• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.347-352
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• 2010

This study reports a novel method off abricating highly sensitive hydrogen gas sensors based on PdO thin films. The PdO thin films with a thickness of 40 nm were deposited on Si substrates under Ar and $O_2$ ambient conditions using a reactive de magnetron sputtering system. Considerable changes in the resistance of the palladium oxide thin films were observed when they were initially exposed to hydrogen gas, as a result of the reduction process. The sensitivity of the PdO thin films was found to be as high as 90%. After the thin films were exposed to hydrogen gas, the nano-sized cracks were discovered to have formed on the surface of the PdO thin films. These types of nano-cracks that formed on the deoxidized PdO thin films are known to play a key role incausing a four-fold reduction of the response time of the absorption process. The results of this study demonstrate that deoxidized PdO thin films can be applied for use in the creation of high-sensitivity hydrogen sensors.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.275-280
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• 2022

An all-solid-state electrochromic film was fabricated by laminating tungsten oxide (WO₃) and nickel oxide (NiO) thin films deposited by a reactive DC magnetron sputtering on flexible ITO films. The influence of oxygen partial pressure on the crystal structure, microstructure, optical properties, and electrochromic properties of WO₃ and NiO thin films were investigated. WO₃ and NiO films showed the best electrochromic properties under the flow of Ar:O₂=80:20 and Ar:O₂=90:10, respectively. The EC film fabricated with an optimized WO₃ and NiO films showed a high coloration efficiency, a fast response time, and a stable optical modulation. It is expected that flexible EC window films will pave the way for the next-generation energy-saving windows.

• Proceedings of the Korean Magnestics Society Conference
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• 2000.09a
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• pp.492-499
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• 2000

Co-Ni-Fe-N thin films were fabricated by a N$\sub$2/ reactive rf magnetron sputtering method. The nitrogen partial pressure (P$\sub$N2/) was varied in the range of 0∼10%. As P$\sub$N2/ increases in this range, the saturation magnetization (B$\sub$s/) linearly decreases from 19.8 kG to 14 kG and the electrical resistivity ($\rho$) increased from 27 to 155 ${\mu}$$\Omega$cm. The coercivity (H$\sub$c/) exhibits the minimum value at 4% of P$\sub$N2/. The magnetic anisotropy (H$\sub$k/) are in the range of 20∼50 Oe. High frequency characteristics of (Co$\sub$22.2/Ni$\sub$27.6/Fe$\sub$50.2/)$\sub$100-x/N$\sub$x/ films are excellent in the range of 3∼5% of P$\sub$N2/. Especially the effective permeability of the film fabricated at 4% of P$\sub$N2/ is 800, which is maintained up to 600 MHz. This film also shows Bs of 17.5 kG, H$\sub$c/ of 1.4 Oe, resistivity of 98 $\Omega$cm and H$\sub$k/ of about 25 Oe. Also, the corrosion resistance of (Co$\sub$22.2/Ni$\sub$27.6/Fe$\sub$50.2/)$\sub$100-x/N$\sub$x/ were improved with the increase in N concentration.

• Clean Technology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.202-209
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• 2009

N-incorporated $WO_3$ ($WO_3$:N) films were synthesized using a reactive RF magnetron sputtering on unheated substrate and then post-annealed at different temperatures from 300 to $500^{\circ}C$ in air. The N anion narrowed optical band gap, due to its mixing effect with the O 2p valence states. Furthermore, it was found that the crystallinity of the $WO_3$:N films was significantly improved by the post-annealing at $350^{\circ}C$ and higher. As a result, the $WO_3$:N films exhibited much better photoelectrochemical performance, compared with pure $WO_3$ films post-annealed at the same temperature.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.363-369
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• 2002

We have designed conductive transparent filters using a low-emissivity coating such as [dielectric|Ag|dielectric] for display applications. The design is the repetition of [$TiO_{2}$|Ti|Ag |$TiO_{2}$] to increase the transmittance in the visible and decrease the transmittance in the near IR. The conductive transparent filters are deposited by a radio frequency(RF) magnetron sputtering system. The optical, structural and electrical properties of the filters were investigated and the optical spectra are compared with simulated spectra. The thickness of the deposited Ag films is above 13 ㎚ to increase the conductivity and that of $TiO_{2}$ films is 24 ㎚ to increase the transmittance in the visible range. Ti blockers are employed to prevent the Ag films from being oxidized by an oxygen gas during the reactive sputtering process. Also, it is shown that the thicker Ti film is necessary as the period increases. Finally, a filter with repetition of the basic structure three times shows the better cut-off near infrared(NIR) and the sheet resistance as low as 2Ω/□ which is enough to shield an unnecessary electromagnetic waves for a display panel.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.471-475
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• 2006

$VO_x$ thin films with the thickness of 450 nm were prepared on a $Pt/Ti/SiO_{2}/Si$ substrate at room temperature by a reactive radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering method. The deposition rates of $VO_x$ thin films were investigated as a function of $O_{2}$ concentration and rf power. As the $O_{2}$ concentration in a $O_{2}/Ar$ mixture increased, the deposition rate decreased. However, the deposition rate increased with increasing rf power. The deposited $VO_x$ thin films were annealed at $450^{\circ}C$ for 2, 4, and 6 h in $O_{2}$ and $N_{2}$ ambient. After annealing, the phase changes of $VO_x$ thin films were investigated using X-ray diffraction analysis. The plane and cross-sectional views of $VO_x$ thin films before and after annealing were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The metal-insulator transition (MIT) properties of $VO_x$ thin films were measured using current-voltage measurement. The excellent MIT properties were observed in $VO_x$ thin films annealed in $O_{2}$ ambient.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.400-406
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• 1997

The electrical and physical characteristics of aluminum oxide and Pt thin films on it, deposited by reactive sputtering and DC magnetron sputtering, respectively, were analyzed with increasing annealing temperature($400{\sim}800^{\circ}C$) by four point probe, SEM and XRD. Under $600^{\circ}C$ of annealing temperature, aluminum oxide had the properties of improving Pt adhesion to $SiO_{2}$ and insulation without chemical reaction to Pt thin films and the resistivity of Pt thin films was improved. But these properties of aluminum oxide and Pt thin films on it were degraded over $700^{\circ}C$ of annealing temperature because aluminum oxide was changed into metal aluminum and then reacted to Pt thin films deposited on it. The thermal characteristics of Pt micro heater were analyzed with Pt-RTD integrated on the same substrate. In the analysis of properties of Pt micro heater, active area was smaller size, Pt micro heater had better thermal characteristics. The temperature of Pt micro heater with active area, $200{\mu}m{\times}200{\mu}m$ was up to $400^{\circ}C$ with 1.5watts of the heating power.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.768-771
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• 2005

The deposition of silicon nitride ($SiN_x$) thin films was carried out on $SiO_2/Si$ substrate at room temperature by reactive dc magnetron sputtering. The analysis of deposited $SiN_x$ films using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that the composition of $SiN_x$ films was Si-rich. The deposited $SiN_x$ thin films were annealed by varying annealing temperature and time. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was performed in order to examine the crystallization of Si in $SiN_x$ thin films. The optical and electrical properties of $SiN_x$ thin films were measured for the observation of Si nanodot. As a result, we observed the XRD peaks that might be the Si crystals. As the annealing time and annealing temperature increased, the photoluminescence intensity of $SiN_x$ films gradually increased. The capacitance-voltage characteristics of $SiN_x$ film measured before and after annealing indicated that the trap effect of electrons or holes occurred due to the existence Si nanodots in the $SiN_x$ thin films.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.129-129
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• 2016

Graphene, as a single layer of $sp^2$-bonded carbon atoms packed into a 2D honeycomb crystal lattice, has attracted much attention due to its outstanding properties. In order to synthesize high quality graphene, transition metals, such as nickel and copper, have been widely employed as catalysts, which needs transfer to desired substrates for various applications. However, the transfer steps are not only complicated but also inevitably induce defects, impurities, wrinkles, and cracks of graphene. Furthermore, the direct synthesis of graphene on dielectric surfaces has still been a premature field for practical applications. Therefore, cost effective and concise methods for transfer-free graphene are essentially required for commercialization. Here, we report a facile transfer-free graphene synthesis method through nickel and carbon co-deposited layer. In order to fabricate 100 nm thick NiC layer on the top of $SiO_2/Si$ substrates, DC reactive magnetron sputtering was performed at a gas pressure of 2 mTorr with various Ar : $CH_4$ gas flow ratio and the 200 W DC input power was applied to a Ni target at room temperature. Then, the sample was annealed under 200 sccm Ar flow and pressure of 1 Torr at $1000^{\circ}C$ for 4 min employing a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) equipment. During the RTA process, the carbon atoms diffused through the NiC layer and deposited on both sides of the NiC layer to form graphene upon cooling. The remained NiC layer was removed by using a 0.5 M $FeCl_3$ aqueous solution, and graphene was then directly obtained on $SiO_2/Si$ without any transfer process. In order to confirm the quality of resulted graphene layer, Raman spectroscopy was implemented. Raman mapping revealed that the resulted graphene was at high quality with low degree of $sp^3$-type structural defects. Additionally, sheet resistance and transmittance of the produced graphene were analyzed by a four-point probe method and UV-vis spectroscopy, respectively. This facile non-transfer process would consequently facilitate the future graphene research and industrial applications.

• Proceedings of the Korea Crystallographic Association Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.45-47
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• 2002

반도체 소자의 고집적화 및 고속화가 요구됨에 따라 MOSFET 구조의 게이트 절연막으로 사용되고 있는 SiO₂ 박막의 두께를 감소시키려는 노력이 이루어지고 있다. 0.1㎛ 이하의 소자를 위해서는 15Å 이하의 두께를 갖는 SiO₂가 요구된다. 하지만 두께감소는 절연체의 두께와 지수적인 관계가 있는 누설전류를 증가시킨다[1-3]. 따라서 같은 게이트 개패시턴스를 유지하면서 누설전류를 감소시키기 위해서는 높은 유전상수를 갖는 두꺼운 박막이 요구되는 것이다. 그러므로 약 25정도의 높은 유전상수를 갖고 5.2～7.8 eV 정도의 비교적 높은 bandgap을 갖으며, 실리콘과 열역학적으로 안정한 물질로 알려진 HfO2[4-5]가 최근 큰 관심을 끌고 있다. 본 연구에서는 HfO₂ 박막을 실제 소자에 적용하기 위하여 전극 및 열처리에 따른 HfO₂ 박막의 미세구조 및 전기적 특성에 관한 연구를 수행하였다. 이를 위해, HfO₂ 박막을 reactive DC magnetron sputtering 방법으로 증착하고, XRD, TEM, XPS를 사용하여 ZrO₂ 박막의 미세구조를 관찰하였으며, MOS 캐패시터 구조의 C-V 및 I-V 특성을 측정하여 HfO₂ 박막의 전기적 특성을 관찰하였다. HfO₂ 타겟을 스퍼터링하면 Ar 스퍼터링에 의해 에너지를 가진 산소가 기판에 스퍼터링되어 Si 기판과 반응하기 때문에 HfO₂ 박막 형성과 더불어 Si 기판이 산화된다[6]. 그래서 HfO₂같은 금속 산화물 타겟 대신에 순수 금속인 Hf 타겟을 사용하고 반응성 기체로 O₂를 유입시켜 타겟이나 시편위에서 high-k 산화물을 만들면 SiO/sub X/ 계면층을 제어할 수 있다. 이때 저유전율을 갖는 계면층은 증착과 열처리 과정에서 형성되고 특히 500℃ 이상에서 high-k/Si를 열처리하면 계면 SiO₂층은 증가하는 데, 이것은 산소가 HfO₂의 high-k 박막층을 뚫고 확산하여 Si 기판을 급속히 산화시키기 때문이다. 본 방법은 증착에 앞서 Si 표면을 희석된 HF를 이용해 자연 산화막과 오염원을 제거한 후 Hf 금속층과 HfO₂ 박막을 직류 스퍼터링으로 증착하였다. 우선 Hf 긍속층이 Ar 가스 만의 분위기에서 증착되고 난 후 공기중에 노출되지 않고 연속으로 Ar/O₂ 가스 혼합 분위기에서 반응 스퍼터링 방법으로 HfO₂를 형성하였다. 일반적으로 Si 기판의 표면 위에 자연적으로 생기는 비정질 자연 산화막의 두께는 10～15Å이다. 그러나 Hf을 증착한 후 단면 TEM으로 HfO₂/Si 계면을 관찰하면 자연 산화막이 Hf 환원으로 제거되기 때문에 비정질 SiO₂ 층은 관찰되지 않았다. 본 실험에서는 HfO2의 두께를 고정하고 Hf층의 두께를 변수로 한 게이트 stack의 물리적 특성을 살펴보았다. 선증착되는 Hf 금속층을 0, 10, 25Å의 두께 (TEM 기준으로 한 실제 물리적 두께) 로 증착시키고 미세구조를 관찰하였다. Fig. 1(a)에서 볼 수 있듯이 Hf 금속층의 두께가 0Å일때 13Å의 HfO₂를 반응성 스퍼터링 방법으로 증착하면 HfO₂와 Si 기판 사이에는 25Å의 계면층이 생기며, 이것은 Ar/O₂의 혼합 분위기에서의 스퍼터링으로 인한 Si-rich 산화막 또는 SiO₂ 박막일 것이다. Hf 금속층의 두께를 증가시키면 계면층의 성장은 억제되는데 25Å의 Hf 금속을 증착시키면 HfO₂ 계면층은 10Å미만으로 관찰된다. 그러므로 Hf 금속층이 충분히 얇으면 플라즈마내 산소 라디칼, 이온, 그리고 분자가 HfO₂ 층을 뚫고 Si 기판으로 확산되어 SiO₂의 계면층을 성장시키고 Hf 금속층이 두꺼우면 SiO/sub X/ 계면층을 환원시키면서 Si 기판으로의 산소의 확산은 막기 때문에 계면층의 성장은 억제된다. 따라서 HfO₂/Hf(Variable)/Si 계에서 HfO₂ 박막이 Si 기판위에 직접 증착되면, 순수 HfO₂ 박막의 두께보다 높은 CET값을 보이고 Hf 금속층의 두께를 증가시키면 CET는 급격하게 감소한다. 그러므로 HfO₂/Hf 박막의 유효 유전율은 단순 반응성 스퍼터링에 의해 형성된 HfO₂ 박막의 유전율보다 크다. Fig. 2에서 볼 수 있듯이 Hf 금속층이 너무 얇으면 계면층의 두께가 두꺼워 지고 Hf 금속층이 두꺼우면 HfO₂층의 물리적 두께가 두꺼워지므로 CET나 EOT 곡선은 U자 형태를 그린다. Fig. 3에서 Hf 10초 (THf=25Å) 에서 정전 용량이 최대가 되고 CET가 20Å 이상일 때는 high-k 두께를 제어해야 하지만 20Å 미만의 두께를 유지하려면 계면층의 두께를 제어해야 한다.