• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.202.2-202.2
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• 2013

Ti2O3 is known as a typical Mott insulator with a transition temperature of near $200^{\circ}C$. Unlike VO2, Ti2O3 does not have a structural phase transition near the metal-insulator-transition (MIT) temperature. We investigated the temperature-dependent thermal vibration change using temperature-dependent x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) at Ti K-edge in the temperature range of 300~600 K. Ti2O3 powder and films were synthesized using thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) at $800{\sim}900^{\circ}C$. X-ray diffraction measurements show a single phased Ti2O3 at room temperature. XAFS confirmed no structural phase transition in the temperature of 300~600 K. A small but distinguishable structural disorder change was observed near the transition temperature. We will discuss the MIT behavior with the change of structural disorder.

• Applied Science and Convergence Technology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.317-327
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• 2014

In order to develop nano-devices with much lower power consumption for beyond-CMOS applications, the fundamental understanding and precise control of the electronic properties of ultrathin transition metal oxide (TMO) films are strongly required. The metal-insulator transition (MIT) is not only an important issue in solid state physics, but also a useful phenomenon for device applications like switching or memory devices. For potential use in such application, the electronic structures of MIT, observed for TMO nano-structures, have been investigated using a synchrotron radiation angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy system combined with a laser molecular beam epitaxy chamber and a scanning photoelectron microscopy system with 70 nm spatial resolution. In this review article, electronic structures revealed by soft X-ray nano-spectroscopy are presented for i) polarity-dependent MIT and thickness-dependent MIT of TMO ultrathin films of $LaAlO_3/SrTiO_3$ and $SrVO_3/SrTiO_3$, respectively, and ii) electric field-induced MIT of TMO nano-structures showing resistance switching behaviors due to interfacial redox reactions and/or filamentary path formation. These electronic structures have been successfully correlated with the electrical properties of nano-structured films and nano-devices.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2005.02a
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• pp.55-55
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• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2008.02a
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• pp.296-296
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• 2008

• Proceedings of the Korean Magnestics Society Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.228-228
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• 2017

• Applied Science and Convergence Technology
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.90-94
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• 2018

The electron band structure of manganese-adsorbed graphene on an SiC(0001) substrate has been studied using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Upon introducing manganese atoms, the conduction band of graphene, that is observed in pristine graphene indicating intrinsic electron-doping by the substrate, completely disappears and the valence band maximum is observed at 0.4 eV below Fermi energy. At the same time, the slope of the valence band decreases by the presence of manganese atoms, approaching the electron band structure calculated using the local density approximation method. The former provides experimental evidence of the formation of nearly free-standing graphene on an SiC substrate, concomitant with a metal-to-insulator transition. The latter suggests that its electronic correlations are efficiently screened, suggesting that the dielectric property of the substrate is modified by manganese atoms and indicating that electronic correlations in grpahene can also be tuned by foreign atoms. These results pave the way for promising device application using graphene that is semiconducting and charge neutral.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.141-146
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• 2017

We investigated configuration of metallic and insulating domains in $VO_2$ thin films, while spanning metal-insulator phase transition. Kelvin probe force microscopy, of which spatial resolution is less than 100 nm, enables us to measure local work function (WF) at the sample surface. The WF of $VO_2$ thin films decreased (increased) as increasing (decreasing) the sample temperature, during the phase transition. The higher and lower WF regions corresponded to the insulating and metallic domains, respectively. The metallic fraction, estimated from the WF maps, well explained the temperature-dependent resistivity based on the percolation model. The WF mapping also showed us how the structural defects affected the phase transition behaviors.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.53-58
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• 2022

One of the most promising emerging technologies for the next generation of nonvolatile memory devices based on resistive switching (RS) is the resistive random-access memory mechanism. To date, RS effects have been found in many transition metal oxides. However, no clear evidence has been reported that ZnO-based resistive transition mechanisms could be associated with strong correlation effects. Here, we investigated N, F-co-doped ZnO (NFZO), which shows bipolar RS. Conducting micro spectroscopic studies on exposed surfaces helps tracking the behavioral change in systematic electronic structural changes during low and high resistance condition of the material. The significant difference in electronic conductivity was observed to attribute to the field-induced oxygen vacancy that causes the metal-insulator Mott transition on the surface. In this study, we showed the strong correlation effects that can be explored and incorporated in the field of multifunctional oxide electrons devices.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.353-353
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• 2014

본 연구에서는 Sputter를 이용하여 Room Temp.에서 증착된 NbOx 박막의 열처리에 따른 결정도를 분석하고, 이러한 결정도의 변화가 Metal Insulator Transition특성에 의한 Threshold switching에 어떠한 영향을 미치는 지에 대하여 연구하였다. NbOx 박막의 threshold switching 특성 분석을 위해, 1.4um의 TiN 위에 15nm의 NbOx를 증착하고 Top Electrode로 Pt를 증착하여 측정하였다. 증착된 NbOx는 Nb metal target으로 Reactive Sputter를 이용하여 Room Temp.에서 증착하였으며, 조성은 Partial Oxygen Pressure를 이용하여 조절하였다. 증착된 박막의 결정도는 TEM 및 XRD를 통하여 분석하였고 조성은 XPS를 이용하여 분석하였다. Sputter로 NbOx 증착 시 Partial Oxygen Pressure에 따른 조성을 XPS로 확인한 결과, Partial Oxygen Pressure 2%에서 NbOx의 조성을, 5%이상일 경우, Nb2O5의 조성을 가지는 것으로 확인되었다. Partial Oxygen Pressure 2%에서 증착한 NbOx 박막의 열처리에 따른 결정도를 분석한 결과, As-Dep상태에서는 amorphous상태였다가 600'C이상으로 1분간 열처리를 하였을 때 NbOx의 결정도가 증가함을 확인하였다. I-V 특성 측정 결과, 열처리 온도가 증가함에 따라 initial current가 점진적으로 증가하는 경향을 보이는데, 이는 열처리 시 amorphous상에서 poly-crystalline으로 미세구조의 변화가 일어나면서 grain boundary가 생성되며 생성된 grain boundary를 통해 leakage current가 증가하는 것으로 추측된다. 또한, 결정도가 증가함에 따라 electro-forming voltage가 감소하는 경향을 보이며 안정된 threshold switching 특성을 보이고 있다. 특히, 700'C 1분간 열처리 시에는 electro-forming 과정이 없이 threshold switching이 나타나는 현상이 관찰되었다. 이로 미루어 보아, threshold switching에서 나타나는 forming 현상은 local joule heating에 의해 박막이 결정화 되는 과정으로 추측된다. 결론적으로, 박막의 결정도가 initial current 및 Threshold switching 특성에 큰 영향을 미치는 것으로 예상된다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.125.1-125.1
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• 2016

The excitonic insulator (EI), which is one of fundamental insulators, was theoretically proposed in 1967 but its material realization has not been established well. Only a few materials were proposed as EIs but their experimental evidences were indirect such as the renormalization of band dispersions or an anomaly in electrical resistivity. We conducted scanning tunneling microscopy / spectroscopy measurements and found out that $Ta_2$ $NiSe_5$, which was the most recently proposed as an EI, had a metal-insulator phase transition with the energy gap of 700 meV at 78 K. Moreover, the spatially delocalized excitonic energy level was observed within the energy gap, which could be the direct evidence of the EI ground state. Our theoretical model calculation with the order parameter of 150 meV reproduces the spectral function and the excitonic energy gap very well. In addition, experimental data shows that the band character is inverted at the valence and conduction band edges by the exciton formation, indicating that the mechanism of exciton condensation is similar to the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) mechanism of cooper pairs in superconductors.