This study suggested comprehensive structural characterization methods for the commercial blue light emitting diodes(LEDs). By using the Z-contrast intensity profile of Cs-corrected high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscope(HAADF-STEM) images from a commercial lateral GaN-based blue light emitting diode, we obtained important structural information on the epilayer structure of the LED, which would have beendifficult to obtain by conventional analysis. This method was simple but very powerful to obtain structural and chemical information on epi-structures in a nanometer-scale resolution. One of the examples was that we could determine whether the barrier in the multi-quantum well(MQW) was GaN or InGaN. Plan-view TEM observations were performed from the commercial blue LED to characterize the threading dislocations(TDs) and the related V-pit defects. Each TD observed in the region with the total LED epilayer structure including the MQW showed V-pit defects for almost of TDs independent of the TD types: edge-, screw-, mixed TDs. The total TD density from the region with the total LED epilayer structure including the MQW was about 3.6 × 108 cm−2 with a relative ratio of Edge- : Screw- :Mixed-TD portion as 80%: 7%: 13%. However, in the mesa etched region without the MQW total TD density was about 2.5 × 108 cm−2 with a relative ratio of Edge- : Screw- :Mixed TD portion of 86%: 5%: 9 %. The higher TD density in the total LED epilayer structure implied new generation of TDs mostly from the MQW region.

생물체의 활동 특히 미생물의 활동은 직·간접적으로 전 지구적으로 분포하는 퇴적물 및 암석 내부 광물의 형성 및 변형에 영향을 주고, 일부는 특징적인 생물기원구조를 형성한다. 특히, 특징적인 생물기원구조에 분포하는 광물은 기존에 알려진 무기적 과정을 통하여 형성되기 어려운 환경에서 형성되기도 하고, 무기적 과정을 통하여 형성된 광물과는 다른 물성 및 특성을 나타낸다. 이러한 생물체의 영향을 받아 형성된 생물기원구조에 대해 연구·분석하는 것은 새로운 광물 형성 메커니즘을 규명하는데 필수적이라 할 수 있다. 따라서 본 논문은 심해저 망간각 및 해저열수분출공 지역 미생물 매트 시료를 예로 들어, 주사전자현미경 분석을 통한 자연환경에 분포하는 생물기원구조 관찰에 대해 소개하고 분석방법, 장점 및 활용에 대해 설명하고자 한다.