• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.97-97
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• 2013

Recently, Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSS), which is one of the In- and Ga- free absorber materials, has been attracted considerable attention as a new candidate for use as an absorber material in thin film solar cells. The CZTSS-based absorber material has outstanding characteristics such as band gap energy of 1.0 eV to 1.5 eV, high absorption coefficient on the order of 104 cm-1, and high theoretical conversion efficiency of 32.2% in thin film solar cells. Despite these promising characteristics, research into CZTSS based thin film solar cells is still incomprehensive and related reports are quite few compared to those for CIGS thin film solar cells, which show high efficiency of over 20%. I will briefly overview the recent technological development of CZTSS thin film solar cells and then introduce our research results mainly related to sputter based process. CZTSS thin film solar cells are prepared by sulfurization of stacked both metallic and sulfide precursors. Sulfurization process was performed in both furnace annealing system and rapid thermal processing system using S powder as well as 5% diluted H2S gas source at various annealing temperatures ranging from $520^{\circ}C$ to $580^{\circ}C$. Structural, optical, microstructural, and electrical properties of absorber layers were characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM, UV-Vis spectroscopy, Hall-measurement, TRPL, etc. The effects of processing parameters, such as composition ratio, sulfurization pressure, and sulfurization temperature on the properties of CZTSS absorber layers will be discussed in detail. CZTSS thin film solar cell fabricated using metallic precursors shows maximum cell efficiency of 6.9% with Jsc of 25.2 mA/cm2, Voc of 469 mV, and fill factor of 59.1% and CZTS thin film solar cell using sulfide precursors shows that of 4.5% with Jsc of 19.8 mA/cm2, Voc of 492 mV, and fill factor of 46.2%. In addition, other research activities in our lab related to the formation of CZTS absorber layers using solution based processes such as electro-deposition, chemical solution deposition, nano-particle formation will be introduced briefly.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.577-582
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• 1999

In order to make the electroconductive $Si_3N_4$-TiN composities, the Si-Ti(N) compacts were nitrided at $1450^{\circ}C$ for 20hours, and then they were post-sintered by a gas-pressure-sintering technique at 1TEX>$1950^{\circ}C$ for 3.5 hours. As starting powders, commercial si powder of about $10\mu\textrm{m}$, two types of Ti powders of 100 and 325 mesh, and fine-sized TiN of $2.5\mu\textrm{m}$ powders were used. In the $Si_3N_4$-TiN sintered bodies used Ti powders, the relative density and fracture strength and electrical conductivity are low due to the existence of large amounts of coarse pores. However, in the $Si_3N_4$-TiN composite used TiN powder, the fracture toughness, fracture strength and electrical resistivity were $5.0MPa{\cdot}m^{1/2}$, 624MPa and $1400{\omega}cm$, respectively. The dispersion of TiN particles in the composite inhibited the growth of $Si_3N_4$ in the shape of rod and made strong strain field contrasts at the $Si_3N_4$-TiNinterfaces. It was recognized that microstructural control is required to improve the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of $Si_3N_4$-TiN composites by dispersing TiN particles homogeneously.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.111-117
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• 2017

This study examined the material properties of Korean rice husk ash (RHA) according to the manufacturing process, and evaluated the feasibility of its use as a new admixture for high strength concrete. For this purpose, its particle size distribution, chemical composition, and microstructure were analyzed under various parameters, such as calcination temperature ($400^{\circ}C$, $650^{\circ}C$, and $900^{\circ}C$) and the inclusion of a milling process. X-ray fluorescence analysis confirmed that the silicon oxide ($SiO_2$) content of RHA was improved to more than 92% with a calcination process at $650^{\circ}C$ or higher. In addition, microstructural analysis showed that the RHA calcined at $650^{\circ}C$ has a porous structure. Because of this, the absorption capacity of the RHA was improved. On the other hand, when the milling process was applied, the porous structure was destroyed; thus, the absorption capacity tended to decrease further. Based on the analysis results, it was concluded that RHA calcined at $650^{\circ}C$ can be used as an admixture for high strength concrete, which possesses functions of both a shrinkage reducing agent and a pozzolanic activator.

• Korean Journal of Dental Materials
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.197-206
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• 2017

The hardening effect by ice-quenching after oxidation of a Pd-Ag-Sn-Au metal-ceramic alloy during porcelain firing simulation was investigated by means of hardness test, field emission scanning electron microscopic observations, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The hardness decreased by ice-quenching after oxidation, which was induced by the homogenization of the ice-quenched specimen. The decreased hardness by ice-quenching after oxidation was recovered from the wash stage which was the first stage of the remaining firing process for bonding porcelain. After wash stage, the hardness of the ice-quenched specimens decreased during the subsequent porcelain firing process. But the final hardness of the ice-quenched specimens after oxidation was higher than that of the specimens cooled at stage 0 after oxidation. The increase in hardness of the specimens during the first firing process was caused by the lattice strains generated at the interface between the face-centered cubic Pd-Ag-rich matrix and the face-centered tetragonal Pd3(Sn, Ga, In) precipitate. The decrease in hardness of the specimens during the remaining firing process was caused by the microstructural coarsening.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.1044-1062
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• 2017

The construction project of the Kijang research reactor (KJRR), which is the second research reactor in Korea, has been launched. The KJRR was designed to use, for the first time, U-Mo fuel. Plate-type U-7 wt.% Mo/Al-5 wt.% Si, referred to as U-7Mo/Ale5Si, dispersion fuel with a uranium loading of $8.0gU/cm^3$, was selected to achieve higher fuel efficiency and performance than are possible when using $U_3Si_2/Al$ dispersion fuel. To qualify the U-Mo fuel in terms of plate geometry, the first miniplates [HANARO Miniplate (HAMP-1)], containing U-7Mo/Al-5Si dispersion fuel ($8gU/cm^3$), were fabricated at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and recently irradiated at HANARO. The PIE (Post-irradiation Examination) results of the HAMP-1 irradiation test were analyzed in depth in order to verify the safe in-pile performance of the U-7Mo/Al-5Si dispersion fuel under the KJRR irradiation conditions. Nondestructive analyses included visual inspection, gamma spectrometric mapping, and two-dimensional measurements of the plate thickness and oxide thickness. Destructive PIE work was also carried out, focusing on characterization of the microstructural behavior using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Electron probe microanalysis was also used to measure the elemental concentrations in the interaction layer formed between the U-Mo kernels and the matrix. A blistering threshold test and a bending test were performed on the irradiated HAMP-1 miniplates that were saved from the destructive tests. Swelling evaluation of the U-Mo fuel was also conducted using two methods: plate thickness measurement and meat thickness measurement.

• Composites Research
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.311-316
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• 2021

In this study, TiC/steel metal matrix composites were fabricated by powder metallurgy process using Fealloy powders with 3 wt.% Cr and 10 wt.% Cr, respectively, as matrix material. Subsequently, the composite samples were heat treated by the annealing and quenching-tempering(Q-T), respectively, to understand the effect of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of the composites. The correlation between microstructure and structural strength depending on the chromium content and the heat treatment conditions was studied through tensile, compressive, and transverse rupture test and microstructural analysis. In the case of TiC/steel composite containing 10 wt.% Cr, the tensile strength and transverse rupture strength at room temperature were significantly lowered by the influence of coarse chromium carbide formed at the TiC/steel interface. On the other hand, both TiC/steel composites containing 3 wt.% Cr and 10 wt.% Cr showed much higher compressive strength of about 4 GP after quenching-tempering compared to the annealed specimens regardless of the presence of the chromium carbide.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.12
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• pp.2860-2866
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• 2020

Oxide dispersion-strengthened materials W-1wt%Pr₂O₃ and W-1wt%La₂O₃ were synthesized by wet chemical method and spark plasma sintering. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) analysis, XRD and Vickers microhardness measurements were conducted to characterize the samples. The irradiations were carried out with a 5 keV helium ion beam to fluences up to 5.0 × 10²¹ ions/m² under 600 ℃ using the low-energy ion irradiation system. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study was performed to investigate the microstructural evolution in W-1wt%Pr₂O₃ and W-1wt%La₂O₃. At 1.0 × 10²⁰ He⁺/m², the average loops size of the W-1wt%Pr₂O₃ was 4.3 nm, much lower than W-1wt% La₂O₃ of 8.5 nm. However, helium bubbles were not observed throughout in both doped W materials. The effects of pre-irradiation with 1.0 × 10²¹ He⁺/m² on trapping of injected deuterium in doped W was studied by thermal desorption spectrometry (TDS) technique using quadrupole mass spectrometer. Compared with the samples without He⁺ pre-irradiation, deuterium (D) retention of doped W materials increased after He⁺ irradiation, whose retention was unsaturated at the damage level of 1.0 × 10²²D₂⁺/m². The present results implied that irradiation effect of He⁺ ions must be taken into account to evaluate the deuterium retention in fusion material applications.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.493-502
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• 2018

Currently, the fabrication of a high-tin bronze spoon by traditional manufacturing techniques involves 10 steps in the bronze ware workshop. Hot forging has a major influence on manufacturing and involves two to three steps. The dendritic ${\alpha}$-phase in the microstructure of the high-tin bronze spoon is refined and finely dispersed through hot forging. In addition, twinning is observed in the ${\alpha}$-phase of the hammered part, and the ${\alpha}$-phase microstructure gradually transform from a polygon to a circular shape due to hammering. In this process, the adjacent ${\alpha}$-phases overlap with each other and remain combined after quenching. The microstructure with the overlapping is also observed in bronze artifacts, and this shows the correlation with technical system. The results of the experimental hot forging of Cu-22%Sn alloys show that the decrease in in the amount of the dendritic microstructure, which forms during casting, is in proportion to the number of processing steps and that the refined grain obtained by hammering contributes to the improvement in the strength of the material. From the hammering marks, which are observed on both the bronze artifact excavated from archaeological sites and on the high-tin bronze spoon produced in the traditional workshop, it is presumed that the knowledge regarding the unrecorded manufacturing system of bronze ware in ancient times has been passed down in a traditional way up to the system used currently.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.26-31
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• 2019

In this study, the mechanical characteristics and microstructure of hypereutectic Al-17Si-5Fe extruded alloys prepared by a rapid solidification process (RSP) were investigated. The hypereutectic Al alloy was fabricated by means of RSP and permanent casting. For RSP, the Al alloy melted at $920^{\circ}C$, cooling the specimens at a rate of $10^6^{\circ}C/s$ when the RSP was used, thus allowing the refining of primary Si particles more than when using permanent casting, at a rate of about 91%. We tested an extrusion RSP billet and a permanent-cast billet. Before the hot-extrusion process, heating to $450^{\circ}C$ took place for one hour. The samples were then hotextruded with a condition of extrusion ratio of 27 and a ram speed of 0.5 mm/s. Microstructural analyses of the extruded RSP method and the permanent casting method were carried out with OM and SEM-EDS mapping. The mechanical properties in both cases were evaluated by Vickers micro-hardness, wear resistance and tensile tests. It was found that when hypereutectic Al-17Si-5Fe alloys were fabricated by a rapid solidification method, it becomes possible to refine Si and intermetallic compounds. During the preparation of the hypereutectic Al-17Si-5Fe alloy by the rapid solidification method, the pressure of the melting crucible was low, and at faster drum speeds, smaller grain alloy flakes could be produced. Hot extrusion of the hypereutectic Al-17Si-5Fe alloy during the rapid solidification method required higher pressure levels than hot extrusion of the permanent mold-casted alloy. However, it was possible to produce an extruded material with a better surface than that of the hot extruded material processed by permanent mold casting.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.212-223
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• 2019

This study is to investigate the relationship between microstructural factors and tensile properties after aging heat treatment of the 15-5PH stainless steel at the temperature range of $450^{\circ}C$, $500^{\circ}C$ and $550^{\circ}C$ for various time. For the aging time of 2 hours, hardness showed maximum at $450^{\circ}C$ and then decreased with increasing aging temperature. While, hardness decreased gradually during aging $450^{\circ}C$, $500^{\circ}C$ and $550^{\circ}C$ from 1 hour to 5 hours but the hardness nearly unchanged until the 100 hours after 5 hours aging. When aging at $450^{\circ}C$, Cu atoms preferentially aggregated at the prior austenite grain boundaries and martensite lath boundaries, and Cu concentration at those boundaries was nearly unchanged even after aging for 100 hours. Therefore it was suggested that the coherency is still maintained after 100 hours aging at $450^{\circ}C$. Aging at $500^{\circ}C$ and $550^{\circ}C$ results in an increase in the concentration of Ni at the martensite lath boundaries and prior austenite grain boundaries, resulting in the formation of reversed austenite. Especially, when aged at $550^{\circ}C$ for 100 hours, the concentration of Ni remarkably increased at those boundaries, and thus the microstructure of herring bone shape was appeared. Considering the migration of Ni atom to the lath boundaries and prior austenite grain boundaries, Ni atoms contributed greatly to the formation of reversed austenite. On the other hand, it was found that Cu atoms hardly moving to those boundaries may not be contributed to the formation of reversed austenite. When aging at $450^{\circ}C$, the coarsening of the precipitated Cu atoms proceeded very slowly with increasing aging time, therefore the decrease in strengths were small but the reduction area was considerably increased due to the softening of the matrix. At the aging temperature of $500^{\circ}C$ and $550^{\circ}C$, the strengths decreased and the elongation and reduction area increased due to the appearance of the reversed austenite. Especially, the increase of reduction area was remarkable.