Characterization of HZO Films Fabricated by Co-Plasma Atomic Layer Deposition for Ferroelectric Memory Applications.

Plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a common method for fabricating HfZrO (HZO) ferroelectric thin films that can be performed using direct-plasma (DP) and remote-plasma (RP) methods. This study proposed co-plasma ALD (CPALD), where DPALD and RPALD are applied simultaneously. HZO films fabricated using this method showed wake-up-free polarization properties, no anti-ferroelectricity, and high fatigue endurance when DPALD and RPALD started simultaneously.

Enhancing Charge Trapping Performance of Hafnia Thin Films Using Sequential Plasma Atomic Layer Deposition.

We aimed to fabricate reliable memory devices using HfO, which is gaining attention as a charge-trapping layer material for next-generation NAND flash memory. To this end, a new atomic layer deposition process using sequential remote plasma (RP) and direct plasma (DP) was designed to create charge-trapping memory devices. Subsequently, the operational characteristics of the devices were analyzed based on the thickness ratio of thin films deposited using the sequential RP and DP processes.

Evaluating the efficiency, productivity change, and technology gaps of China's provincial higher education systems: A comprehensive analytical framework.

China's higher education system is one of the largest and most complex in the world, with a vast number of higher education institutions scattered across different provinces. Evaluating the efficiency, productivity change, and technology gaps of these institutions is significant for understanding their performance and identifying areas for improvement. In this context, this study employs three different approaches, DEA super-SBM, Malmquist Productivity Index, and Meta-Frontier Analysis, to evaluate the efficiency, productivity change, and technology gaps of China's provincial higher education systems.

Enhancing the Plasma-Resistance Properties of LiO-AlO-SiO Glasses for the Semiconductor Etch Process via Alkaline Earth Oxide Incorporation.

To develop plasma-resistant glass materials suitable for semiconductor etching processes, we introduced alkaline earth oxides (ROs) into a LiO-AlO-SiO (LAS) glass. Analysis of glass properties with respect to the additives revealed that among the analyzed materials, the LAS material in which LiO was partially replaced by MgO (MLAS) exhibited the most favorable characteristics, including a low dielectric constant (6.3) and thermal expansion coefficient (2.

Chinese undergraduate students' motivation to learn Korean as a LOTE.

As rates of multilingualism increase, interest in the field of Languages Other Than English (LOTEs) has been growing over the last few years. This study investigated the motivation held by Chinese undergraduate students for learning Korean as a LOTE using Dörnyei's L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS). In total, 123 subjects responded to the 6-point Likert scale measuring their Korean learning motivation.

Preparation of Remote Plasma Atomic Layer-Deposited HfO Thin Films with High Charge Trapping Densities and Their Application in Nonvolatile Memory Devices.

Optimization of equipment structure and process conditions is essential to obtain thin films with the required properties, such as film thickness, trapped charge density, leakage current, and memory characteristics, that ensure reliability of the corresponding device. In this study, we fabricated metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structure capacitors using HfO thin films separately deposited by remote plasma (RP) atomic layer deposition (ALD) and direct-plasma (DP) ALD and determined the optimal process temperature by measuring the leakage current and breakdown strength as functions of process temperature. Additionally, we analyzed the effects of the plasma application method on the charge trapping properties of HfO thin films and properties of the interface between Si and HfO.

Synthesis of Planar-Type ZnO Powder in Non-Nano Scale Dimension and Its Application in Ultraviolet Protection Cosmetics.

ZnO is one of the most widely used inorganic sunscreens, owing to its fine particle size and UV light shielding capability. However, powders at nanosizes can be toxic and cause adverse effects. The development of non-nanosized particles has been slow.

Development of PZN-PMN-PZT Piezoelectric Ceramics with High d and Q Values.

To achieve good long-term temperature stability in devices used in energy-conversion applications, this study is aimed at developing combined ceramics, referred to as PZN-PMN-PZT, comprising Pb(ZnNb)O (PZN) and Pb(MnNb)O (PMN), which are typical relaxor ferroelectric materials, and Pb(ZrTi)O (PZT). The piezoelectric properties were compared based on several parameters according to the change in the composition ratio between relaxor materials, amounts of SbO dopant, and Zr/Ti ratio in the PZT system. Finally, we established optimal poling conditions to improve the electrical properties of the optimized piezoelectric material, based on the evaluation of ceramic properties according to the applied voltage during the poling process.

Design and Preparation of Self-Oscillating Actuators Using Piezoelectric Ceramics with High Coupling Factors and Mechanical Quality Factors.

Piezoelectric material properties were optimized to develop materials for an ultrasonic vibrator targeting a high vibration efficiency. Herein, novel materials were developed using a composition represented by 0.08Pb(NiNb)O-0.

Effect of Process Temperature on Density and Electrical Characteristics of HfZrO Thin Films Prepared by Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition.

HfZrO (HZO) thin films have excellent potential for application in various devices, including ferroelectric transistors and semiconductor memories. However, such applications are hindered by the low remanent polarization (P) and fatigue endurance of these films. To overcome these limitations, in this study, HZO thin films were fabricated via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), and the effects of the deposition and post-annealing temperatures on the density, crystallinity, and electrical properties of the thin films were analyzed.

Fabrication of Highly Porous and Pure Zinc Oxide Films Using Modified DC Magnetron Sputtering and Post-Oxidation.

Porous films of metals and metal oxides exhibit larger surface areas and higher reactivities than those of dense films. Therefore, they have gained growing attention as potential materials for use in various applications. This study reports the use of a modified direct current magnetron sputtering method to form porous Zn-ZnO composite films, wherein a subsequent wet post-oxidation process is employed to fabricate pure porous ZnO films.

Piezoelectric Ceramics with High d Constants and Their Application to Film Speakers.

A multilayer piezoelectric material was fabricated using piezoelectric materials with low-temperature sintering capabilities and high piezoelectric coefficients to develop a functionally superior piezoelectric speaker with a large-displacement deformation. A soft relaxor was utilized to prepare the component materials, with the optimized composition of the investigated piezoelectric ceramics represented by 0.2Pb((Zn0.

Tri-Doping of Sol-Gel Synthesized Garnet-Type Oxide Solid-State Electrolyte.

The rapidly growing Li-ion battery market has generated considerable demand for Li-ion batteries with improved performance and stability. All-solid-state Li-ion batteries offer promising safety and manufacturing enhancements. Herein, we examine the effect of substitutional doping at three cation sites in garnet-type LiLaZrO (LLZO) oxide ceramics produced by a sol-gel synthesis technique with the aim of enhancing the properties of solid-state electrolytes for use in all-solid-state Li-ion batteries.

Preparation and Characterization of Planar-Type ZnO Powder with High Aspect Ratio for Application in Ultraviolet- and Heat-Shield Cosmetics.

In this study, a [0001]-plane planar-type ZnO ceramic powder material with a high aspect ratio ranging from 20:1-50:1 is synthesized using the electrolyte collected from zinc air battery power generation. This high aspect ratio may be due to the Zn(OH)₄ anion dissolved in the electrolyte. The obtained planar-type ZnO exhibits excellent formulation stability and applicability, even when formulated as a cosmetic with a single inorganic ingredient.

Monolithic Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystal Reflectors for the Fabrication of Highly Efficient and Highly Transparent Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

The transparent characteristic of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) makes them suitable for building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) devices. However, the diffusive scattering layer, which is usually used to increase the efficiency of these devices, greatly lowers the transparency of the DSC. This paper described a two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystal (PC) reflector with a sub-micrometer characteristic length that can improve the efficiency of these devices while maintaining transparency.

Effect of the prenatal maternal environments and diets on cord blood interleukin-4 and interferon -gamma: A pilot study.

Background And Objective: TThe environment of a pregnant woman can affect not only fetal growth and development, but also diseases in childhood. Neonatal cord blood cytokines are commonly used to evaluate the immune development of neonates. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the environment and diet during pregnancy on IL-4 and IFN-γ in neonatal cord blood.

Hotspot-engineered 3D multipetal flower assemblies for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Novel 3D metallic structures composed of multipetal flowers consisting of nanoparticles are presented. The control of surface plasmon hotspots is demonstrated in terms of location and intensity as a function of petal number for uniform and reproducible surfaceenhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with high field enhancement.

Intakes of iron and folate and hematologic indices according to the type of supplements in pregnant women.

Adequate amounts of nutrients during pregnancy are essential for maternal, fetal and child health. This study was conducted to investigate the intakes of iron and folate and the effect of supplements on anemia status during pregnancy. One hundred sixty five pregnant women completed questionnaires which included food frequencies and supplement use, and blood tests for hematologic indices.

Three-dimensional assembly of nanoparticles from charged aerosols.

The capability of assembling nanoparticles into a desired ordered pattern is a key to realize novel devices which are based not only on the unique properties of nanoparticles but also on the arrangements of nanoparticles. While two-dimensional arrays of nanoparticles have been successfully demonstrated by various techniques, a controlled way of building ordered arrays of three-dimensional (3D) nanoparticle structures remains challenging. We report that a variety of 3D nanoparticle structures can be formed in a controlled way based on the ion-induced focusing, electrical scaffold, and antenna effects from charged aerosols.

High-resolution, parallel patterning of nanoparticles via an ion-induced focusing mask.

An ion-induced focusing mask under the simultaneous injection of ions and charged aerosols generates invisible electrostatic lenses around each opening, through which charged nanoparticles are convergently guided without depositing on the mask surface. The sizes of the created features become significantly smaller than those of the mask openings due to the focusing capability. It is not only demonstrated that material-independent nanoparticles including proteins can be patterned as an ordered array on any surface regardless of the conductive, nonconductive, or flexible nature of the substrate, but also that the array density can be increased.

Fabrication of 70 nm-sized zero residual polymer patterns by thermal nanoimprint lithography.

The formation of a residual layer under the imprinted patterns is commonly observed after the imprinting process. In order to utilize the imprinted patterns into the top-down process, the removal process of the residual layer using oxygen plasma is inevitable. However, the critical dimension of the imprinted patterns can be degraded during the residual layer removal process and this degradation becomes severer for smaller sized patterns.