• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.225-230
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• 2006

Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is a novel method of fabricating nanometer scale patterns. It is a simple process with low cost, high throughput and resolution. NIL creates patterns by mechanical deformation of an imprint resist and physical contact process. The imprint resist is typically a monomer or polymer formulation that is cured by heat or UV light during the imprinting process. Stiction between the resist and the stamp is resulted from this physical contact process. Stiction issue is more important in the stamps including narrow pattern size and wide area. Therefore, the antistiction layer coating is very effective to prevent this problem and ensure successful NIL. In this paper, an antistiction layer was deposited and characterized by PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) method for metal stamps. Deposition rates of an antistiction layer on Si and Ni substrates were in proportion to deposited time and 3.4 nm/min and 2.5 nm/min, respectively. A 50 nm thick antistiction layer showed 90% relative transmittance at 365 nm wavelength. Contact angle result showed good hydrophobicity over 105 degree. $CF_2$ and $CF_3$ peaks were founded in ATR-FTIR analysis. The thicknesses and the contact angle of a 50 nm thick antistiction film were slightly changed during chemical resistance test using acetone and sulfuric acid. To evaluate the deposited antistiction layer, a 50 nm thick film was coated on a stainless steel stamp made by wet etching process. A PMMA substrate was successfully imprinting without pattern degradations by the stainless steel stamp with an antistiction layer. The test result shows that antistiction layer coating is very effective for NIL.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.02a
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• pp.229-229
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• 2010

With the scaling down of ultra large integrated circuits (ULSI) to the sub-50 nm technology node, the need for an ultra-thin, continuous and conformal diffusion barrier and Cu seed layer is increasing. However, diffusion barrier and Cu seed layer formation with a physical vapor deposition (PVD) method has become difficult as the technology node is reduced to 30 nm and beyond. Recent work on self-forming barrier processes using PVD Cu alloys have attracted great attention due to the capability of conformal ultra-thin barrier formation using a simple technique. However, as in the case of the conventional barrier and Cu seed layer, PVD of the Cu alloy seed layer will eventually encounter the difficulty in conformal deposition in narrow line trenches and via holes. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been known for its good step coverage and precise thickness control, and is a candidate technique for the formation of a thin conformal barrier layer and Cu seed layer. Conformal Cu-Mn seed layers were deposited by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) at low temperature ($120^{\circ}C$), and the Mn content in the Cu-Mn alloys were controlled form 0 to approximately 10 atomic percent with various Mn precursor feeding times. Resistivity of the Cu-Mn alloy films decreased by annealing due to out-diffusion of Mn atoms. Out-diffused Mn atoms were segregated to the surface of the film and interface between a Cu-Mn alloy and $SiO_2$, resulting in self-formed $MnO_x$ and $MnSi_xO_y$, respectively. No inter-diffusion was observed between Cu and $SiO_2$ after annealing at $500^{\circ}C$ for 12 h, indicating an excellent diffusion barrier property of the $MnSi_xO_y$. The adhesion between Cu and $SiO_2$ was enhanced by the formation of $MnSi_xO_y$. Continuous and conductive Cu-Mn seed layers were deposited with PEALD into 32 nm $SiO_2$ trench, enabling a low temperature process, and the trench was perfectly filled using electrochemical plating (ECD) under conventional conditions. Thus, it is the resultant self-forming barrier process with PEALD Cu-Mn alloy film as a seed layer for plating Cu that has further potential to meet the requirement of the smaller than 30 nm node.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.1356-1361
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• 2004

High temperature superconducting coated conductor has a structure of ///. The buffer layer consists of multi-layer, this study reports the deposition method and optimal deposition conditions of YSZ(Yttria-stabilized zirconia) layer which plays a important part in preventing the elements of substrate from diffusing into the superconducting layer. YSZ layer was deposited by DC reactive sputtering technique using water vapor for oxidizing deposited elements on substrate. To investigate optimal thickness of YSZ film, four YSZ/CeO$_2$/Ni samples with different YSZ thickness(130 nm, 260 nm, 390 nm, and 650 nm) were prepared. The SEM image showed that the surface of YSZ layer was getting to be rougher as YSZ layer was getting thicker and the growth mode of YSZ layer was columnar grain growth. After CeO$_2$ layer was deposited with the same thickness of 18.3 nm on each four samples, YBCO layer was deposited by PLD method with the thickness of 300 nm. The critical currents of four samples were 0, 6 A, 7.5 A, and 5 A respectively. This shows that as YSZ layer is getting thicker, YSZ layer plays a good role as a diffusion barrier but the surface of YSZ layer is getting rougher.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.235-240
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• 2018

We propose a speedy two-step deposit process to form an Au electrode on hole transport layer(HTL) without any damage using a general thermal evaporator in a perovskite solar cell(PSC). An Au electrode with a thickness of 70 nm was prepared with one-step and two-step processes using a general thermal evaporator with a 30 cm source-substrate distance and $6.0{\times}10^{-6}$ torr vacuum. The one-step process deposits the Au film with the desirable thickness through a source power of 60 and 100 W at a time. The two-step process deposits a 7 nm-thick buffer layer with source power of 60, 70, and 80 W, and then deposits the remaining film thickness at higher source power of 80, 90, and 100 W. The photovoltaic properties and microstructure of these PSC devices with a glass/FTO/$TiO_2$/perovskite/HTL/Au electrode were measured by a solar simulator and field emission scanning electron microscope. The one-step process showed a low depo-temperature of $88.5^{\circ}C$ with a long deposition time of 90 minutes at 60 W. It showed a high depo-temperature of $135.4^{\circ}C$ with a short deposition time of 8 minutes at 100 W. All the samples showed an ECE lower than 2.8 % due to damage on the HTL. The two-step process offered an ECE higher than 6.25 % without HTL damage through a deposition temperature lower than $88^{\circ}C$ and a short deposition time within 20 minutes in general. Therefore, the proposed two-step process is favorable to produce an Au electrode layer for the PSC device with a general thermal evaporator.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.110-115
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• 2007

A plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition(PEALD) system has been constructed adopting an inductively coupled plasma(ICP) source with an ALD system, and its plasma generation was carried out. Cobalt thin films were deposited on a p-type Si(100) wafer at $230^{\circ}C$. $Co_{2}(CO)_{6}$ was used as a cobalt precursor, $NH_{3}$ as a reactant, and Ar as a carrier and purge gas. The properties of the thin films were investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM) and auger electron spectroscopy(AES). Large amounts of impurities were found in both the ALD film and the PEALD film, however, the amount of impurities in the PEALD film was reduced to about 50 % compared to that in the ALD film. It was found that $NH_{3}$ plasma, very effectively, induces the reaction with carbon in a cobalt precursor.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.157-158
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• 2013

Organic solar cell was fabricated using one-pot deposition of a mixture of NiO nanoparticles, P3HT and PCBM. In the presence of NiO, the photovoltaic performance was slightly increased comparing to that of the device without NiO. When $TiO_2$ thin films with a thickness of 2~3 nm was prepared on NiO nanoparticles using atomic layer deposition, the power conversion efficiency was increased by a factor 2.5 with respect to that with bare NiO. Moreover, breakdown voltage of the film consisting of NiO, P3HT, and PCBM on indium tin oxide was increased by more than 1 V in the presence of $TiO_2$-shell on NiO nanoparticles. It is evidenced that S atoms of P3HT can be oxidized on NiO surfaces, and $TiO_2$-shell on NiO nanoparticles. It is evidenced that S atoms of P3HT can be oxidzed on NiO surfaces, and $TiO_2$ shell heavily reduced oxidation of S at oxide/P3HT interfaces. Oxidized S atoms can most likely act as carrier generation sites and recombination centers within the depletion region, decreasing breakdown voltage and performance of organic solar cells. Our result shows that fabrication of various core-shell nanostruecutres of oxides by atomic layer deposition with controlled film thickness can be of potential importance for fabricating highly efficient organic solar cells.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.469-475
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• 2013

Al-doped ZnO(AZO) thin films were synthesized using atomid layer deposition(ALD), which acurately controlled the uniform film thickness of the AZO thin films. To investigate the electrical and optical properites of the AZO thin films, AZO films using ALD was controlled to be three different thicknesses (50 nm, 100 nm, and 150 nm). The structural, chemical, electrical, and optical properties of the AZO thin films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field-emssion scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Hall measurement system, and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. As the thickness of the AZO thin films increased, the crystallinity of the AZO thin films gradually increased, and the surface morphology of the AZO thin films were transformed from a porous structure to a dense structure. The average surface roughnesses of the samples using atomic force microscopy were ~3.01 nm, ~2.89 nm, and ~2.44 nm, respectively. As the thickness of the AZO filmsincreased, the surface roughness decreased gradually. These results affect the electrical and optical properties of AZO thin films. Therefore, the thickest AZO thin films with 150 nm exhibited excellent resistivity (${\sim}7.00{\times}10^{-4}{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$), high transmittance (~83.2 %), and the best FOM ($5.71{\times}10^{-3}{\Omega}^{-1}$). AZO thin films fabricated using ALD may be used as a promising cadidate of TCO materials for optoelectronic applications.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.91-95
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• 2010

A UV-enhanced atomic layer deposition (UV-ALD) process was developed to deposit $TiO_2$ thin films on Si substrates using titanium isopropoxide(TIP) and $H_2O$ as precursors with UV light. In the UV-ALD process, the surface reactions were found to be self-limiting and complementary enough to yield a uniform, conformal, pure $TiO_2$ thin film on Si substrates at room temperature. The UV light was very effective to obtain the high-quality $TiO_2$ thin films with good adhesive strength on Si substrates. The UV-ALD process was applied to produce uniform and conformal $TiO_2$ coats into deep trenches with high aspect ratio.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.322-327
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• 2019

Hole carrier selective MoOx film is obtained by atomic layer deposition(ALD) using molybdenum hexacarbonyl[$Mo(CO)_6$] as precursor and ozone($O_3$) oxidant. The growth rate is about 0.036 nm/cycle at 200 g/Nm of ozone concentration and the thickness of interfacial oxide is about 2 nm. The measured band gap and work function of the MoOx film grown by ALD are 3.25 eV and 8 eV, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) result shows that the $Mo^{6+}$ state is dominant in the MoOx thin film. In the case of ALD-MoOx grown on Si wafer, the ozone concentration does not affect the passivation performance in the as-deposited state. But, the implied open-circuit voltage increases from $576^{\circ}C$ to $620^{\circ}C$ at 250 g/Nm after post-deposition annealing at $350^{\circ}C$ in a forming gas ambient. Instead of using a p-type amorphous silicon layer, high work function MoOx films as hole selective contact are applied for heterojunction silicon solar cells and the best efficiency yet recorded (21 %) is obtained.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.80-85
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• 2022

ZnO-based transparent conductive films have been widely studied to achieve high performance optoelectronic devices such as next generation flexible and transparent display systems. In order to achieve a transparent flexible ZnO-based device, a low temperature growth technique using a flexible polymer substrate is required. In this work, high quality flexible ZnO films were grown on colorless polyimide substrate using atomic layer deposition (ALD). Transparent ZnO films grown from 80 to 200℃ were fabricated with a metal-semiconductor-metal structure photodetectors (PDs). As the growth temperature of ZnO film increases, the photocurrent of UV PDs increases, while the sensitivity of that decreases. In addition, it is found that the response times of the PDs become shorter as the growth temperature increases. Based on these results, we suggest that high-quality ZnO film can be grown below 200℃ in an atomic layer deposition system, and can be applied to transparent and flexible UV PDs with very fast response time and high photocurrent.