Ultra-precision testing is a very important procedure to secure the reliability of the products as well as for the technology development in the areas of semiconductor and display. Accordingly, companies manufacturing equipment for testing of semiconductor and display have been continuously executing researches for the improvement of the performances of test sockets used in test equipment.

Through this study, characteristics of the materials in accordance with the mechanical and electrical properties of Ni-30wt%Co alloy and newly developed Cu-2wt%Be alloy were analyzed in order to select the probe pin material of the socket, which is a key component used in the semiconductor testing equipment. In addition, finite element interpretation was executed by using Ansys Workbench 14.0 to comparatively analyze the finite element interpretation results and experimental results. Experiment was executed for the mechanical properties including tensile strength, elasticity modulus, specific heat, thermal expansion coefficient and Contact Force, for electrical properties, experiment on surface resistance, specific resistance and electrical conductivity was executed to measure the properties. It was confirmed that the results of finite element interpretation and experiment displayed similar trend and it is deemed that the Contact Force value was superior for Be-Co alloy.

Through this study, it was confirmed that the newly developed Be-Co alloy is more appropriate as probe pin material used as the core component of test socket used in the semiconductor testing equipment than the existing Ni-Co alloy.

This study investigated the microstructure and high temperature oxidation properties of Fe-25Cr-20Ni-1.5Nb, HK30 alloy manufactured by metal injection molding (MIM) process. The powder used in MIM had a bi-modal size distribution of 0.11 and 9.19 μm and had a spherical shape. The initial powder consisted of γ-Fe and Cr23C6 phases. Microstructural observation of the manufactured (MIMed) HK30 alloy confirmed Cr23C6 along the grain boundary of the γ-Fe matrix, and NbC was distributed evenly on the grain boundary and in the grain. After a 24-hour high temperature oxidation test at air atmospheres of 1000, 1100 and 1200°C, the oxidation weight measured 0.72, 1.11 and 2.29 mg/cm,2 respectively. Cross-sectional observation of the oxidation specimen identified a dense Cr2O3 oxide layer at 1000°C condition, and the thickness of the oxide layer increased as the oxidation temperature increased. At 1100°C and 1200°C oxidation temperatures, Fe-rich oxide was also formed on the dense Cr2O3 oxide layer. Based on the above findings, this study identified the high-temperature oxidation mechanism of HK30 alloy manufactured by MIM.

With the recent advancement in technology for titanium metal powder injection molding and additive manufacturing, high yield and good flowability powder production is needed. In this study, titanium powder was produced through vacuum induction melting gas atomization with a cold crucible, which can yield various alloy compositions without the need for material pretreatment. The gas behavior in the injection section was simulated according to the orifice protrusion length for effective powder production, and powder was prepared based on the simulation results. The gas distribution changes with the orifice protrusion length, which changes the location of the recirculation zone and production yield of the powder. The produced powders had a spherical morphology, and the content of impurities (N, O) changed with the injected-gas purity.

In this study, a molybdenum alloy with dispersed high-entropy particles was fabricated using the powder metallurgy method. The high-entropy powder, composed of Nb, Ta, V, W, and Zr elements with a same atomic fraction, was prepared via high-energy ball milling. Using this powder, an ideal core-shell powder, composed of high-entropy powder as core and Mo powder as shell, was synthesized via the milling and reduction processes. These processes enabled the realization of an ideal microstructure with the high-entropy phase uniformly dispersed in the Mo matrix. The sintered body was successfully fabricated via uniaxial compaction followed by pressureless sintering. The sintered body was analyzed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope, and the high-entropy phase is uniformly dispersed in the Mo matrix.

In this study, the effects of adding niobium and vanadium to Fe-based oxide dispersion strengthened alloys are confirmed. The composition of alloys are Fe-20Cr-1Al-0.5Ti-0.5Y2O3 and Fe-20Cr-1Al-0.5Ti-0.3V-0.2Nb-0.5Y2O3. The alloy powders are manufactured by using a planetary mill, and these powders are molded by using a magnetic pulsed compaction. Thereafter, the powders are sintered in a tube furnace to obtain sintered specimens.

The added elements exist in the form of a solid solution in the Fe matrix and suppress the grain growth. These results are confirmed via X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analyses of the phase and microstructure of alloys. In addition, it was confirmed that the addition of elements, improved the hardness property of Fe-based oxide dispersion strengthened alloys.