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.

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.

Characteristics of HfZrO Thin Films Prepared by Direct and Remote Plasma Atomic Layer Deposition for Application to Ferroelectric Memory.

HfZrO (HZO) thin film exhibits ferroelectric properties and is presumed to be suitable for use in next-generation memory devices because of its compatibility with the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process. This study examined the physical and electrical properties of HZO thin films deposited by two plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) methods- direct plasma atomic layer deposition (DPALD) and remote plasma atomic layer deposition (RPALD)-and the effects of plasma application on the properties of HZO thin films. The initial conditions for HZO thin film deposition, depending on the RPALD deposition temperature, were established based on previous research on HZO thin films deposited by the DPALD method.

Atom Probe Tomographic Imaging of PbS Quantum Dot Formation on Neodymium Clusters in Silicate Glasses.

The first 3-D direct observation of clusters of Nd oxide inside silicate glasses was achieved using atom probe tomography. Three-dimensional elemental maps of major chemical elements in glasses such as Si, Al, Zn and O showed no evidence of regions that had concentrations higher than the average values, whereas the Nd aggregated into regions of high concentration. Elemental maps of Nd and Pb recorded from the glasses containing PbS QDs showed highly-concentrated areas of both elements at the same locations; this result indicates that PbS QDs formation started in association with the Nd clusters.

Antisense RNA-based High-Throughput Screen System for Directed Evolution of Quorum Quenching Enzymes.

Quorum quenching (QQ) enzymes, which disrupt the quorum sensing signaling process, have attracted considerable attention as new antimicrobial agents. However, their low catalytic efficiency for quorum sensing molecules remains a challenge. Herein, we present an antisense RNA-based high-throughput screen system for directed evolution of a quorum quenching enzyme.

Over-expression of recombinant proteins with N-terminal His-tag via subcellular uneven distribution in Escherichia coli.

Specific tags with defined amino acid residues are widely used to purify or probe target proteins. Interestingly, the tagging system occasionally results in an increase of the recombinant protein expression in vivo. Here, we systematically examined this phenomenon using a poly-histidine (His)-tag fused to N- or C-terminal region of green, red, and blue fluorescent proteins by quantification and uneven distribution in cytoplasm of Escherichia coli.