Woong Ki Hong

Highly flexible and transparent multilayer MoS2 transistors with graphene electrodes.

A highly flexible and transparent transistor is developed based on an exfoliated MoS2 channel and CVD-grown graphene source/drain electrodes. Introducing the 2D nanomaterials provides a high mechanical flexibility, optical transmittance (∼74%), and current on/off ratio (>10(4)) with an average field effect mobility of ∼4.7 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), all of which cannot be achieved by other transistors consisting of a MoS2 active channel/metal electrodes or graphene channel/graphene electrodes. In particular, a low Schottky barrier (∼22 meV) forms at the MoS2 /graphene interface, which is comparable to the MoS2 /metal interface. The high stability in electronic performance of the devices upon bending up to ±2.2 mm in compressive and tensile modes, and the ability to recover electrical properties after degradation upon annealing, reveal the efficacy of using 2D materials for creating highly flexible and transparent devices.

Au nanoparticle-decorated graphene electrodes for GaN-based optoelectronic devices

We studied GaN-based optoelectronic devices such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and solar cells (SCs) with graphene electrodes. A decoration of Au nanoparticles (NPs) on multi-layer graphene films improved the electrical conductivity and modified the work function of the graphene films. The Au NP-decorated graphene film enhanced the current injection and electroluminescence of GaN-based LEDs through low contact resistance and improved the power conversion efficiency of GaN-based SCs through additional light absorption and energy band alignment. Our study will enhance the understanding of the role of Au NP-decorated graphene electrodes for GaN-based optoelectronic device applications.

Electrical properties of ZnO nanowire field effect transistors with varying high-k Al2O3 dielectric thickness

We investigated the electronic properties of ZnO nanowire combined with the scaled high-k Al2O3 dielectrics using metal-oxide-semiconductor and field effect transistor (FET) device structures. We found that Al2O3 dielectric material can significantly reduce leakage currents when the applied voltage was restricted less than the transition voltage of direct tunneling to Fowler–Nordheim tunneling. The ZnO nanowire FETs with Al2O3 dielectrics exhibited the increase in electrical conductance, transconductance, and mobility and the threshold voltage shifted to the negative gate bias direction with decreasing Al2O3 dielectric layer thickness.We investigated the electronic properties of ZnO nanowire combined with the scaled high-k Al2O3 dielectrics using metal-oxide-semiconductor and field effect transistor (FET) device structures. We found that Al2O3 dielectric material can significantly reduce leakage currents when the applied voltage was restricted less than the transition voltage of direct tunneling to Fowler–Nordheim tunneling. The ZnO nanowire FETs with Al2O3 dielectrics exhibited the increase in electrical conductance, transconductance, and mobility and the threshold voltage shifted to the negative gate bias direction with decreasing Al2O3 dielectric layer thickness.

A study of graphene films synthesized on nickel substrates: existence and origin of small-base-area peaks

Large-area graphene films, synthesized by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, have the potential to be used as electrodes. However, the electrical properties of CVD-synthesized graphene films fall short of the best results obtained for graphene films prepared by other methods. Therefore, it is important to understand the reason why these electrical properties are inferior to improve the applicability of CVD-grown graphene films. Here, we show that CVD-grown graphene films on nickel substrates contain many small-base-area (SBA) peaks that scatter conducting electrons, thereby decreasing the Hall mobility of charges in the films. These SBA peaks were induced by small peaks on the nickel surface and are likely composed of amorphous carbon. The formation of these SBA peaks on graphene films was successfully suppressed by controlling the surface morphology of the nickel substrate. These findings may be useful for the development of a CVD synthesis method that is capable of producing better quality graphene films with large areas.

Robust and stretchable indium gallium zinc oxide-based electronic textiles formed by cilia-assisted transfer printing

Electronic textile (e-textile) allows for high-end wearable electronic devices that provide easy access for carrying, handling and using. However, the related technology does not seem to be mature because the woven fabric hampers not only the device fabrication process directly on the complex surface but also the transfer printing of ultrathin planar electronic devices. Here we report an indirect method that enables conformal wrapping of surface with arbitrary yet complex shapes. Artificial cilia are introduced in the periphery of electronic devices as adhesive elements. The cilia also play an important role in confining a small amount of glue and damping mechanical stress to maintain robust electronic performance under mechanical deformation. The example of electronic applications depicts the feasibility of cilia for ‘stick-&-play systems, which provide electronic functions by transfer printing on unconventional complex surfaces.

Highly Reflective and Low Resistance Indium Tin Oxide/Ag Ohmic Contacts to p-Type GaN for Flip-Chip Light Emitting Diodes

Highly Reflective and Low Resistance Indium Tin Oxide/Ag Ohmic Contacts to p-Type GaN for Flip-Chip Light Emitting Diodes Woong-Ki Hong,* June-O Song, Hyun-Gi Hong, Keun-Yong Ban, Takhee Lee, J. S. Kwak, Y. Park, and Tae-Yeon Seong Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712, Korea School of Electric and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0250, USA Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, Sunchon National University, Chonnam 540-742, Korea Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Photonics Laboratory, Suwon 440-600, Korea

Low-resistance Al-based reflectors for high-power GaN-based flip-chip light-emitting diodes

We report on the formation of high-quality p-type Al-based ohmic reflectors using Ag (3nm)∕indium tin oxide (ITO)(100nm) interlayers for use in high-power flip-chip light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The Ag∕ITO interlayers are first annealed at temperatures of 530 and 630°C for 1min in air, after which Al reflectors (200nm thick) are deposited and subsequently annealed at 330°C for 5min in a vacuum. It is shown that the annealed Ag∕ITO∕Al contacts give specific contact resistances as low as ∼10−5Ωcm−2 and reflectance of ∼85% at a wavelength of 460nm, which are much better than those of oxidized Ni∕Au schemes. LEDs fabricated with the annealed Ag∕ITO∕Al p-type electrodes give forward-bias voltages of 3.29–3.37V at injection current of 20mA.

Characteristics of a pressure sensitive touch sensor using a piezoelectric PVDF-TrFE/MoS2 stack

A new touch sensor device has been demonstrated with molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) field effect transistors stacked with a piezoelectric polymer, polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE). The performance of two device stack structures, metal/PVDF-TrFE/MoS2 (MPM) and metal/PVDF-TrFE/Al2O3/MoS2 (MPAM), were compared as a function of the thickness of PVDF-TrFE and Al2O3. The sensitivity of the touch sensor has been improved by two orders of magnitude by reducing the charge scattering and enhancing the passivation effects using a thin Al2O3 interfacial layer. Reliable switching behavior has been demonstrated up to 120 touch press cycles.

Controllability of the subband occupation of InAs quantum dots on a delta-doped GaAsSb barrier

Optical properties of InAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded in GaAsSb barriers with delta-doping levels equivalent to 0, 2, 4, and 6 electrons per dot (e/dot) are studied using time-integrated photoluminescence (PL). When the PL excitation power is increased the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the 4 and 6 e/dot samples is found to increase at a much greater rate than the FWHMs for the 0 and 2 e/dot samples. PL spectra of the 4 e/dot sample show a high energy peak attributed to emission from the first excited states of the QDs, a result deduced to be due to preoccupation of states by electrons supplied by the delta-doping plane. When temperature dependent PL results are fitted using an Arrhenius function, the thermal activation energies for the 4 and 6 e/dot samples are similar and greater than the thermal activation energies for the 0 and 2 e/dot samples (which are similar to each other). This increased thermal activation energy is attributed to the enhanced Coulombic interaction in the InAs QD area by th...

Investigation of threshold voltage instability induced by gate bias stress in ZnO nanowire field effect transistors

We investigated the threshold voltage instability induced by gate bias (V(G)) stress in ZnO nanowire (NW) field effect transistors (FETs). By increasing the V(G) sweep ranges and repeatedly measuring the electrical characteristics of the ZnO NW FETs, the V(G) stress was produced in the dielectric layer underneath the ZnO NW. Consequently, the electrical conductance of the ZnO NW FETs decreased, and the threshold voltage shifted towards the positive V(G) direction. This threshold voltage instability induced by the V(G) stress is associated with the trapping of charges in the interface trap sites located in the ZnO NW-dielectric interface. Our study will be helpful for understanding the stability of ZnO NW FETs during repetitive operations.