Effects of annealing rate and morphology of sol–gel derived ZnO on the performance of inverted polymer solar cells

The effects of annealing rate and morphology of sol–gel derived zinc oxide(ZnO)thin films on the performance of inverted polymer solar cells(IPSCs)are investigated.ZnO films with different morphologies are prepared at different annealing rates and used as the electron transport layers in IPSCs.The undulating morphologies of ZnO films fabricated at annealing rates of 10 C/min and 3 C/min each possess a rougher surface than that of the ZnO film fabricated at a fast annealing rate of 50 C/min.The ZnO films are characterized by atomic force microscopy(AFM),optical transmittance measurements,and simulation.The results indicate that the ZnO film formed at 3 C/min possesses a good-quality contact area with the active layer.Combined with a moderate light-scattering,the resulting device shows a 16%improvement in power conversion efficiency compared with that of the rapidly annealed ZnO film device.     

The study of a new n/p tunnel recombination junction and its application in a-Si：H/μc-Si：H tandem solar cells

This paper reports that a double N layer (a-Si:H/μc-Si:H) is used to substitute the single microcrystalline silicon n layer (n-μc-Si:H) in n/p tunnel recombination junction between subcells in a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem solar cells. The electrical transport and optical properties of these tunnel recombination junctions are investigated by current-voltage measurement and transmission measurement. The new n/p tunnel recombination junction shows a better ohmic contact. In addition, the n/p interface is exposed to the air to examine the effect of oxidation on the tunnel recombination junction performance. The open circuit voltage and FF of a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem solar cell are all improved and the current leakage of the subcells can be effectively prevented efficiently when the new n/p junction is implemented as tunnel recombination junction.     

Effect of Chemicals on Chemical Mechanical Polishing of Glass Substrates

We investigate the effect of chemicals on chemical mechanical polishing （CMP） of glass substrates. Ceria slurry in an ultra-low concentration of 0.25 wt. % is used and characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Three typical molecules, i.e. acetic acid, citric acid and sodium acrylic polymer, are adopted to investigate the effect on CMP performance in terms of material removal rate （MRR） and surface quality. The addition of sodium acrylic polymer shows the highest MRR as well as the best surface by atomic force microscopy after CMP, while the addition of citric acid shows the worst performance. These results reveal a mechanism that a long-chain molecule without any branches rather than small molecules and common molecules with ramose abundant-electron groups is better for the dispersion of the slurry and thus better for the CMP process.     

A new method of binary addition scheme with massive use of non-linear material based system

The limitations in electronics in arithmetic, algebraic & logic processing are well known. Very high speed performance (above GHz) are not expected at all in conventional electronic mechanism. To achieve high speed performance we may think on the introduction of optics instead of electronics for information, processing and computing. Non-linear optical material is a successful candidate in this regard to play a major role in the optically controlled switching systems and therefore in all-optical parallel computation these materials can show a very good potential aspect. In this paper, we have proposed a new method of an optical half adder as well as full adder circuit for binary addition using non-linear and linear optical materials.     

Rapid Thermal Annealing Effects on Structural and Optical Properties of Self-Assembled InAs／GaAs Quantum Dots Capped by InAIAs／InGaAs Layers

Effects of rapid thermal annealing on the optical and structural properties of self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots capped by the InAlAs/InGaAs combination layers are studied by photoluminescence and transmission electron microscopy. The photoluminescence measurement shows that the photoluminescence peak of the sample after 850℃ rapid thermal annealing is blue shifted with 370meV and the excitation peak intensity increases by a factor of about 2.7 after the rapid thermal annealing, which indicates that the InAs quantum dots have experienced an abnormal transformation during the annealing. The transmission electron microscopy shows that the quantum dots disappear and a new InAlGaAs single quantum well structure forms after the rapid thermal annealing treatment. The transformation mechanism is discussed. These abnormal optical properties are attributed to the structural transformation of these quantum dots into a single quantum well.     

Using optimized wall section to improve low frequency response in a room

Three different wall sections with step shape were applied in the finite element analysis models set up to investigate the effect on low frequency sound field by wall modification. The heights of the step in three cases are taken as equal, random and optimized. The optimized value is obtained by using an optimization process with an objective function of minimum fluctuation in sound field. The frequency responses of rooms with original and modified walls were calculated in a range from 60 Hz to 120 Hz. The results showed that the room with an optimized wall section had the flattest frequency response. Same thing was true as the ratio of the room was changed. The largest improvement on fluctuation reached 4.5 dB. In addition, wall section with semicircle and triangle were studied. The rooms that wall section had optimized radius and heights also gave a better performance than those that had fixed radius and heights. Therefore, it is possible to use optimized wall section to improve low frequency sound field.     

Effect of carrier mobility on performance of perovskite solar cells

The high carrier mobility and long diffusion length of perovskite material have been regarded because of its excellent photovoltaic performance. However, many studies have shown that a diffusion length longer than 1 μm and higher carrier mobility have no positive effect on the cells' performance. Studies of organic solar cells have demonstrated the existence of an optimal mobility value, while systematic research of the carrier mobility in the PSCs is very rare. To make these questions clear, the effect of carrier mobility on perovskite solar cells' performance is studied in depth in this paper by simulation.Our study shows that the optimal mobility value of the charge transportation layer and absorption layer are influenced by both doping concentration and layer thickness. The appropriate carrier mobility can reduce the carrier recombination rate and enhance the carrier concentration, thus improving the cells' performance. A high efficiency of 27.39% is obtained in the simulated cell with the combination of the optimized parameters in the paper.     

Lumped modeling with circuit elements for nonreciprocal magnetoelectric tunable band-pass filter

This paper presents a lumped equivalent circuit model of the nonreciprocal magnetoelectric tunable microwave bandpass filter.The reciprocal coupled-line circuit is based on the converse magnetoelectric effect of magnetoelectric composites,includes the electrical tunable equivalent factor of the piezoelectric layer,and is established by the introduced lumped elements,such as radiation capacitance,radiation inductance,and coupling inductance,according to the transmission characteristics of the electromagnetic wave and magnetostatic wave in an inverted-L-shaped microstrip line and ferrite slab.The nonreciprocal transmission property of the filter is described by the introduced T-shaped circuit containing controlled sources.Finally,the lumped equivalent circuit of a nonreciprocal magnetoelectric tunable microwave band-pass filter is given and the lumped parameters are also expressed.When the deviation angles of the ferrite slab are respectively 0° and45°,the corresponding magnetoelectric devices are respectively a reciprocal device and a nonreciprocal device.The curves of S parameter obtained by the lumped equivalent circuit model and electromagnetic simulation are in good agreement with the experimental results.When the deviation angle is between 0° and 45°,the maximum value of the S parameter predicted by the lumped equivalent circuit model is in good agreement with the experimental result.The comparison results of the paper show that the lumped equivalent circuit model is valid.Further,the effect of some key material parameters on the performance of devices is predicted by the lumped equivalent circuit model.The research can provide the theoretical basis for the design and application of nonreciprocal magnetoelectric tunable devices.     

Design of a backlight module with a freeform surface by applying the Taguchi method

A novel structure, called a "freeform surface," is integrated into a direct type light-emitting diode backlight. By applying the Taguchi method, the performance of this backlight is optimized. The Taguchi experiments are configured in L9e34 T orthogonal arrays and are simulated via Light Tool analysis software. After that, the influence of the design parameters on the luminance and uniformity are separately evaluated by analysis of variance(ANOVA). Next, the parameters are optimized, and a new backlight structure with desirable performance is designed at last. Light Tool simulation shows that this new type of backlight is just 15 mm thick and has 310.3nits luminance and 83.5% uniformity.     

Effects of Annealing Temperature on Structural and Optical Properties of ZnO Thin Films

The effects of annealing temperature on the structural and optical properties of ZnO films grown on Si （100） substrates by sol-gel spin-coating are investigated. The structural and optical properties are characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectra. X-ray diffraction analysis shows the crystal quality of ZnO films becomes better after annealing at high temperature. The grain size increases with the temperature increasing. It is found that the tensile stress in the plane of ZnO films first increases and then decreases with the annealing temperature increasing, reaching the maximum value of 1.8 GPa at 700℃. PL spectra of ZnO films annealed at various temperatures consists of a near band edge emission around 380 nm and visible emissions due to the electronic defects, which are related to deep level emissions, such as oxide antisite （OZn）, interstitial oxygen （Oi）, interstitial zinc （Zni） and zinc vacancy （VZn^-）, which are generated during annealing process. The evolution of defects is analyzed by PL spectra based on the energy of the electronic transitions.     

The reason of degradation in electrical properties of ZnO:Al thin films annealed with various post-annealing temperature

ZnO:Al (AZO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature and post-annealed in rapid thermal annealing (RTA) system. The effect of post-annealing temperature on the structural, optical, and electrical properties was investigated. As the post-annealing temperature increased, electrical conductivity is deteriorated due to a decrease in the mobility or carrier concentration, gradually. According to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, the behavior of mobility and carrier concentration is attributed to increase the O₂ absorption on film surface, which act as rising the barrier potential at the low post-annealing temperature (200 °C) and reducing the density of donor-like defects at the high post-annealing temperature (400 °C). In case of post-annealing, the minimization of O₂ absorption is a very important factor to obtain better electrical properties.     

在不同的退火温度下钴注入二氧化钛结构与磁性

选用能量为180 keV,温度为623 K,注入4×10¹⁶ cm^-2剂量的钴离子束注入TiO₂样品.在不同的退火温度下,用高分辨的扫描电镜、同步辐射X射线衍射、卢瑟福背散射/沟道实验和超导量子干涉仪,分别对样品进行结构与磁性的测试. SR-XRD和HRTEM测试结果表明: 在Co注入TiO₂后,形成了钴的体心立方(hcp)相和面心立方(fcc)相,且在TiO₂中,钴-纳米粒子也已经形成. 随着退     

Influence of post-annealing conditions on properties of ZnO:Ag films

Silver-doped ZnO films were grown on glass substrates by RF reactive magnetron sputtering. The as-grown ZnO:Ag film is insulating but behaves as p-type conduction with a resistivity of 152 Ω cm, a carrier concentration of 2.24×10¹⁶ cm^?3 and a Hall mobility of 1.83 cm²/V s after annealing in O₂ atmosphere at 600 ^°C for 1 h. The influence of post-annealing temperature and ambience on the electrical, structural and optical properties of the films was investigated.     

Characteristics of ZnO epilayer on the post-annealed buffer layer on GaN/sapphire substrate by pulsed laser deposition

We employed epi-GaN substrates for ZnO film growth, and studied the deposition and post-annealing effects. ZnO films were grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. The as-grown films were annealed for one hour under atmospheric pressure air. ZnO morphologies after annealing were investigated and the post-annealed ZnO films grown at T _g =700^oC have very smooth surfaces and the rms with roughness is about 0.5 nm. Finally, ZnO post-annealed buffer layer was inserted between ZnO epilayer and GaN/sapphire substrates. It is confirmed by AFM that growth temperature of 700^oC helps the films grow in step-flow growth mode. It is observed by cathode luminescence spectrum that the ZnO film grown at 700^oC has very low visible luminescence, indicating the decrease of the deep level defects. It is also revealed by Hall measurements that carrier concentration is decreased by increasing the growth temperatures. It is suggested that low temperature buffer layer growth and post-annealing technique can be used to fabricate ZnO hetero-epitaxy.     

退火对含氮氟非晶碳膜结构及光学带隙的影响

采用射频等离子体增强化学气相沉积法,在不同条件下制备了含氮氟非晶碳膜,着重考察了退火温度对膜结构和光学带隙的影响. 研究发现：在350℃时,膜仍很稳定,当退火温度达到400℃时,其内各化学键的相对含量发生很大的改变. 膜的光学带隙随着退火温度的升高而增大,红外和拉曼光谱分析显示其原因是：退火使得膜内F的相对浓度降低,sp²相对含量升高,导致σ-σ^*带边态密度降低. 关键词： 含氮氟非晶碳膜 退火 光学带隙     

绝缘氧化层上自离子注入Si薄膜W线发光性能的调控

对SOI基片上的Si薄膜进行了一系列Si⁺自注入和热退火的改性实验,并利用低温光致发光(PL)光谱对这些Si薄膜样品的发光性能进行了测试. 在这些SOI样品的PL光谱中观察到了丰富的光学结构,包括D₁,D₂,D₃,X以及异常尖锐的W线. 通过对比在同等光谱测试条件下的W线归一化强度,获得了针对SOI基片发射W线较为理想的自注入和热退火参数. 同时,还对D系列发光峰以及W线的缺陷起源和光学性质进行了很好的讨论. 关键词： SOI结构 自离子注入 W线 近红外发光器件     

Influence of annealing temperature on structural, optical and magnetic properties of Mn-doped ZnO thin films prepared by sol-gel method

Thin films of Zn_1−xMn_xO (x=0.01) diluted magnetic semiconductor were prepared on Si (1 0 0) substrates by the sol-gel method. The influence of annealing temperature on the structural, optical and magnetic properties was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atom force microscopy (AFM), photoluminescence (PL) and SQUID magnetometer (MPMS, Quantum Design). The XRD spectrum shows that all the films are single crystalline with (0 0 2) preferential orientation along c-axis, indicating there are not any secondary phases. The atomic force microscopy images show the surfaces morphologies change greatly with an increase in annealing temperature. PL spectra reveal that the films marginally shift the near band-edge (NBE) position due to stress. The magnetic measurements of the films using SQUID clearly indicate the room temperature ferromagnetic behavior, and the Curie temperature of the samples is above room temperature. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) patterns suggest that Mn²⁺ ions were successfully incorporated into the lattice position of Zn²⁺ ions in ZnO host. It is also found that the post-annealing treatment can affect the ferromagnetic behavior of the films effectively.     

Effect of fast neutron irradiation on magnetic properties of fullerene superconductor Rb3C60

Effects of fast neutron irradiation and post-annealing on magnetic properties of Rb₃C₆₀ were studied through the dc magnetization measurement. Rb₃C₆₀ powder samples were prepared in an evacuated quartz glass tube, and the temperature and the magnetic field dependences of dc magnetization were measured before and after irradiation and after post-annealing. The neutron fluences were 1.0, 1.8 and 3.3 × 10¹⁶ n/cm², and the post-annealing was made at a temperature of 473 K for 3 h. Magnetic hysteresis of the samples irradiated at the fluence of 1.8 and 3.3 × 10¹⁶ n/cm² disappeared, and the hysteresis curves hardly changed at the fluence of 1.0 × 10¹⁶ n/cm². As for the post-annealing effect, the hysteresis curves of the sample irradiated at the fluence of 1.8 × 10¹⁶ n/cm² were completely recovered after annealing, while those of the other samples, which had a magnetic background before irradiation, were not recovered. In this study, it was found that the loss of superconductivity in Rb₃C₆₀ powder is observed when the neutron irradiation fluence exceeds 1.0 × 10¹⁶ n/cm², and the lost superconductivity is completely recovered by the post-annealing at 473 K for 3 h.     

Enhanced cycle ability of spinel LiMn2O4 by controlling the phase purity and structural strain

By applying the annealing step during the solid-state synthesis, well-crystallized spinel LiMn₂O₄ with high phase purity was fabricated. The sensitive effect of heating procedure on the structural and electrochemical properties of LiMn₂O₄ product was investigated. It was found that preheat-treatment-calcinations-annealing process can effectively eliminate the impurity phase. The post-annealing process also leads to a better crystalline and suitable strain for the LiMn₂O₄ product, which contributes to the enhanced cycling performance.     

Post-annealing effect upon optical properties of electron beam evaporated molybdenum oxide thin films

Molybdenum oxide (MoO₃) thin films were deposited by electron beam evaporation. The chemical composition, microstructure, optical and electrical properties of MoO₃ thin films depend on the annealing temperature and ambient atmosphere. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that crystalline MoO₃ films can be obtained at various post-annealing temperatures from 200 to 500 °C in N₂ and O₂. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results reveal that the O-1s emission peak was shifted slightly toward lower binding energies as the annealing temperature in N₂ was increased. The oxygen vacancies and conductivity of MoO₃ film increased with the annealing temperature. However, when the MoO₃ films were annealed in an atmosphere of O₂, the optical transmission, the O/Mo ratio and the photon energy increased with the annealing temperature. The results differ from those for films annealed in a N₂ atmosphere.