scholarly journals Advanced Graphene-Based Transparent Conductive Electrodes for Photovoltaic Applications

Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Fernández ◽  
Alberto Boscá ◽  
Jorge Pedrós ◽  
Andrea Inés ◽  
Montserrat Fernández ◽  
...  

New architectures of transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) incorporating graphene monolayers in different configurations have been explored with the aim to improve the performance of silicon-heterojunction (SHJ) cell front transparent contacts. In SHJ technology, front electrodes play an important additional role as anti-reflectance (AR) coatings. In this work, different transparent-conductive-oxide (TCO) thin films have been combined with graphene monolayers in different configurations, yielding advanced transparent electrodes specifically designed to minimize surface reflection over a wide range of wavelengths and angles of incidence and to improve electrical performance. A preliminary analysis reveals a strong dependence of the optoelectronic properties of the TCEs on (i) the order in which the different thin films are deposited or the graphene is transferred and (ii) the specific TCO material used. The results shows a clear electrical improvement when three graphene monolayers are placed on top on 80-nm-thick ITO thin film. This optimum TCE presents sheet resistances as low as 55 Ω/sq and an average conductance as high as 13.12 mS. In addition, the spectral reflectance of this TCE also shows an important reduction in its weighted reflectance value of 2–3%. Hence, the work undergone so far clearly suggests the possibility to noticeably improve transparent electrodes with this approach and therefore to further enhance silicon-heterojunction cell performance. These results achieved so far clearly open the possibility to noticeably improve TCEs and therefore to further enhance SHJ contact-technology performance.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 4763-4767
Author(s):  
Yu-Xin Zhang ◽  
Chien-Hung Wu ◽  
Li-Wei Yeh ◽  
Yi-Ming Chen ◽  
Kow-Ming Chang ◽  
...  

Transparent conductive oxide (TCO) semiconductors are attracted considerable attention due to a wide range of applications, such as flat panel display (FPD), touch panels, solar cells, and other optoelectronic devices. Owing to the different carrier conduction paths between n-type and P-type TCOs, the n-type TCO used in TFTs usually have high Ion/Ioff current ratio (>107) and high electron mobility (>10 cm2/V·s), P-type TCO TFTs are both lower than that of n-type one. For complementary circuits design and applications, however, both P-type and n-type semiconductor materials are equally important. For SnO thin films, it is important to adjust the ratio of Sn2+ (SnO P-type) and Sn4+ (SnO2 n-type) in order to modulate the electrical characteristics. In this investigation of post treatment for SnO thin films, both microwave annealing (MWA) and furnace annealing process with 02 ambient are studied. The results show that SnO thin films are optimized at 300 °C, 30 minutes furnace annealing, the P-type SnO/SnO2 thin film shows surface mean roughness 0.168 nm, [Sn2+]/[Sn4+] ratio as 0.838, at least 80% transmittance between 380 nm-700 nm visible light. Withthe results, SnO can be even used to fabricate high performance P-type thin film transistors (TFTs) device for future applications.


RSC Advances ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (39) ◽  
pp. 32746-32756 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jheng-Yuan Syu ◽  
Yu-Min Chen ◽  
Kai-Xiang Xu ◽  
Shih-Ming He ◽  
Wu-Ching Hung ◽  
...  

A novel strategy for preparing active transparent conductive electrodes by doping LBL-stacked graphene with AuCl3, successfully achieving an extremely wide range of work-function tunability of up to ~1.5 eV.


2013 ◽  
Vol 740-742 ◽  
pp. 657-660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleg Jakovlev ◽  
Tino Fuchs ◽  
Franziska Rohlfing ◽  
Helmut Seidel

We introduce a novel high temperature PECVD process and use it for the deposition of silicon carbide thin films on oxidized silicon wafers at 900°C substrate temperature. A variation of the atomic composition over a wide range is achieved by altering the flow ratio of the precursors silane (SiH4) and acetylene (C2H2). XPS analysis is performed to verify the silicon to carbon ratio in the deposited layers. The resistivity of the obtained thin films shows a strong dependence on the Si/C-ratio. Four point measurements show the resistivity ranging between 5•10-3Ωcm for C-rich layers and >107Ωcm for near stoichiometric layers. We investigate the piezoresistivity of the SiC layers at room temperature under compressive and tensile strain using the four point bending method. The same method is used to analyze selected layers at elevated temperatures up to 600°C. Based on the results we evaluate the applicability of the obtained thin films for strain transducing in harsh environment MEMS sensors.


Author(s):  
Norman J. Armendariz ◽  
Carolyn McCormick

Abstract Via in pad PCB (Printed Circuit board) technology for passive components such as chip capacitors and resistors, provides the potential for improved signal routing density and reduced PCB area. Because of these improvements there is the potential for PCB cost reduction as well as gains in electrical performance through reduced impedance and inductance. However, not long after the implementation, double digit unit failures for solder joint electrical opens due to capacitor “tombstoning” began to occur. Failure modes included via fill material (solder mask) protrusion from the via as well as “out gassing” and related “tombstoning.” This failure analysis involved investigating a strong dependence on PCB supplier and, less obviously, manufacturing site. Other factors evaluated included via fill material, drill size, via fill thermal history and via fill amount or fill percent. The factor most implicated was incomplete cure of the via fill material. Previous thermal gravimetric analysis methods to determine level of polymerization or cure did not provide an ability to measure and demonstrate via fill cure level in small selected areas or its link to the failures. As a result, there was a metrology approach developed to establish this link and root-cause the failures in the field, which was based on microhardness techniques and noncontact via fill measuring metrologies.


2010 ◽  
Vol 157 (2) ◽  
pp. J13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoki Yamamoto ◽  
Hisao Makino ◽  
Takahiro Yamada ◽  
Yoshinori Hirashima ◽  
Hiroaki Iwaoka ◽  
...  

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1566
Author(s):  
Oliver J. Pemble ◽  
Maria Bardosova ◽  
Ian M. Povey ◽  
Martyn E. Pemble

Chitosan-based films have a diverse range of potential applications but are currently limited in terms of commercial use due to a lack of methods specifically designed to produce thin films in high volumes. To address this limitation directly, hydrogels prepared from chitosan, chitosan-tetraethoxy silane, also known as tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and chitosan-glutaraldehyde have been used to prepare continuous thin films using a slot-die technique which is described in detail. By way of preliminary analysis of the resulting films for comparison purposes with films made by other methods, the mechanical strength of the films produced was assessed. It was found that as expected, the hybrid films made with TEOS and glutaraldehyde both show a higher yield strength than the films made with chitosan alone. In all cases, the mechanical properties of the films were found to compare very favorably with similar measurements reported in the literature. In order to assess the possible influence of the direction in which the hydrogel passes through the slot-die on the mechanical properties of the films, testing was performed on plain chitosan samples cut in a direction parallel to the direction of travel and perpendicular to this direction. It was found that there was no evidence of any mechanical anisotropy induced by the slot die process. The examples presented here serve to illustrate how the slot-die approach may be used to create high-volume, high-area chitosan-based films cheaply and rapidly. It is suggested that an approach of the type described here may facilitate the use of chitosan-based films for a wide range of important applications.


1990 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 583
Author(s):  
GL Price

Recent developments in the growth of semiconductor thin films are reviewed. The emphasis is on growth by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Results obtained by reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) are employed to describe the different kinds of growth processes and the types of materials which can be constructed. MBE is routinely capable of heterostructure growth to atomic precision with a wide range of materials including III-V, IV, II-VI semiconductors, metals, ceramics such as high Tc materials and organics. As the growth proceeds in ultra high vacuum, MBE can take advantage of surface science techniques such as Auger, RHEED and SIMS. RHEED is the essential in-situ probe since the final crystal quality is strongly dependent on the surface reconstruction during growth. RHEED can also be used to calibrate the growth rate, monitor growth kinetics, and distinguish between various growth modes. A major new area is lattice mismatched growth where attempts are being made to construct heterostructures between materials of different lattice constants such as GaAs on Si. Also described are the new techniques of migration enhanced epitaxy and tilted superlattice growth. Finally some comments are given On the means of preparing large area, thin samples for analysis by other techniques from MBE grown films using capping, etching and liftoff.


2013 ◽  
Vol 341 ◽  
pp. 181-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.K. Tripathi

High-energy electron, proton, neutron, photon and ion irradiation of semiconductor diodes and solar cells has long been a topic of considerable interest in the field of semiconductor device fabrication. The inevitable damage production during the process of irradiation is used to study and engineer the defects in semiconductors. In a strong radiation environment in space, the electrical performance of solar cells is degraded due to direct exposure to energetically charged particles. A considerable amount of work has been reported on the study of radiation damage in various solar cell materials and devices in the recent past. In most cases, high-energy heavy ions damage the material by producing a large amount of extended defects, but high-energy light ions are suitable for producing and modifying the intrinsic point defects. The defects can play a variety of electronically active roles that affect the electrical, structural and optical properties of a semiconductor. This review article aims to present an overview of the advancement of research in the modification of glassy semiconducting thin films using different types of radiations (light, proton and swift heavy ions). The work which has been done in our laboratory related to irradiation induced effects in semiconducting thin films will also be compared with the existing literature.


2012 ◽  
Vol 1424 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Mamun ◽  
A. H. Farha ◽  
Y. Ufuktepe ◽  
H. E. Elsayed-Ali ◽  
A. A. Elmustafa

ABSTRACTNanomechanical and structural properties of pulsed laser deposited niobium nitride thin films were investigated using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and nanoindentation. NbN film reveals cubic δ-NbN structure with the corresponding diffraction peaks from the (111), (200), and (220) planes. The NbN thin films depict highly granular structure, with a wide range of grain sizes that range from 15-40 nm with an average surface roughness of 6 nm. The average modulus of the film is 420±60 GPa, whereas for the substrate the average modulus is 180 GPa, which is considered higher than the average modulus for Si reported in the literature due to pile-up. The hardness of the film increases from an average of 12 GPa for deep indents (Si substrate) measured using XP CSM and load control (LC) modes to an average of 25 GPa measured using the DCM II head in CSM and LC modules. The average hardness of the Si substrate is 12 GPa.


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