Conductive and dielectric SiC are fabricated using electroless plating of Ni–Fe films on SiC chopped fibers to obtain lightweight and high-strength microwave absorbers. The electroless plating of Ni–Fe films is achieved using a two-step process of surface sensitizing and metal plating. The complex permeability and permittivity are measured for the composite specimens with the metalized SiC chopped fibers dispersed in a silicone rubber matrix. The original noncoated SiC fibers exhibit considerable dielectric losses. The complex permeability spectrum does not change significantly with the Ni–Fe coating. Moreover, dielectric constant is sensitively increased with Ni–Fe coating, owing to the increase of the space charge polarization. The improvements in absorption capability (lower reflection loss and small matching thickness) are evident with Ni–Fe coating on SiC fibers. For the composite SiC fibers coated with Ni–Fe thin films, a -35 dB reflection loss is predicted at 7.6 GHz with a matching thickness of 4 mm.

Ni-C composite films were prepared by co-deposition using a combined technique of plasma CVD and ion beam sputtering deposition. Depending on the deposition conditions, Ni-C thin films manifested three kinds of microstructure: (1) nanocrystallites of non-equilibrium carbide of nickel, (2) amorphous Ni-C film, and (3) granular Ni-C film. The electrical resistivity was also found to vary from about 102 μΩcm for the carbide films to about 104 μΩcm for the amorphous Ni-C films. The Ni-C films deposited at ambient temperatures showed very low TCR values compared with that of metallic nickel film, and all the films showed ohmic characterization, even those in the amorphous state with very high resistivity. The TCR value decreased slightly with increasing of the flow rate of CH4. For the films deposited at 200 oC, TCR decreased with increasing CH4 flow rate; especially, it changed sign from positive to negative at a CH4 flow rate of 0.35 sccm. By increasing the CH4 flow rate, the amorphous component in the film increased; thus, the portion of Ni3C grains separated from each other became larger, and the contribution to electrical conductivity due to thermally activated tunneling became dominant. This also accounts for the sign change of TCR when the filme was deposited at higher flow rate of CH4. The microstructures of the Ni-C films deposited in these ways range from amorphous Ni-C alloy to granular structures with Ni3C nanocrystallites. These films are characterized by high resistivity and low TCR values; the electrical properties can be adjusted over a wide range by controlling the microstructures and compositions of the films.

Mono- and few-layer graphenes were grown on Ni thin films by rapid-thermal pulse chemical vapor deposition technique. In the growth steps, the exposure step for 60 s in H2 (a flow rate of 10 sccm (standard cubic centimeters per minute)) atmosphere after graphene growth was specially established to improve the quality of the graphenes. The graphene films grown by exposure alone without H2 showed an intensity ratio of IG/I2D = 0.47, compared with a value of 0.38 in the films grown by exposure in H2 ambient. The quality of the graphenes can be improved by exposure for 60 s in H2 ambient after the growth of the graphene films. The physical properties of the graphene films were investigated for the graphene films grown on various Ni film thicknesses and on 260-nm thick Ni films annealed at 500 and 700˚C. The graphene films grown on 260-nm thick Ni films at 900˚C showed the lowest IG/I2D ratio, resulting in the fewest layers. The graphene films grown on Ni films annealed at 700˚C for 2 h showed a decrease of the number of layers. The graphene films were dependent on the thickness and the grain size of the Ni films.

기판온도 320˚C에서 알루미나 기판 위에 형성한 NTC 써미스터용 Mn-Ni계 산화물 박막의 산소가스 농도 변화와 막 형성 후 열처리에 따른 미세구조, 결정상 비저항, B정수 변화에 관하여 연구하였다. 미세구조는 주상 구조(columnar structure)를 지녔으며 열처리 온도가 증가함에 따라 700˚C 부근에서 등축 결정립 (equiaxed grain) 형태의 미세구조로 바뀌기 시작하였다. 박막의 결정상은 대부분 입방 스피넬 (cubic spinel) 상과 입방 Mn2O3, 상이 공존하였으며 산소농도 0.16%~0.7%의 경우 800˚C에서 열처리하였을 때 입방 스피넬 상만이 존재하였다. 분위기 산소의 농도가 증가함에 따라 비저항과 B정수도 급격하게 감소하다가 다소 증가하였으며, 600˚C-700˚C 로 열처리할 경우 이 값들이 대체로 낮고 안정된 특성을 보였다.

RF magnetron sputter로 알루미나 기판 위에 증착한 NTC 써미스터용 Mn-Ni계 산화물 박막의 기판온도 변화와 열처리에 따른 미세구조, 결정상, 비저항, B정수 변화에 관하여 연구하였다. 미세구조는 178˚C이하에서 증착한 막의 경우 fibrous microcrystalline이었고, 320˚C와 400˚C에서는 columnar grain 구조로 바뀌었다. 또한, 900˚C에서 열처리한 박막의 경우 equiaxed grain 형태의 미세구조를 나타내었다. 박막의 결정상은 대부분 입방 스피넬(cubic spinel)상과 Mn2O3 상이 공존하였고, 400˚C에서 증착한 경우 700˚C이상에서 열처리하면 입방 스피넬의 단상으로 바뀌었다. 기판온도가 증가함에 따라 비저항과 B정수도 급격하게 감소하였으며, 600˚C~700˚C로 열처리할 경우 이 값들이 대체로 낮고 안정된 특성을 보였다. 본 연구의 박막 시편들은 모두 NTC 써미스터의 특성을 나타내었다.

비정질 실리콘의 표면에 Ni과 Pd를 형성하여 측면으로의 결정화 속도를 향상시켰다. Ni에 의해 비정질 실리콘이 측면으로 결정화될 때 그 성장 속도는 500˚C에서 3wμm/hour였으며 이때의 활성화 에너지는 2.87eV로 나타났다. Pd의 경우는 Pd2Si의 형성에 의해 압축 응력이 유발되어 Pdrks의 간격이 좁을수록 측면으로의 결정화 속도가 증가하였다. Ni과 Pd을 각각 다른 부분에 증착시키고 결정화시키면 Ni에 의해 측면으로 결정화되는 속도가 Ni만으로 결정화시킬 때 보다 약 2배 이상의 측면결정화 속도를 보였다.