Transparent thin films of pure and nickel-doped ZrO2 are grown successfully by sol-gel dip-coating technique. The structural and optical properties according to the different annealing temperatures (300 oC, 400 oC and 500 oC) are investigated. Analysis of crystallographic properties through X-ray diffraction pattern reveals an increase in crystallite size due to increase in crystallinity with temperature. All fabricated thin films are highly-oriented along (101) planes, which enhances the increase in nickel doping. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy are employed to confirm the homogeneity in surface morphology as well as the doping configuration of films. The extinction coefficient is found to be on the order of 102, showing the surface smoothness of deposited thin films. UV-visible spectroscopy reveals a decrease in the optical band gap with the increase in annealing temperature due to the increase in crystallite size. The variation in Urbach energy and defect density with doping and the change in annealing temperature are also studied.

Oxide semiconductor, represented by a-IGZO, has been commercialized in the market as active layer of TFTs of display backplanes due to its various advantages over a-Si. a-IGZO can be deposited at room temperature by RF magnetron sputtering process; however, additional thermal annealing above 300oC is required to obtain good semiconducting properties and stability. These temperature are too high for common flexible substrates like PET, PEN, and PI. In this work, effects of microwave annealing time on IGZO thin film and associated thin-film transistors are demonstrated. As the microwave annealing time increases, the electrical properties of a-IGZO TFT improve to a degree similar to that during thermal annealing. Optimal microwave annealed IGZO TFT exhibits mobility, SS, Vth, and VH of 6.45 cm2/Vs, 0.17 V/dec, 1.53 V, and 0.47 V, respectively. PBS and NBS stability tests confirm that microwave annealing can effectively improve the interface between the dielectric and the active layer.

본 논문에서는 유연/인쇄 전자 기술을 활용해 고성능의 유기물 반도체 기반 트랜지스터를 개발하고, 이를 통해 인공지능용 반도체 및 폴리모픽 전자회로에 응용하기 위해 공액구조 고분자 반도체 소재의 광파 어닐링 방법에 따른 특성 향상 효과를 연구하였다. 일반적으로 열처리를 위해 가장 많이 활용되는 핫플레이트의 경우 반도체 소자 특성의 균일도 문제와 높은 온도 및 열-용량으로 인한 플라스틱 기판 사용의 제한, 긴 어닐링 시간 등의 문제로 인해 실제 산업에서 활용하는데 어려움이 있다. 이를 해결하기 위해 광파를 활용한 효과적인 유기물 반도체 필름의 열처리 공정을 개발함으로써 Roll-to-Roll 방식의 고속/대면적 인쇄 공정에 적합한 열처리 방법과 반도체 층 전체의 높은 결정화도 유도를 통한 성능 향상과 소자 균일도 개선을 위한 방법을 개발하였다.

The effect of intercritical annealing temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-9Mn-0.2C- 3Al-0.5Si medium manganese steels containing Cu and Ni is investigated in this study. Six kinds of medium manganese steels are fabricated by varying the chemical composition and intercritical annealing temperature. Hardness and tensile tests are performed to examine the correlation of microstructure and mechanical properties for the intercritical annealed medium manganese steels containing Cu and Ni. The microstructures of all the steels are composed mostly of lath ferrite, reverted austenite and cementite, regardless of annealing temperature. The room-temperature tensile test results show that the yield and tensile strengths decrease with increasing intercritical annealing temperature due to higher volume fraction and larger thickness of reverted austenite. On the other hand, total and uniform elongations, and strain hardening exponent increase due to higher dislocation density because transformation-induced plasticity is promoted with increasing annealing temperature by reduction in reverted austenite stability.

Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4(CZTSSe) thin film solar cells areone of the most promising candidates for photovoltaic devices due to their earth-abundant composition, high absorption coefficient and appropriate band gap. The sputtering process is the main challenge to achieving high efficiency of CZTSSe solar cells for industrialization. In this study, we fabricated CZTSSe absorbers on Mo coated soda lime glass using different pressures during the annealing process. As an environmental strategy, the annealing process is performed with S and Se powder, without any toxic H2Se and/or H2S gases. Because CZTSSe thin films have a very narrow stable phase region, it is important to control the condition of the annealing process to achieve high efficiency of the solar cell. To identify the effect of process pressure during the sulfo-selenization, we experiment with varying initial pressure from 600 Torr to 800 Torr. We fabricate a CZTSSe thin film solar cell with 8.24 % efficiency, with 435 mV for open circuit voltage(VOC) and 36.98 mA/cm2 for short circuit current density(JSC), under a highest process pressure of 800 Torr.

This study investigates the directional recrystallization behavior of Ni based oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloy according to the zone annealing velocity. The zone annealing temperature is set as 1390oC, while the zone velocities are set as 2.5, 4, 6, and 10 cm/h, respectively. The initial microstructure observation of the as-extruded sample shows equiaxed grains of random orientation, with an average grain size of 530 nm. On the other hand, the zone annealed samples show a large deviation in grain size depending on the zone velocities. In particular, grains with a size of several millimeters are observed at 2.5-cm/h zone velocity. It is also found that the preferred orientation varies with the zone annealing velocity. On the basis of these results, this study discusses the role of zone velocities in the directional recrystallization of Ni base ODS alloy.

N-type porous silicon (PS) layers and thermally oxidized PS layers have been characterized by various measuring techniques such as photoluminescence (PL), Raman spectroscopy, IR, HRSEM and transmittance measurements. The top surface of PS layer shows a stronger photoluminescence peak than its bottom part, and this is ascribed to the difference in number of fine silicon particles of 2~3 nm in diameter. Observed characteristics of PL spectra are explained in terms of microstructures in the n-type PS layers. Common features for both p-type and n-type PS layers are as follows: the parts which can emit visible photoluminescence are not amorphous, but crystalline, and such parts are composed of nanocrystallites of several nm’s whose orientations are slightly different from Si substrate, and such fine silicon particles absorb much hydrogen atoms near the surfaces. Light emission is strongly dependent on such fine silicon particles. Photoluminescence is due to charge carrier confinement in such three dimensional structure (sponge-like structure). Characteristics of visible light emission from ntype PS can be explained in terms of modification of band structure accompanied by bandgap widening and localized levels in bandstructure. It is also shown that hydrogen and oxygen atoms existing on residual silicon parts play an important role on emission stability.

In this study, we investigated the effect of annealing conditions on the ferromagnetic resonance(FMR) of yttrium iron garnet (Y3Fe5O12, YIG) thin film prepared on gadolinium gallium garnet (Gd3Ga5O12, GGG) substrate. The YIG thin films were grown by rf magnetron sputtering at room temperature and were annealed at various temperatures from 700 to 1000 ˚C. FMR characteristics of the YIG thin films were investigated with a coplanar waveguide FMR measurement system in a frequency range from 5 to 20 GHz. X-ray diffraction(XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) were used to characterize the phase formation, crystal structure and composition of the YIG thin films. Field dependent magnetization curves at room temperature were obtained by using a vibrating sample magnetometer(VSM). The FMR measurements revealed that the resonance magnetic field was highly dependent on the annealing condition: the lowest FMR linewidth can be observed for the 800 ˚C annealed sample, which agrees with the VSM results. We also found that the Fe and O composition changes during the annealing process play important roles in the observed magnetic properties.

An effect of thermal annealing on activating phosphorus (P) atoms in ZnO nanorods (NR) grown using a hydrothermal process was investigated. NH4H2PO4 used as a dopant source reacted with Zn2+ ions and Zn3(PO4)2 sediment was produced in the solution. The fact that most of the input P elements are concentrated in the Zn3(PO4)2 sediment was confirmed using an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). After the hydrothermal process, ZnO NRs were synthesized and their PL peaks were exhibited at 405 and 500 nm because P atoms diffused to the ZnO crystal from the Zn3(PO4)2 particles. The solubility of the Zn3(PO4)2 initially formed sediment varied with the concentration of NH4OH. Before annealing, both the structural and the optical properties of the P-doped ZnO NR were changed by the variation of P doping concentration, which affected the ZnO lattice parameters. At low doping concentration of phosphorus in ZnO crystal, it was determined that a phosphorus atom substituted for a Zn site and interacted with two VZn, resulting in a PZn-2VZn complex, which is responsible for p-type conduction. After annealing, a shift of the PL peak was found to have occurred due to the unstable P doping state at high concentration of P, whereas at low concentration there was little shift of PL peak due to the stable P doping state.

Significant improvements in the switching voltage distribution are required for the development of unipolar resistivememory devices using MnOx thin films. The Vset of the as-grown MnOx film ranged from 1 to 6.2 V, whereas the Vset of theoxygen-annealed film ranged from 2.3 to 3 V. An excess of oxygen in an MnOx film leads to an increase in Mn4+ contentat the MnOx film surface with a subsequent change in the Mn4+/Mn3+ ratio at the surface. This was attributed to the changein Mn4+/Mn3+ ratios at the MnOx surface and to grain growth. Oxygen annealing is a possible solution for improving theswitching voltage distribution of MnOx thin films. In addition, crystalline MnOx can help stabilize the Vset and Vreset distributionin memory switching in a Ti/MnOx/Pt structure. The improved uniformity was attributed not only to the change of thecrystallinity but also to the redox reaction at the interface between Ti and MnOx.

In2O3 films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering on a glass substrate and then the effect of post depositionannealing in nitrogen atmosphere on the structural, optical and electrical properties of the films was investigated. Afterdeposition, the annealing process was conducted for 30 minutes at 200 and 400oC. XRD pattern analysis showed that the asdeposited films were amorphous. When the annealing temperature reached 200-400oC, the intensities of the In2O3 (222) majorpeak increased and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the In2O3 (222) peak decreased due to the crystallization. Thefilms annealed at 400oC showed a grain size of 28nm, which was larger than that of the as deposited amorphous films. Theoptical transmittance in the visible wavelength region also increased, while the electrical sheet resistance decreased. In this study,the films annealed at 400oC showed the highest optical transmittance of 76% and also showed the lowest sheet resistance of89Ω/□. The figure of merit reached a maximum of 7.2×10−4Ω−1 for the films annealed at 400oC. The effect of the annealingon the work-function of In2O3 films was considered. The work-function obtained from annealed films at 400oC was 7.0eV. Thus,the annealed In2O3 films are an alternative to ITO films for use as transparent anodes in OLEDs.

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.

This work presents a fabrication procedure to make large-area, size-tunable, periodically different shape metal arrays using nanosphere lithography (NSL) combined with ashing and annealing. A polystyrene (PS, 580 μm) monolayer, which was used as a mask, was obtained with a mixed solution of PS in methanol by multi-step spin coating. The mask morphology was changed by oxygen RIE (Reactive Ion Etching) ashing and temperature processing by microwave heating. The Au or Pt deposition resulted in size tunable nano patterns with different morphologies such as hole and dots. These processes allow outstanding control of the size and morphology of the particles. Various sizes of hole patterns were obtained by reducing the size of the PS sphere through the ashing process, and by increasing the size of the PS sphere through annealing treatment, which resulted in tcontrolling the size of the metallic nanoparticles from 30 nm to 230 nm.

Twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steels have attracted great attention due to their excellent mechanical properties of high tensile strength (over 800MPa) and high ductility (over 50%), which result from the high strain hardening due to the mechanical twin formation during plastic deformation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of annealing temperature and alloying elements on the mechanical properties of Fe-18Mn-0.6C TWIP steel. In 1.5%Al TWIP steel with 0.123%Ti content, the average recrystallized grain size was reduced to 2.5 μm by cold rolling and annealing at 800˚C for 5 min, because of the pinning effect of the fine TiC carbides on grain coarsening. The tensile strength was decreased and the ductility was improved with the increase of the annealing temperature. However, a reversion of hardness and yield strength happened between 750˚C and 800˚C due to TiC and M3C type precipitation. 0.56% Ni added TWIP steel exhibited relatively lower yield strength, because Ni precipitates were not formed during the annealing process. When this specimen was annealed at 800˚C for 5min, the tensile strength and elongation were revealed at 1096MPa and 61.8%, respectively.

Polymer Light Emitting Diodes (PLEDs) with an ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PVK/PFO-poss/LiF/Al structure were prepared on plasma-treated ITO/glass substrates using spin-coating and thermal evaporation methods. The annealing effects of the PFO-poss film when it acts as the emission layer were investigated by using electrical and optical property measurements. The annealing conditions of the PFO-poss emission film were 100 and 200˚C for 1, 2 and 3 hours, respectively. The luminance increased and the turn-on voltage decreased when the annealing temperature and treatment time increased. After examining the Luminance-Voltage (L-V) properties of the PLED, the maximum luminance was found to be 1497 cd/m2 at 11 V for the device when it was annealed at 200˚C for 3 hours. The peak intensity of the PLED emission spectra at approximately 525 nm in wavelength increased when the annealing temperature and time of the PFO-poss film increased. These results suggest that the light emission color shifted from blue to green.

Transparent Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) single-layer and ITO/Au/ITO multilayer films were deposited onglass substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering to compare the properties of the films. They were thenannealed in a vacuum of 1×10-2 Pa at temperatures ranging from 150 to 450oC for 20 min to determinethe effect of the annealing temperature on the properties of the films. As-deposited 100nm thick ITO filmsexhibit a sheet resistance of 130Ω/□ and optical transmittance of 77% at a wavelength length of 550nm. Byinserting a 5nm-thick Au layer in ITO/metal/ITO (IMI) films, the sheet resistance was decreased to as lowas 20Ω/□ and the optical transmittance was decreased to as little as 73% at 550nm. Post-deposition annealingof ITO/Au/ITO films led to considerably lower electrical resistivity and higher optical transparency. In the X-ray diffraction pattern, as-deposited ITO films did not show any diffraction peak, whereas as-deposited ITO/Au/ITO films have Au (222) and In2O3 (110) crystal planes. When the annealing temperature reached the 150- 450oC range, the both diffraction peak intensities increased significantly. A sheet resistance of 8Ω/□ and anoptical transmittance of 82% were obtained from the ITO/Au/ITO films annealed at 450oC.

The effect of annealing under argon atmosphere on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin films deposited at room temperature and 300˚C using Radio Frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering has been investigated. For the films deposited at room temperature, there was not any increase in hydrogen content and optical band gap of the films, and as a result, quality of the films was not improved under any annealing conditions. For the films deposited at 300˚C, on the other hand, significant increases in hydrogen content and optical band gap were observed, whereas values of microstructure parameter and dark conductivity were decreased upon annealing below 300˚C. In this study, it was proposed that the Si-HX bonding strength is closely related to deposition temperature. Also, the improvement in optical, electrical and structural properties of the films deposited at 300˚C was originated from thermally activated hydrogen bubbles, which were initially trapped at microvoids in the films.

The effect of silver nanoparticles (NPs) incorporation on the electronic properties of poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiphene) : poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT : PSS) films was investigated. The surface of silver NPs was stabilized with trisodium citrate to control the size of silver NPs and prevent their aggregation. We obtained ca. 5 nm sized silver NPs and dispersed NPs in PEDOT : PSS solution. Sheet resistance, surface morphology, bonding state, and work function values of the PEDOT : PSS films were modified by silver NPs incorporation as well as annealing temperature. Sodium in silver NPs solution could lead to a decrease of work function of PEDOT : PSS; however, large content of silver NPs have an effect on the increase in work function, resulting from charge localization on the silver NPs and a decrease in the number of charge-trapping-related defects by chemical bond formation.

The effect of annealing treatment conditions on the interfacial adhesion energy between electrolessplated Ni film and polyimide substrate was evaluated using a 180˚ peel test. Measured peel strength values are 26.9±0.8, 22.4±0.8, 21.9±1.5, 23.1±1.3, 16.1±2.0 and 14.3±1.3g/mm for annealing treatment times during 0, 1, 3, 5, 10, and 20 hours, respectively, at 200˚C in ambient environment. XPS and AES analysis results on peeled surfaces clearly reveal that the peeling occurs cohesively inside polyimide. This implies a degradation of polyimide structure due to oxygen diffusion through interface between Ni and polyimide, which is also closely related to the decrease in the interfacial adhesion energy due to thermal treatment in ambient conditions.

Single crystal ZnIn2S4 layers were grown on thoroughly etched semi-insulating GaAs(100) substrateat 450oC with hot wall epitaxy (HWE) system by evaporating ZnIn2S4 source at 610oC. The crystalline structureof the single crystal thin films was investigated by the photoluminescence (PL) and double crystal X-ray rockingcurve (DCRC). The temperature dependence of the energy band gap of the ZnIn2S4 obtained from theabsorption spectra was well described by the Varshni’s relation, Eg(T)=2.9514eV-(7.24×10−4eV/K)T2/(T＋489K). After the as-grown ZnIn2S4 single crystal thin films were annealed in Zn-, S-, and In-atmospheres, theorigin of point defects of ZnIn2S4 single crystal thin films has been investigated by the photoluminescence (PL)at 10K. The native defects of VZn, VS, Znint, and Sint obtained by PL measurements were classified as a donorsor acceptors type. And we concluded that the heat-treatment in the S-atmosphere converted ZnIn2S4 singlecrystal thin films to an optical p-type. Also, we confirmed that In in ZnIn2S4/GaAs did not form the nativedefects because In in ZnIn2S4 single crystal thin films existed in the form of stable bonds.