• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.192-193
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• 2007

An evaporated Ti/Pd/Ag contact system is most widely used to make high-efficiency silicon solar cells, however, the system is not cost effective due to expensive materials and vacuum techniques. Commercial solar cells with screen-printed contacts formed by using Ag paste suffer from a low fill factor and a high shading loss because of high contact resistance and low aspect ratio. Low-cost Ni and Cu metal contacts have been formed by using electro less plating and electroplating techniques to replace the Ti/Pd/Ag and screen-printed Ag contacts. Ni/Cu alloy is plated on a silicon substrate by electro-deposition of the alloy from an acetate electrolyte solution, and nickel-silicide formation at the interface between the silicon and the nickel enhances stability and reduces the contact resistance. It was, therefore, found that nickel-silicide was suitable for high-efficiency solar cell applications. Cu was electroplated on the Ni layer by using a light induced plating method. The Cu electroplating solution was made up of a commercially available acid sulfate bath and additives to reduce the stress of the copper layer. In this paper, we investigated low-cost Ni/Cu contact formation by electro less and electroplating for crystalline silicon solar cells.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.308-314
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• 2021

Neutron dose level at bottom head of a reactor pressure vessel (RPV) was calculated using reactor vessel neutron transport for a Korean nuclear power plant A. At 34 EFPY with a 40-year (2042) design life after plating repair, irradiation fast neutron effect was 6.6x10¹⁵ n/cm². As helium(He) gas can be generated by Ni only at 1/10⁶ level of 5 × 10²¹ n/cm², He generation possibility in the Ni plating layer is very little during 40 years of operation (2042, 34 EFPY). Thermal neutrons can significantly affect the generation of He from Ni metal. At 10 years after a repair, He can be generated at a level of about 0.06 appm, a level that can add general welding repair without any consideration. After 40 years of repair, 9.8 appm of He may be generated. Although this is a rather high value, it is within the range of 0.1 to 10 appm when welding repair can be applied. Clad repair by Ni electroplating technology is expected to greatly improve the operation efficiency by improving the safety and shortening the maintenance period of the nuclear power plant.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.78-84
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• 2012

An in-situ optical monitoring method for real-time process monitoring of electrochemical copper deposition (CED) is presented. Process variables to be controlled in achieving desired process results are numerous in the CED process, and the importance of the chemical bath conditions cannot be overemphasized for a successful process. Conventional monitoring of the chemical solution for CED relies on the pH value of the solution, electrical voltage level for the reduction of metal cations, and gravity measurement by immersing sensors into a plating bath. We propose a nonintrusive optical monitoring technique using three types of optical sensors such as chromatic sensors and UV/VIS spectroscopy sensors as potential candidates as a feasible optical monitoring method. By monitoring the color of the plating solution in the bath, we revealed that optically acquired information is strongly related to the thickness of the deposited copper on the wafers, and that the chromatic information is inversely proportional to the ratio of $Cu$ (111) and {$Cu$ (111)+$Cu$ (200)}, which can used to measure the quality of the chemical solution for electrochemical copper deposition in advanced interconnection technology.

• 한국정보디스플레이학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.08a
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• pp.625-627
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• 2002

MgO thin films were deposited on glass and (100) Si substrates by an Arc Ion Plating (AIP) equipment using a magnesium metal target at various oxygen gas flow. In this work, we investigated the relationship between the structural properties and the discharge characteristics of MgO coating layers. X-ray diffraction and AFM have been used to study behaviors of the structure and surface morphology. The optical transmittance and the ion induced secondary electron emission coefficient of the MgO films have been also measured. The resistivity of the deposited MgO films was gradually increased from 0.17 G ohm/${\square}$ to 0.35 G ohm/${\square}$ with the oxygen gas flow. The growth rate of the MgO coating layer was decreased with increasing the oxygen gas flow, while the optical transmittance was improved.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.276-281
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• 2006

In order to improve the performance of PPFs (Pre-Plated Frames), a PPF that employed a Cu-Sn alloy instead of conventionally used Ni was developed and then its properties were investigated. It was found that the electoplated Cu-Sn alloy layer was a mixture of uniformly distributed fine crystallites, resulting In better wettability and crack resistance than those of Ni PPF. Moreover, as in Cu/Ni/Pd/Au PPF, migration of copper atoms from the base metal to the top of the Cu/Cu-Sn/Pd/Au PPF surface was not found although the Cu-Sn layer itself contained considerable amount of copper. It was expected that, by using the newly developed Cu-Sn PPF, any possible heat generation and signal interrupt caused by an external electro-magnetic field could be reduced because the Cu-Sn layer was paramagnetic, i.e., nonmagnetic.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 1991

This study investigated the effects of surface treatment on the tensile bond strength of resinbonded prosthesis. The Rexillium III specimens were treated with $50{\mu}m\;Al_2O_3$ blasting. Type IV gold alloy specimens were treated with $400^{\circ}C$ heating and tin plating method. All specimens were bonded with MBAS composite resin cement and followed by immersion test into the $37^{\circ}C$ water bath for 7 days. The specimens were debonded in tension with an Instron machine and observed with SEM. The modes of failure were recorded also. The following conclusions were obtained : 1. The tensile bond strength decreased in following order. $50{\mu}m\;Al_2O_3$ basted Resillium III group, Type IV gold alloy group treated with $400^{\circ}C$ heat and tin plating type IV gold alloy group, and statistical significant differences were observed(p<0.05). 2. The tensile bond strength decreased in all groups after 7 days immersion test, but statistical significant differences were observed in Rexillium III specimens only. 3. The sharp and irregular surface were observed in Rexillium III, but $400^{\circ}C$ heat treated and tin plated groups had round and broad surface in SEM. 4. The models of bond failure were cohesive-adhesive failure mainly.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.125-134
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• 2001

($Ti_{1-x}$ $Cr_{x}$ )N coatings were deposited by an ion-plating method in a reactor with two separate metal sources, Ti and Cr. Ti was evaporated using an electron beam, while Cr evaporation was carried out by resistant heating. The Ti and Cr concentrations in the coatings were controlled by the Ti and Cr evaporation ratio. The coating hardness increased with increasing the Cr content(x) and showed a maximum value of 6,000 HK at around x=0.8. The critical load of the coatings, measured by the scratch test, was around 30 N. The wear resistance properties of the ($Ti_{1-x}$$Cr_{ x}$)N coatings were evaluated using a CSEM pin-on-disk type tribometer. A Cr-steel ball as well as a SiC ball, which had hardness values of 590 HK and 2,600 HK respectively, were used as the pin. After the wear test, the surface morphology, roughness and the concentration of the coatings were investigated, with the main focus being on the effect of wear debris and the transferred layer on the wear behavior.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.86-91
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• 2019

Generally, atmospheric corrosion is the electrochemical degradation of metal that can be caused by various corrosion factors of atmospheric components and weather, as well as air pollutants. Specifically, moisture and particles of sea salt and sulfur dioxide are major factors in atmospheric corrosion. Using galvanized steel is one of the most efficient ways to protect iron from corrosion by zinc plating on the surface of the iron. Galvanized steel is widely used in automobiles, building structures, roofing, and other industrial structures due to their high corrosion resistance relative to iron. The atmospheric corrosion of galvanized steel shows complex corrosion behavior, depending on the plating, coating thickness, atmospheric environment, and air pollutants. In addition, corrosion products are produced in different types of environments. The lifespans of galvanized steels may vary depending on the use environment. Therefore, this study investigated the corrosion behavior of galvannealed steel under atmospheric corrosion in two locations in Korea, and the lifespan prediction of galvannealed steel in rural and coastal environments was conducted by means of the potentiostatic dissolution test and the chemical cyclic corrosion test.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.553-567
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• 2001

Electrodeposition technology is widely used in industry for various kinds of coatings. Modifications in this technology led to several processes to meet various requirements. Electrolysis in ionic liquids has many advantages such as low energy consumption of energy, low pollutant emission and low operating costs. Although ionic liquids have already been used in liquid/liquid extraction processes, only recently their use in electrodeposition was exploited. Electrochemical deposition of composites is an expanding area. Coupled with the progress in the synthesis of nanometric powder, this research will open a large number of innovative materials. Pulse current plating is another electrodeposition technique which yields improved coatings. Although electrodeposition is now regarded as an environmental non-friendly process, it is economically viable and has many inherent advantages. For certain applications, alternatives to electrodeposition have not yet been fully implemented. Hence, continued research in this technology is warranted. This article reviews some recent advances in electrodeposition technology. Aspects of electrodeposition such as electrolysis in ionic liquids, electrodeposition of composites, pulse current plating techniques, metal and alloy deposition, compound deposition and effects of additives are discussed in this review.

• Clean Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.57-61
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• 2003

A novel nitric acid-free desmut solution has been developed to remove smut, which is produced from a NaOH etching, on the surface of aluminum alloy metal in metal surface treatment processes. Comparing with the performance of 5% $HNO_3$ desmut solution, the mixed acid solution containing 2% $H_2O_2$, 0.5% HF, and 10% $H_2SO_4$ shows the same effect of smut removal for aluminum alloy samples of A16061 and A15052. To examine the surface alterations of the aluminum samples, in addition, the surface analysis is carried out with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA).