• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2008

We studied plasma etching of polycarbonate in $O_2/SF_6$, $O_2/N_2$ and $O_2/CH_4$. A capacitively coupled plasma system was employed for the research. For patterning, we used a photolithography method with UV exposure after coating a photoresist on the polycarbonate. Main variables in the experiment were the mixing ratio of $O_2$ and other gases, and RF chuck power. Especially, we used only a mechanical pump for in order to operate the system. The chamber pressure was fixed at 100 mTorr. All of surface profilometry, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used for characterization of the etched polycarbonate samples. According to the results, $O_2/SF_6$ plasmas gave the higher etch rate of the polycarbonate than pure $O_2$ and $SF_6$ plasmas. For example, with maintaining 100W RF chuck power and 100 mTorr chamber pressure, 20 sccm $O_2$ plasma provided about $0.4{\mu}m$/min of polycarbonate etch rate and 20 sccm $SF_6$ produced only $0.2{\mu}m$/min. However, the mixed plasma of 60 % $O_2$ and 40 % $SF_6$ gas flow rate generated about $0.56{\mu}m$ with even low -DC bias induced compared to that of $O_2$. More addition of $SF_6$ to the mixture reduced etch of polycarbonate. The surface roughness of etched polycarbonate was roughed about 3 times worse measured by atomic force microscopy. However examination with scanning electron microscopy indicated that the surface was comparable to that of photoresist. Increase of RF chuck power raised -DC bias on the chuck and etch rate of polycarbonate almost linearly. The etch selectivity of polycarbonate to photoresist was about 1:1. The meaning of these results was that the simple capacitively coupled plasma system can be used to make a microstructure on polymer with $O_2/SF_6$ plasmas. This result can be applied to plasma processing of other polymers.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.382-382
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• 2012

Nanostructures have a larger surface/volume ratio as well as unique mechanical, physical, chemical properties compared to existing bulk materials. Materials for biomedical implants require a good biocompatibility to provide a rapid recovery following surgical procedure and a stabilization of the region where the implants have been inserted. The biocompatibility is evaluated by the degree of the interaction between the implant materials and the cells around the implants. Recent researches on this topic focus on utilizing the characteristics of the nanostructures to improve the biocompatibility. Several studies suggest that the degree of the interaction is varied by the relative size of the nanostructures and cells, and the morphology of the surface of the implant [1, 2]. In this paper, we fabricate the nanowires on the Ti substrate for better biocompatible implants and other biomedical applications such as artificial internal organ, tissue engineered biomaterials, or implantable nano-medical devices. Nanowires are fabricated with two methods: first, nanowire arrays are patterned on the surface using e-beam lithography. Then, the nanowires are further defined with deep reactive ion etching (RIE). The other method is self-assembly based on vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism using Sn as metal-catalyst. Sn nanoparticle solutions are used in various concentrations to fabricate the nanowires with different pitches. Fabricated nanowries are characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Tthe biocompatibility of the nanowires will further be investigated.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.33.2-33.2
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• 2009

Block copolymer lithography has attracted great attention for emerging nanolithography since nanoscaleperiodic patterns can be easily obtained through self-assembly process without conventional top-down patterning process. Since the morphologies of self-assembled block copolymer patterns are strongly dependent on surface energy of a substrate, suitable surface modification is required. Until now, the surface modification has been studied by using random copolymer or self-assembled mono layers (SAMs). However, the research on surface modifications has been limited within several substrates such as Si-based materials. In present study, we investigated the formation of block copolymer on Au substrate by $O_2$ plasma treatment with the SAM of 3-(p-methoxy-phenyl)propyltrichloro-silane [MPTS, $CH_3OPh(CH_2)_3SiCl_3$]. After $O_2$ plasma treatment, the chemical bonding states of the surface were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The static contact angle measurement was performed to study the effects of $O_2$ plasma treatment on the formation of MPTS monolayer. The block copolymer nanotemplates formed on Au surface were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the ordering of self-assembled block copolymer pattern and the formation of cylindrical nano hole arrays were enhanced dramatically by oxygen plasma treatment. Thus, the oxidation of gold surface by $O_2$ plasma treatment enables the MPTS to form the monolayer assembly leading to surface neutralization of gold substrates.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.77-84
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• 2006

With the development of micro/nano spacecraft, concepts of micro propulsion are introduced for orbit transfer and drag compensation as well as attitude control. Micro solid propellant thruster has been attention as one of possible solution for micro thruster. In this paper, micro solid propellant thruster is introduced and research on basic components of a micro solid propellant thruster is reported. Micro Pt igniter was fabricated through negative patterning and quantitative effect of geometry was estimated. The characteristic of HTPB/AP solid propellant was investigated to measure the homing velocity. A combustion chamber was fabricated by means of anisotropic etching of photosensitive glass. Finally, micro solid propellant thrusters having various geometries were fabricated and tested.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.275-278
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• 2020

In this study, we evaluated the temperature-dependent characteristics of homojunction InGaAs vertical Fin-shaped Tunnel Field-Effect Transistors (Fin TFETs), which were fabricated using a novel nano-fin patterning technique in which the Au electroplating and the high-temperature InGaAs dry-etching processes were combined. The fabricated homojunction InGaAs vertical Fin TFETs, with a fin width and gate length of 60 nm and 100 nm, respectively, exhibited excellent device characteristics, such as a minimum subthreshold swing of 80 mV/decade for drain voltage (V_DS) = 0.3 V at 300 K. We also analyzed the temperature-dependent characteristics of the fabricated TFETs and confirmed that the on-state characteristics were insensitive to temperature variations. From 77 K to 300 K, the subthreshold swing at gate voltage (V_GS) = threshold voltage (V_T), and it was constant at 115 mV/decade, thereby indicating that the conduction mechanism through band-to-band tunneling influenced the on-state characteristics of the devices.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.134.2-134.2
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• 2014

Photonic crystal solar cells have the potential for addressing the disparate length scales in polymer photovoltaic materials, thereby confronting the major challenge in solar cell technology: efficiency. One must achieve simultaneously an efficient absorption of photons with effective carrier extraction. Unfortunately the two processes have opposing requirements. Efficient absorption of light calls for thicker PV active layers whereas carrier transport always benefits from thinner ones, and this dichotomy is at the heart of an efficiency/cost conundrum that has kept solar energy expensive relative to fossil fuels. This dichotomy persists over the entire solar spectrum but increasingly so near a semiconductor's band edge where absorption is weak. We report a 2-D, photonic crystal morphology that enhances the efficiency of organic photovoltaic cells relative to conventional planar cells. The morphology is developed by patterning an organic photoactive bulk heterojunction blend of Poly(3-(2-methyl-2-hexylcarboxylate) thiophene-co-thiophene) and PCBM via PRINT, a nano-embossing method that lends itself to large area fabrication of nanostructures. The photonic crystal cell morphology increases photocurrents generally, and particularly through the excitation of resonant modes near the band edge of the organic PV material. The device performance of the photonic crystal cell showed a nearly doubled increase in efficiency relative to conventional planar cell designs. Photonic crystals can also enhance performance of other optoelectronic devices including organic laser.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.635-643
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• 2016

Graphene has shown exceptional properties for high performance devices due to its high carrier mobility. Of particular interest is the potential use of graphene nanoribbons as field-effect transistors. Herein, we introduce a facile approach to the fabrication of graphene nanoribbon (GNR) arrays with ~200 nm width using nanoimprint lithography (NIL), which is a simple and robust method for patterning with high fidelity over a large area. To realize a 2D material-based device, we integrated the graphene nanoribbon arrays in field effect transistors (GNR-FETs) using conventional lithography and metallization on highly-doped $Si/SiO_2$ substrate. Consequently, we observed an enhancement of the performance of the GNR-transistors compared to that of the micro-ribbon graphene transistors. Besides this, using a transfer printing process on a flexible polymeric substrate, we demonstrated graphene-silicon junction structures that use CVD grown graphene as flexible electrodes for Si based transistors.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.40-43
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• 2004

Stamps for microcontact processing are fabricated by casting elastomer such as PDMS on a master with a negative of the desired pattern. After curing, the PDMS stamp is peeled away from the master and exposed to a solution of ink and then dried. Transfer of the ink from the PDMS stamp to the substrate occurs during a brief contact between stamp and substrate. Generally, negative-tone masters, which are used for making positive-tone PDMS stamps, are fabricated by using photolithographic technique. The shortcomings of photolithography are a relative high-cost process and require extensive processing time and heavy capital investment to build and maintain the fabrication facilities. The goal of this study is to fabricate a negative-tone master by using Nano-indenter based patterning technique. Various sizes of V-grooves and U-groove were fabricated by using the combination of nanoscratch and HF isotropic etching technique. An achieved negative-tone structure was used as a master in the PDMS replica molding process to fabricate a positive-tone PDMS stamp.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.268-273
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• 2009

Ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL), which is performed at a low pressure and at room temperature, is known as a low cost method for the fabrication of nano-scale patterns. In the patterning process, maintaining the uniformity of the residual layer is critical as the pattern transfer of features to the substrate must include the timed etch of the residual layer prior to the etching of the transfer layer. In pursuit of a thin and uniform residual layer thickness, the initial volume and the position of each droplet both need to be optimized. However, the monomer mixtures of resin had a tendency to evaporate. The evaporation rate depends on not only time, but also the initial volume of the monomer droplet. In order to decide the initial volume of each droplet, the accurate prediction of evaporation behavior is required. In this study, the theoretical model of the evaporation behavior of resin droplets was developed and compared with the available experimental data in the literature. It is confirmed that the evaporation rate of a droplet is not proportional to the area of its free surface, but to the length of its contact line. Finally, the parameter of the developed theoretical model was calculated by curve fitting to decide the initial volume of resin droplets.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.08a
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• pp.132-132
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• 2010

In the nano-scale Si processing, patterning processes based on multilevel resist structures becoming more critical due to continuously decreasing resist thickness and feature size. In particular, highly selective etching of the first dielectric layer with resist patterns are great importance. In this work, process window for the infinitely high etch selectivity of silicon oxynitride (SiON) layers and silicon nitride (Si3N4) with EUV resist was investigated during etching of SiON/EUV resist and Si3N4/EUV resist in a CH2F2/N2/Ar dual-frequency superimposed capacitive coupled plasma (DFS-CCP) by varying the process parameters, such as the CH2F2 and N2 flow ratio and low-frequency source power (PLF). It was found that the CH2F2/N2 flow ratio was found to play a critical role in determining the process window for ultra high etch selectivity, due to the differences in change of the degree of polymerization on SiON, Si3N4, and EUV resist. Control of N2 flow ratio gave the possibility of obtaining the ultra high etch selectivity by keeping the steady-state hydrofluorocarbon layer thickness thin on the SiON and Si3N4 surface due to effective formation of HCN etch by-products and, in turn, in continuous SiON and Si3N4 etching, while the hydrofluorocarbon layer is deposited on the EUV resist surface.