rock Quality Designation) is one of the most widely applied characterizing methods due to its simplicity, however, modified designations have been proposed because RQD has some drawbacks, such as its directivity and dependence on the threshold length. This study aims to evaluate the applicability of the modified designations by applying them to the rock mass around KURT and to produce fundamental database that will be utilized in future studies.