• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.149-161
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• 2004

The fusion of nano technology and information technology is essential to sustain the present growth rate and to induce new industry in this ever-growing information age. Considering Korean industry whose competitiveness lies heavily on information related technologies, this field will be inevitable for future. Nano materials can be described as novel materials whose size of elemental structure has been engineered at the nanometer scale. Materials in the nanometer size range exhibit fundamentally new behavior, as their size falls below the critical length scale associated with any given property. " Bottom-up' techniques involve manipulating individual atoms and molecules. Bottom-up process usually implies controlled or directed self assembly of atoms and molecules into nano structures. It resembles more closely the processes of biology and chemistry, where atoms and molecules come together to create structures such as crystals or living cells. Nano scale sensors are included in the electronics area since the diverse sensing mechanisms are often housed on a semiconductor substrate and usually give rise to an electronic signal. The application of nano technology to the chemical sensors should allow improvements in functionality such as gas sensing. In this presentation, we will discuss about the nano scale information materials and devices fabricated by using the organic/inorganic nano templates.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.518-522
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• 2008

The miniaturization of device size and multilevel interlayers have been developed by ULSI circuit devices. These submicron processes cause serious problems in conventional metallization due to the solubility of silicon and metal at the interface, such as an increasing contact resistance in the contact hole and interdiffusion between metal and silicon. Therefore it is necessary to implement a barrier layer between Si and metal. Thus, the size of multilevel interconnection of ULSI devices is critical metallization schemes, and it is necessary reduce the RC time delay for device speed performance. So it is tendency to study the Cu metallization for interconnect of semiconductor processes. However, at the submicron process the interaction between Si and Cu is so strong and detrimental to the electrical performance of Si even at temperatures below $200^{\circ}C$. Thus, we suggest the tungsten-carbon-nitrogen (W-C-N) thin film for Cu diffusion barrier characterized by nano scale indentation system. Nano-indentation system was proposed as an in-situ and nanometer-order local stress analysis technique.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.02a
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• pp.229-229
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• 2010

With the scaling down of ultra large integrated circuits (ULSI) to the sub-50 nm technology node, the need for an ultra-thin, continuous and conformal diffusion barrier and Cu seed layer is increasing. However, diffusion barrier and Cu seed layer formation with a physical vapor deposition (PVD) method has become difficult as the technology node is reduced to 30 nm and beyond. Recent work on self-forming barrier processes using PVD Cu alloys have attracted great attention due to the capability of conformal ultra-thin barrier formation using a simple technique. However, as in the case of the conventional barrier and Cu seed layer, PVD of the Cu alloy seed layer will eventually encounter the difficulty in conformal deposition in narrow line trenches and via holes. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been known for its good step coverage and precise thickness control, and is a candidate technique for the formation of a thin conformal barrier layer and Cu seed layer. Conformal Cu-Mn seed layers were deposited by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) at low temperature ($120^{\circ}C$), and the Mn content in the Cu-Mn alloys were controlled form 0 to approximately 10 atomic percent with various Mn precursor feeding times. Resistivity of the Cu-Mn alloy films decreased by annealing due to out-diffusion of Mn atoms. Out-diffused Mn atoms were segregated to the surface of the film and interface between a Cu-Mn alloy and $SiO_2$, resulting in self-formed $MnO_x$ and $MnSi_xO_y$, respectively. No inter-diffusion was observed between Cu and $SiO_2$ after annealing at $500^{\circ}C$ for 12 h, indicating an excellent diffusion barrier property of the $MnSi_xO_y$. The adhesion between Cu and $SiO_2$ was enhanced by the formation of $MnSi_xO_y$. Continuous and conductive Cu-Mn seed layers were deposited with PEALD into 32 nm $SiO_2$ trench, enabling a low temperature process, and the trench was perfectly filled using electrochemical plating (ECD) under conventional conditions. Thus, it is the resultant self-forming barrier process with PEALD Cu-Mn alloy film as a seed layer for plating Cu that has further potential to meet the requirement of the smaller than 30 nm node.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2019

In order to develop novel thermal imaging materials for microbolometer applications, $[(Ni_{0.3}Mn_{0.7})_{1-x}Cu_x]_3O_4$ ($0.18{\leq}x{\leq}0.26$) thin films were fabricated using metal-organic decomposition. Effects of Cu content on the electrical properties of the annealed films were investigated. Spinel thin films with a thickness of approximately 100 nm were obtained from the $[(Ni_{0.3}Mn_{0.7})_{1-x}Cu_x]_3O_4$ films annealed at $380^{\circ}C$ for five hours. The resistivity (${\rho}$) of the annealed films was analyzed with respect to the small polaron hopping model. Based on the $Mn^{3+}/Mn^{4+}$ ratio values obtained through x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, the hopping mechanism between $Mn^{3+}$ and $Mn^{4+}$ cations discussed in the proposed study. The effects of $Cu^+$ and $Cu^{2+}$ cations on the hopping mechanism is also discussed. Obtained results indicate that $[(Ni_{0.3}Mn_{0.7})_{1-x}Cu_x]_3O_4$ thin films with low temperature annealing and superior electrical properties (${\rho}{\leq}54.83{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$, temperature coefficient of resistance > -2.62%/K) can be effectively employed in applications involving complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated microbolometer devices.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.13-19
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• 2021

This study examined the effects of stacking faults on the thermoelectric properties for n-type SiC semiconductors. Porous SiC semiconductors with 30~42 % porosity were fabricated by the heat treatment of pressed ��-SiC powder compacts at 1600~2100 ℃ for 20~120 min in an N2 atmosphere. XRD was performed to examine the stacking faults, lattice strain, and precise lattice parameters of the specimens. The porosity and surface area were analyzed, and SEM, TEM, and HRTEM were carried out to examine the microstructure. The electrical conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient were measured at 550~900 ℃ in an Ar atmosphere. The electrical conductivity increased with increasing heat treatment temperature and time, which might be due to an increase in carrier concentration and improvement in grain-to-grain connectivity. The Seebeck coefficients were negative due to nitrogen behaving as a donor, and their absolute values also increased with increasing heat treatment temperature and time. This might be due to a decrease in stacking fault density, i.e., a decrease in stacking fault density accompanied by grain growth and crystallite growth must have increased the phonon mean free path, enhancing the phonon-drag effect, leading to a larger Seebeck coefficient.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.143-149
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• 2021

In this study, (GaN)_1-x(ZnO)_x solid solution nanoparticles with a high zinc content are prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis and subsequent nitridation. The structure and morphology of the samples are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The characterization results show a phase transition from the Zn and Ga-based oxides (ZnO or ZnGa₂O₄) to a (GaN)_1-x(ZnO)_x solid solution under an NH3 atmosphere. The effect of the precursor solution concentration and nitridation temperature on the final products are systematically investigated to obtain (GaN)_1-x(ZnO)_x nanoparticles with a high Zn concentration. It is confirmed that the powder synthesized from the solution in which the ratio of Zn and Ga was set to 0.8:0.2, as the initial precursor composition was composed of about 0.8-mole fraction of Zn, similar to the initially set one, through nitriding treatment at 700℃. Besides, the synthesized nanoparticles exhibited the typical XRD pattern of (GaN)_1-x(ZnO)_x, and a strong absorption of visible light with a bandgap energy of approximately 2.78 eV, confirming their potential use as a hydrogen production photocatalyst.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.81-85
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• 2007

MnTe layers of high crystalline quality were successfully grown on Si(100) : B and Si(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Under tellurium-rich condition and the substrate temperature around $400^{\circ}C$, a layer thickness of $700{\AA}$ could be easily obtained with the growth rate of $1.1 {\AA}/s$. We investigated the structural, magnetic and transport properties of MnTe layers by using x-ray diffraction (XRD), superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry, and physical properties measurement system (PPMS). Characterization of MnTe layers on Si(100) : B and Si(111) substrates by XRD revealed a hexagonal structure of polycrystals with lattice parameters, ${\alpha}=4.143{\pm}0.001{\AA}\;and\;c=6.707{\pm}0.001{\AA}$. Investigation of magnetic and transport properties of MnTe films showed anomalies unlike antiferromagnetic powder MnTe. The temperature dependence of the magnetization data taken in zero-field-tooling (ZFC) and field-cooling (FC) conditions indicates three magnetic transitions at around 21, 49, and 210 K as well as the great irreversibility between ZFC and FC magnetization in the films. These anomalies are attributable to a magnetic-elastic coupling in the films. Magnetization measurements indicate ferromagnetic behaviour with hysteresis loops at 5 and 300 K for MnTe polycrystalline film. The coercivity ($H_c$) values at 5 and 300 K are 55 and 44 Oe, respectively. In electro-transport measurements, the temperature dependence of resistivity revealed a noticeable semiconducting behaviours and showed conduction via Mott variable range hopping at low temperatures.