• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.43 no.10 s.293
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• pp.595-600
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• 2006

The preparation of $\beta$-SiAlON powder by SHS in the system of $Si-Al-SiO_2-NH_4F(\beta-Si_3N_4)$ was investigated in this study. In the preparation of SiAlON powder, the effect of gas pressure, compositions such as Si, $NH_4F$, \beta-Si_3N_4$ and additive in mixture on the reactivity were investigated. At 50 atm of the initial inert gas pressure in reactor, the optimum composition for the preparation of pure $\beta$-SiAlON was $3Si+Al+2SiO_2+NH_4F$. The $\beta$-SiAlON powder synthesized in this condition was a single phase $\beta$-SiAlON with a rod like morphology.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.197-200
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• 2014

We investigated the influence of blistering on $Al_2O_3$/SiON stacks and $Al_2O_3$/SiNx:H stacks passivation layers. $Al_2O_3$ film provides outstanding Si surface passivation quality. $Al_2O_3$ film as the rear passivation layer of a p-type Si solar cell is usually stacked with a capping layer, such as $SiO_2$, SiNx, and SiON films. These capping layers protect the thin $Al_2O_3$ layer from an Al electrode during the annealing process. We compared $Al_2O_3$/SiON stacks and $Al_2O_3$/SiNx:H stacks through surface morphology and minority carrier lifetime after annealing processes at $450^{\circ}C$ and $850^{\circ}C$. As a result, the $Al_2O_3$/SiON stacks were observed to produce less blister phenomenon than $Al_2O_3$/SiNx:H stacks. This can be explained by the differences in the H species content. In the process of depositing SiNx film, the rich H species in $NH_3$ source are diffused to the $Al_2O_3$ film. On the other hand, less hydrogen diffusion occurs in SiON film as it contains less H species than SiNx film. This blister phenomenon leads to an increase insurface defect density. Consequently, the $Al_2O_3$/SiON stacks had a higher minority carrier lifetime than the $Al_2O_3$/SiNx:H stacks.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.502-508
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• 2021

SiAlON-based ceramics are a type of oxynitride ceramics, which can be used as cutting tools for heat-resistant super alloys (HRSAs). These ceramics are derived from Si3N4 ceramics. SiAlON can be densified using gas-pressure reactive sintering from mixtures of oxides and nitrides. In this study, we prepare an α-/β-SiAlON ceramic composite with a composition of Yb_0.03Y_0.10Si_10.6Al_1.4O_1.0N_15.0. The structure and mechanical/thermal properties of the densified SiAlON specimen are characterized and compared with those of a commercial SiAlON cutting tool. By observing the crystallographic structures and microstructures, the constituent phases of each SiAlON ceramic, such as α-SiAlON, β-SiAlON, and intergranular phases, are identified. By evaluating the mechanical and thermal properties, the contribution of the constituent phases to these properties is discussed as well.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.22-26
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• 2001

Microstructures of AlN thin films on Si substrates grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy were analyzed with various growth temperatures and substrate orientations. Reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) patterns were checked for the in-situ monitoring of the growth condition. X-ray diffraction(XRD), double crystal X-ray diffraction (DCXD), and transmission electron microscopy/diffraction (TEM/TED) techniques were employed to characterize the microstructure of the films after growth. On Si(100) sub-strates, AlN thin films were grown mostly along the hexagonal c-axis orientation at temperature higher than $850^{\circ}C$. On the other hand the AlN films on Si(111) were epitaxially grown with directional coherencies in AlN(0001)/Si(111), AlN(1100)/Si(110), and AlN(1120)/Si(112). The microstructure of AlN thin films on Si(111) substrates, with a full width at half maximum of almost 3000 arcsec at 2$\theta$=$36.2^{\circ}$, showed that the single crystal films were grown, even if they includ a lot of crystal defects such as dislocations and stacking faults.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.37-42
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• 2000

The comparative study of texture of Al/Ti thin films deposited on low-dielectric polymer and $SiO_2$substrates has been investigated. Fifty-nm-thick Ti films and 500-nm-thick Al-1%Si-0.5%Cu (wt%) films were deposited sequentially onto low-k polymers and $SiO_2$by using a DC magnetron sputtering system. The texture of Al thin film was determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) theta-2theta ($\theta$-2$\theta$) and rocking curve and the microstructure of Al/Ti films on low-k polymer and $SiO_2$substrates was characterized by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Both the $\theta$-2$\theta$ method and rocking curve measurement suggest that Al/Ti thin films deposited on $SiO_2$have stronger texture than those deposited on low-k polymer. The texture of Al thin films strongly depended on that of Ti films. Cross-sectional TEM revealed that grains of Ti films on $SiO_2$substrates had grown perpendicular to the substrate, while the grains of Ti alms on SiLK substrates were formed randomly. The lower degree of (111) texture of Al thin films on low-k polymer was due to Ti underlayer.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.273-281
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• 2022

In order to understand the solidification behavior and microstructural evolution of the Al-Cu-Si ternary eutectic alloy system, changes of the microstructure of the Al-Cu-Si ternary eutectic alloy with different cooling rates were investigated. When the mold preheating temperature is 500℃, primary Si and Al2Cu dendrites are observed, with (α-Al+Al2Cu) binary eutectic and needle-shaped Si subsequently observed. In addition, even when the mold preheating temperature is 300℃, primary Si and Al2Cu dendrites can be observed, and both (α-Al+Al2Cu+Si) areas observed and areas not observed earlier appear. When the mold preheating temperature is 150℃, bimodal structures of the binary eutectic (α-Al+Al2Cu) and ternary eutectic (α-Al+Al2Cu+Si) are observed. When the preheating temperature of the mold is changed to 500℃, 300℃, and 150℃, the greatest change is in the Si phase, and upon reaching the critical cooling rate, the ternary eutectic of (α-Al+Al2Cu+Si) forms. If the growth of the Si phase is suppressed upon the formation of (α-Al+Al2Cu+Si), the growth of both Al and Cu is also suppressed by a cooperative growth mechanism. As a result of analyzing the Al-27wt%Cu-5wt%Si ternary eutectic alloy with a different alloy design simulation programs, it was confirmed that different results arose depending on the program. A computer simulation of the alloy design is a useful tool to reduce the trial and error process in alloy design, but this effort must be accompanied by a task that increases reliability and allows a comparison to microstructural results derived through actual casting.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.89-96
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• 2000

The effects of modification processing on the refinement of primary Si and the wear behavior of hyper-eutectic Al-Si alloys have been mainly investigated. Refining effects of primary Si in Al-17%Si alloy was more efficient than that of B.390 alloy. Optimum condition of getting the finest primary Si microstructure was when AlCuP modifier is added into the melt at $750^{\circ}C$ and held it at $700^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes. Wear loss in the specimens of as-cast condition decreases as the size of primary Si decreases, in the order of B.390 alloy, B.390 alloy with AlCuP addition, Al-17%Si alloy and Al-17%Si alloy with AlCuP addition. Wear loss in the aged condition of Al-17%Si alloy, B.390 alloy and B.390 alloy with AlCuP addition decreased due to the increase of compressive residual stress in the matrix by the aging treatment. While, wear loss increased in the aged specimens of Al-17%Si alloy with AlCuP addition and Hepworth addition in which compressive residual stress decreases by the aging treatment. Therefore, it is assumed that higher compressive residual stress in the matrix can reduce the wear loss in composite materials such as hyper-eutectic Al-Si alloys.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.109-115
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• 2003

Quaternary Ti-Al-Si-N films were deposited on WC-Co substrates by a hybrid deposition system of arc ion plating (AIP) method for Ti-Al source and DC magnetron sputtering technique for Si incorporation. The synthesized Ti-Al-Si-N films were revealed to be composites of solid-solution (Ti, Al, Si)N crystallites and amorphous Si3N4 by instrumental analyses. The Si addition in Ti-Al-N films affected the refinement and uniform distribution of crystallites by percolation phenomenon of amorphous silicon nitride, similarly to Si effect in TiN film. As the Si content increased up to about 9 at.%, the hardness of Ti-Al-N film steeply increased from 30 GPa to about 50 GPa. The highest microhardness value (~50 GPa) was obtained from the Ti-Al-Si-N film haying the Si content of 9 at.%, the microstructure of which was characterized by a nanocomposite of nc-(Ti,Al,Si) N/a$-Si_3$$N_4$.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.73-78
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• 2009

Quinary Ti-Al-Si-C-N films were successfully synthesized on SUS 304 substrates and Si wafers by a hybrid coating system combining an arc ion plating technique and a DC reactive magnetron sputtering technique. In this work, the effect of Si content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-Al-C-N films were systematically investigated. It was revealed that the microstructure of Ti-Al-Si-C-N coatings changed from a columnar to a nano-composite by the Si addition. Due to the nanocomposite microstructure of Ti-Al-Si-C-N coatings, the microhardness of The Ti-Al-Si-C-N coatings significantly increased up to 56 GPa. In addition the average friction coefficients of Ti-Al-Si-C-N coatings were remarkably decreased with Si addition. Therefore, Ti-Al-Si-C-N coatings can be applicable as next-generation hard-coating materials due to their improved hybrid mechanical properties.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.225-232
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• 2009

For comprehensive understanding of the formation behavior of $\beta-Al_5FeSi$ phase in Al-Si-Cu alloys with the existence of Fe element, microstructure characterizations were performed using combined analysis of OM, SEM-EDS, XRD. Especially, experimental and predictive works on solidification events of $\beta-Al_5FeSi$ phase as well as other phases formed together with $\beta-Al_5FeSi$ have been carried out by using DSC analysis and Java-based Materials Properties software (J. Mat. Pro.). Primary and eutectic $\beta-Al_5FeSi$ phases were able to distinguish from each other on microstructures by their morphological features. Primary $\beta-Al_5FeSi$ phase was seen to have rough surface perpendicular to growth direction, indicating free attachment of solute atoms in liquid state. On the other hand, the eutectic $\beta-Al_5FeSi$ phase was formed with plain and straight surface during eutectic reaction together with $\alpha$-Al phase. The eutectic reaction of $\beta-Al_5FeSi$ and $\alpha$-Al phases was seen to be able to separate into each formation depending on cooling rate.