• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.3-12
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• 1988

Epilayer growing process has been recognized as a key technology for successful GaAs based devices and integrations. These may include HEMT, multiple quantum well structures, band gap engineering, and quantum confinement heterostructures. The fabrication of epilayers in these devices must meet very stringent requirements in terms of crystallinity, composition, film thickness and interface quality. In particular, the quality of interfaces is getting more important because the film thickness, and flatness, roughness and stability at interface of ultrathin films cause critical effects on the device performance. This article reviews the current status of modern epitaxial techniques which have been developed in the last few years. First, the new techniques PLE, GI, MEE, TSL based on MBE technique will be reviewed and their technical importance will be stressed. Secondly, MOMBE, GSMBE, CBE which combine the advantages of MBE and MOCVD will also be discussed. Thirdly, the new sophisticated epitaxial technique, ALE, of which mechanism is totally different from others, will also be reviewed. Finally, areas which should be exploited more extensively to accomplish these techniques will be addressed.

• Vacuum Magazine
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.17-23
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• 2015

Medium Energy Ion Scattering (MEIS) has been successfully used for ultrathin film analysis such as gate oxides and multilayers due to its single atomic depth resolution in compostional and structural depth profiling. Recently, we developed a time-of-flight (TOF) MEIS for the first time, which can analyze a $10{\mu}m$ small spot. Small spot analysis would be useful for test pattern analysis in semiconductor industry and various thin film technology. The ion beam damage problem is minimized due to its improved collection efficiency by orders of magnitude and the ion beam neutralization problem is removed completely for quantitative analysis. Newly developed TOF-MEIS has been applied for gate oxides, ultra shallow junctions, nanoparticles, FINFET structures to provide compositional and structural profiles. Further development for submicron spot analysis and applications for functional nano thin films and nanostructured materials are expected for various nanotechnology and biotehnology.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.41 no.7
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• pp.753-759
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• 1992

For the fabrication of the microscale memory or electrical devices, Langmuir-Blodgett(LB) method is the most possible candidate. N-Alkylquinolium-TCNQ compounds were synthesized. The structure of the compounds were identified by the NMR spectroscopy and the purity were checked to be good by the elemental analysis. The surface pressure($\pi$) was measured at the air-water interface. The isotherm showed two transitions at 30mN/m and 45mN/m. The LB films were deposited by the home-made Kuhn type apparatus. The transfer ratio($\tau$) of the deposition was more than 0.95 for the up-stroke and less than 0.4 for the down-stroke. The absorbance peaks of the LB films appear at around 420nm and 700-820nm.

• Current Applied Physics
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.1185-1189
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• 2018

Thickness-dependent magnetic domain structure of ultrathin Co wedge films (0.3 nm-1.0 nm) sandwiched by Pt layers was investigated by scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) employing X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), utilizing elliptically polarized soft x-rays and electromagnetic fields, with a spatial resolution of 50 nm. The magnetic domain images measured at the Co $L_3$ edge showed the evolution of the magnetic domain structures from maze-like form to the bubble-like form as the perpendicular magnetic field was applied. The asymmetric domain expansion of a 500 nm-scale bubble domain was also measured when the in-plane and perpendicular external magnetic field were applied simultaneously.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.84-95
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• 2021

The power conversion efficiency of Cu₂ZnSnSe₄ (CZTSe) solar cells depends on the absorber layer thickness; however, changes in the characteristics of the cells with varying absorber layer thickness are unclear. In this study, we investigated the changes in the characteristics of CZTSe solar cells for varying absorber layer thickness. Five absorber thicknesses were employed: CZTSe1 2.78 ㎛, CZTSe2 1.01 ㎛, CZTSe3 0.55 ㎛, CZTSe4 0.29 ㎛, and CZTSe5 0.15-0.23 ㎛. The efficiency of the CZTSe solar cells decreased as the absorber thickness decreased, resulting in power conversion efficiencies of 10.45% (CZTSe1), 8.67% (CZTSe2), 7.14% (CZTSe3), 3.44% (CZTSe4), and 1.54% (CZTSe5). As the thickness of the CZTSe absorber layer decreased, the electron-hole recombination at the grain boundaries and the absorber-back-contact interface increased. This caused an increase in the current loss, owing to light loss in the long-wavelength region. In addition, as the thickness of the CZTSe absorber layer decreased, more ZnSe was produced, and the resulting defects and defect clusters led to an open-circuit voltage loss.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.165-172
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• 1998

Epitaxial ultrathin films of $CoSi_2$ and double heteroepitaxial structure of Si/$CoSi_2$/Si(lll) were prepared on Si(111)-$7\times{7}$ substrate by in situ solid-phase epitaxy in a ultrahigh vacuum(LHV). The phase, chemical composition, crystallinity, and the microsructure of the Si/$CoSi_2$/Si(lll) interface were investigated by 2-MeV $^4He^{++}$ ion backscattering spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The growth mode of the Co film was the Stransky-Krastanov type with texture when the substrate temperature was room temperature. A-type $CoSi_2$ ultrathin film was grown by deposition of about 50A Co on Si(ll1)-$7\times{7}$ substrate followed by in situ annealing at $700^{\circ}C$ for 10 min. The matching face relationships were $CoSi_2$[110]//Si[110] and $CoSi_2$(002)//Si(002) with no misorientation angle. The A-type $CoSi_2$/Si(lll) interface was abrupt and coherent. The best epi-Si/epi-$CoSi_2$2(A-type)/Si(lll) structure was obtained by deposition of Si film on the CoSii at $500^{\circ}C$ followed by in situ annealing at $700^{\circ}C$ for 10 min in UHV.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.272.1-272.1
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• 2016

In a three-dimensional topological insulator Bi2Se3, a stress control for band gap manipulation was predicted but no systematic investigation has been performed yet due to the requirement of large external stress. We report herein on the strain-dependent results for Bi2Se3 films of various thicknesses that are grown via a self-organized ordering process. Using small angle X-ray scattering and Raman spectroscopy, the changes of d-spacings in the crystal structure and phonon vibration shifts resulted from stress are clearly observed when the film thickness is below ten quintuple layers. From the UV photoemission/inverse photoemission spectroscopy (UPS/IPES) results and ab initio calculations, significant changes of the Fermi level and band gap were observed. The deformed band structure also exhibits a Van Hove singularity at specific energies in the UV absorption experiment and ab initio calculations. Our results, including the synthesis of a strained ultrathin topological insulator, suggest a new direction for electronic and spintronic applications for the future.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.400-406
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• 2009

We investigated the electrochemical properties for Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of functionalized polyimide. LB films of polyimide monolayer were deposited by the Langmuir-Blodgett method on the indium tin oxide(ITO) glass. The electrochemical properties measured by cyclic voltammetry with a three-electrode system(an Ag/AgCl reference electrode, a platinum wire counter electrode and LB film-coated ITO working electrode) at various concentrations(0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 N) of $NaClO_4$ solution. The current of reduction and oxidation range was measured from 1650 mV to -1350 mV, continuously. The scan rates were 50, 100 and 150 mV/s, respectively. As a result, monolayer and multilayer LB films of polyimide are appeared on irreversible process caused by the oxidation current from the cyclic voltammogram.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.404-411
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• 2012

The reliability of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) particularly depends on the high quality of solid oxide electrolytes. The application of thinner electrolytes and multi electrolyte layers requires a more reliable characterization method. Most of the investigations on thin film solid electrolytes have been made for the parallel transport along the interface, which is not however directly related to the fuel cell performance of those electrolytes. In this work an array of ion-blocking metallic Ti/Au microelectrodes with about a $160{\mu}m$ diameter was applied on top of an ultrathin ($1{\mu}m$) yttria-stabilized-zirconia/gadolinium-doped-ceria (YSZ/GDC) heterolayer solid electrolyte in a micro-SOFC prepared by PLD as well as an 8-${\mu}m$ thick YSZ layer by screen printing, to study the transport characteristics in the perpendicular direction relevant for fuel cell operation. While the capacitance variation in the electrode area supported the working principle of the measurement technique, other local variations could be related to the quality of the electrolyte layers and deposited electrode points. While the small electrode size and low temperature measurements increaseed the electrolyte resistances enough for the reliable estimation, the impedance spectra appeared to consist of only a large electrode polarization. Modulus representation distinguished two high frequency responses with resistance magnitude differing by orders of magnitude, which can be ascribed to the gadolinium-doped ceria buffer electrolyte layer with a 200 nm thickness and yttria-stabilized zirconia layer of about $1{\mu}m$. The major impedance response was attributed to the resistance due to electron hole conduction in GDC due to the ion-blocking top electrodes with activation energy of 0.7 eV. The respective conductivity values were obtained by model analysis using empirical Havriliak-Negami elements and by temperature adjustments with respect to the conductivity of the YSZ layers.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.634-643
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• 2002

Ultrathin film of polyamic acid having benzene and sulfonyloxyimide moieties was prepared using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique, and then photosensitive polyimide LB film was obtained by the thermal treatment of precursor polyamic acid multilayers at 200$\^{C}$ for 1 hr. The polyamic acid was synthesized by condensation polymerization under THF and pyridine cosolvent. All monomers and polymers were identified through elemental analysis, FT-IR and $^1$H-NMR spectroscopic measurements. The microarray patterning of photosensitive polyimide LB film on a gold substrate was generated with a deep UV lithography technique. The well-characterized monolayer of cytochrome c was immobilized on the microarray patterns using two different self-assembly processes. Physical and electrochemical properties of the self-assembled cytochrome c monolayer were investigated based on cyclic voltammetry and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Also, its application in bioelectronic device was examined.