• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1987.07a
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• pp.436-438
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• 1987

The thermal oxidation recipe has been optimized for very thin (12 nm) capacitor oxide for Mega bit DRAM. The time dependent dielectric breakdown characteristics show that the breakdown voltage and time to breakdown are very high and uniform, indication that our oxide is defect free and suitable for DRAM capacitor dielectric. To our knowledge this is the best oxide quality obtained up tp now around 10 nm.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.73-79
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• 1995

The oxidation of silicon wafers is an essential step in the fabrication of semiconductor devices. It is known to induce degradation of electrical properties and lattice strain of Si substrate from thermal oxidation process due to charged interface and thermal expansion mismatch from thermally grown SiO, film. In this study, convergent beam electron diffraction technique is employed to directly measure the lattice strains in Si(100) and $4^{\circ}$ - off Si(100) substrates with thermally grown oxide layer at $1200^{\circ}C$ for three hours. The ratios of {773}-{973}/{773}-{953} Higher Order Laue Zone lines were used at [012] zone axis orientation. Lattice parameters of the Si substrate as a function of distance from the interface were determined from the computer simulation of diffraction patterns. Correction value for the accelerating voltage was 0.2kV for the kinematic simulation of the [012]. HOLZ patterns. The change in the lattice strain profile before and after removal of oxide films revealed the magnitudes of intrinsic strain and thermal strain components. It was shown that $4^{\circ}$ -off Si(100) had much lower intrinsic strain as surface steps provide effective sinks for the free Si atoms produced during thermal oxidation. Thermal strain in the Si substrate was in compression very close to the interface and high concentration of Si interstitials appeared to modify the thermal expansion coefficient of Si.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.34 no.9
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• pp.1227-1233
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• 2010

In the hot section of a gas turbine, the turbine blades were protected from high temperature by providing a thermal barrier coating (TBC) as well as by cooling air flowing through internal passages within the blades. The cooling air then passed through discrete holes on the blade surface, creating a film of cooling air that further protects the surface from the hot mainstream flow. The holes are subjected to stresses resulting from the lateral growth of thermally grown oxide, the thermal expansion misfit between the constituent layers, and the centrifugal force due to high-speed revolution; these stresses often result in cracking. In this study, the deformation and cracks occurring near a hole on a heat-resistant alloy subjected to thermo-mechanical cycling were investigated. The experiment showed that cracks formed around the hole depending on the applied stress level and the number of cycles. These results could be explained by our analytic solution.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.168-173
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• 2020

To analyze and describe the behavior and mechanisms occurring in the thermal oxidation process of AlN, bulk AlN single crystals were thermally treated with different temperatures. As a result, it was confirmed that full-scale oxidation of bulk AlN and growth of Al-oxide occurred from the temperature of 800℃, which confirmed that the weight% of O elements tended to increase while the N elements decreased with increasing the temperature. In the case of thermal treatment at 900℃, the grown Al-oxides were merged with neighboring Al-oxides and began to form α-Al₂O₃ poly-crystals. During thermal treatment at the temperature of 1000℃, hexagonal pyramidal shaped poly-crystalline α-Al₂O₃ was clearly observed. Through the X-ray diffraction pattern analysis, the changes of surface crystal structure according to the temperature of bulk AlN were investigated in detail.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.237-242
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• 2018

We report on the fabrication and photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of a ZnO nanorod array structure as an efficient photoelectrode for hydrogen production from sunlight-driven water splitting. Vertically aligned ZnO nanorods were grown on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate via seed-mediated hydrothermal synthesis method with the use of a ZnO nanoparticle seed layer, which was formed by thermally oxidizing a sputtered Zn metal thin film. The structural and morphological properties of the synthesized ZnO nanorods were examined using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, as well as Raman scattering. The PEC properties of the fabricated ZnO nanorod photoelectrode were evaluated by photocurrent conversion efficiency measurements under white light illumination. From the observed PEC current density versus voltage (J-V) behavior, the vertically aligned ZnO nanorod photoelectrode was found to exhibit a negligible dark current and high photocurrent density, e.g., $0.65mA/cm^2$ at 0.8 V vs Ag/AgCl in a 1 mM $Na_2SO_4$ electrolyte. In particular, a significant PEC performance was observed even at an applied bias of 0 V vs Ag/AgCl, which made the device self-powered.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.265-270
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• 2017

4H-SiC has attracted attention for high-power and high-temperature metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) for industrial and automotive applications. The gate oxide in the 4H-SiC MOS system is important for switching operations. Above $1000^{\circ}C$, thermal oxidation initiates $SiO_2$ layer formation on SiC; this is one advantage of 4H-SiC compared with other wide band-gap materials. However, if post-deposition annealing is not applied, thermally grown $SiO_2$ on 4H-SiC is limited by high oxide charges due to carbon clusters at the $SiC/SiO_2$ interface and near-interface states in $SiO_2$; this can be resolved via low-temperature deposition. In this study, low-temperature $SiO_2$ deposition on a Si substrate was optimized for $SiO_2/4H-SiC$ MOS capacitor fabrication; oxide formation proceeded without the need for post-deposition annealing. The $SiO_2/4H-SiC$ MOS capacitor samples demonstrated stable capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics, low voltage hysteresis, and a high breakdown field. Optimization of the treatment process is expected to further decrease the effective oxide charge density.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.283-288
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• 2019

MCrAlY overaly coatings are used as oxidation barrier coatings to prevent degradation of the underlying substrate in high temperature and oxidizing environment of the hot section of gas turbines. Therefore, oxidation resistance in high temperature is important property of MCrAlY coatings. Also, coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of MCrAlY have middle value of that of Ni-based superalloys and oxides, which have the effect of preventing the delamination of the surface oxides. Cyclic oxidation test is one of the most useful methods for evaluating the high temperature durability of coatings used in gas turbines. In this study, NiCoCrAlY overlay coatings were formed on Inconel 792(IN 792) substrates by vacuum plasma spraying process. Vacuum plasma sprayed NiCoCrAlY coatings and IN 792 susbstrates were exposed to 1000℃ one-hour cyclic oxidation environment. NiCoCrAlY coatings showed lower weight gain in short-term oxidation. In long-term oxidation, IN 792 substrates showed higher weight loss due to delamination of surface oxide but NiCoCrAlY coatings showed lower weight loss. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed α-Al2O3 and NiCr₂O₄ was formed during the cyclic oxidation test. Through cross-section observation using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis, thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer composed of α-Al₂O₃ and NiCr₂O₄ was formed and the thickness of TGO increased during 1000℃ cyclic oxidation test. β phase in upper side of NiCoCrAlY coating was depleted due to oxidation of Al and outer beta depletion zone thickness also increased as the cyclic oxidation time increased.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.308-309
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• 2016

Reducing surface recombination is a critical factor for high efficiency silicon solar cells. The passivation process is for reducing dangling bonds which are carrier. Tunnel oxide layer is one of main issues to achieve a good passivation between silicon wafer and emitter layer. Many research use wet-chemical oxidation or thermally grown which the highest conversion efficiencies have been reported so far. In this study, we deposit ultra-thin tunnel oxide layer by PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) using $N_2O$ plasma. Both side deposit tunnel oxide layer in different RF-power and phosphorus doped a-Si:H layer. After deposit, samples are annealed at $850^{\circ}C$ for 1 hour in $N_2$ gas atmosphere. After annealing, samples are measured lifetime and implied Voc (iVoc) by QSSPC (Quasi-Steady-State Photo Conductance). After measure, samples are annealed at $400^{\circ}C$ for 30 minute in $Ar/H_2$ gas atmosphere and then measure again lifetime and implied VOC. The lifetime is increase after all process also implied VOC. The highest results are lifetime $762{\mu}s$, implied Voc 733 mV at RF-power 200 W. The results of C-V measurement shows that Dit is increase when RF-power increase. Using this optimized tunnel oxide layer is attributed to increase iVoc. As a consequence, the cell efficiency is increased such as tunnel mechanism based solar cell application.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.276.2-276.2
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• 2016

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are promising candidates for light-to-energy conversion devices due to their low-cost, easy fabrication and relative high conversion efficiency. An important component of DSCs is counter electrode (CE) collect electrons from external circuit and reduct I3- to I-. The conventional CEs are thermally decomposed Pt on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates, which have shown excellent performance and stability. However, Pt is not suitable in terms of cost effect. In this report, we demonstrated that nickel sulfide thin films by atomic layer deposition (ALD)-using Nickel(1-dimethylamino-2-methyl-2-butanolate)2 and hydrogen sulfide at low temperatures of $90-200^{\circ}C$-could be good CEs in DSCs. Notably, ALD allows the thin films to grow with good reproducibility, precise thickness control and excellent conformality at the angstrom or monolayer level. The nickel sulfide films were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, hall measurements and cyclic voltammetry. The ALD grown nickel sulfide thin films showed high catalytic activity for the reduction of I3- to I- in DSC. The DSCs with the ALD-grown nickel sulfide thin films as CEs showed the solar cell efficiency of 7.12% which is comparable to that of the DSC with conventional Pt coated counter electrode (7.63%).

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.28.2-28.2
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• 2009

Cobalt thin film was fabricated by a novel NH3-based plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition(PE-ALD) using Co(CpAMD) precursor and $NH_3$ plasma. The PE-ALD Co thin films were produced well on both thermally grown oxide (100 nm) $SiO_2$ and Si(001) substrates. Chemical bonding states and compositions of PE-ALD Co films were analyzed by XPS and discussed in terms of resistivity and impurity level. Especially, we successfully developed PE-ALD Code position at very low growth temperature condition as low as $T_s=100^{\circ}C$, which enabled the fabrication of Co patterns through lift-off method after the deposition on PR patterned substrate without any thermal degradation.