Preparation of Cu（In,Ga）Se2 Thin Film Solar Cells by Selenization of Metallic Precursors in an Ar Atmosphere

Cu（In, Ga）Se2 thin films are deposited on Mo-coated glass substrates by Se vapour selenization of sputtered metallic precursors in the atmosphere of Ar gas flow under a pressure of about 10 Pa. The in situ heat treatment of as-grown precursor leads to the formation of a better alloy. During selenization, the growth of CuInSe2 phase preferably proceeds through Se-poor phases as CuSe and InSe at relatively low substrate temperature of 250℃, due to the absence of In2Se3 at intermediate stage at low reactor pressure. Subsequently, the Cu（In,Ga）Se2 phase is produced by the reactive diffusion of CuInSe2 with a Se-poor GaSe phase at high temperature of up to 560℃. The final film exhibits smooth surface and large grain size. The absorber is used to fabricate a glass/Mo/Cu（In, Ga）Se2/CdS/ZnO cell with the total-area efficiency of about 7%. The low open-circuit voltage value of the cell fabricated should result from the nonuniform distribution of In and Ga in the absorber, due to the diffusion-controlled reaction during the phase formation. The films, as well as devices, are characterized.     

Flexible Cu（In,Ga）Se2 Thin-Film Solar Cells on Polyimide Substrate by Low-Temperature Deposition Process

The electrical and structural properties of polycrystalline Cu（In, Ga）Se2 films grown on polyimide （PI） substrates below 400℃ via one-stage and three-stage co-evaporation process have been investigated by x-ray diffraction spectra （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and Hall effect measurement. As shown by XRD spectra, the stoichiometric CIGS films obtained by one-stage process exhibit the characteristic diffraction peaks of the （In0.68Ga0.32）2Se3 and Cu（In0.7Ga0.3）2Se. It is also found that the film structures indicate more columnar and compact than the three-stage process films from SEM images. The stoichiometric CIGS films obtained by three-stage process exhibit the coexistence of the secondary phase of （In0.68Ga0.32）2Se3, Cu2-xSe and Cu（In0.7Ga0.3）2Se. High net carrier concentration and sheet conductivity are also observed for this kind of film, related to the presence of Cu2-xSe phase. As a result, when the CIGS film growth temperature is below 400℃, the three-stage process is inefficient for solar cells. By using the one-stage co-evaporation process, the flexible CIGS solar cell on a PI substrate with the best conversion efficiency of 6.38% is demonstrated （active area 0.16cm^2）.     

Mo Back Contact for Flexible Polyimide Substrate Cu（In,Ga）Se2 Thin-Film Solar Cells

A dc magnetic sputtering process is applied to growth of a Mo back. contact layer onto the flexible polyimide （PI） and rigid soda-lime glass （SLC） substrates. The structural and electrical properties of the Mo layer coated on the two kinds of substrates are investigated by x-ray diffraction （XRD） and Hall effect measurements. The results show that the Mo layer on SLG indicate more better crystal quality and lower resistivity than that on the PI sheets. In contrast to the SLG substrate, the resistivity of the Mo layer on PI is increased by the vacuum annealing process at the substrate temperature of 450℃ under Se atmosphere, which is attributed to the cracked Mo layer induced by the mismatch of the coefficient of thermal expansion between PI and Mo material. The Cu（In,Ga）Se2 （CIGS） solar cells based on the PI and SLO substrates show the best conversion efficiencies of 8.16% and 10.98% （active area, 0.2cm^2）, respectively. The cell efficiency of flexible CIGS solar cells on PI is limited by its relatively lower fill factor caused by the Mo back contact.     

Preparation of ZnO Nanospheres and Their Applications in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

ZnO nanospheres are synthesized by a two-step self-assembly method. X-ray diffraction pattern and Raman scattering spectra measurements show that all the samples present a typical wurtzite structure. A regular sphere shape is inspected by field emission scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope for the samples. It is shown that the as-synthesized ZnO nanosphere is composed of numbers of primary particles with size of around 1Ohm. A possible growth mechanism for the two-step self-assembly ZnO nanosphere is proposed. After applying the ZnO nanospheres to dye-sensitized solar cells （DSSCs）, a 117% increase of the overall light to electricity conversion efficiency η is observed compared with that of the ZnO nanopartieles based DSSCs. Associated with the UV-vis results, light scattering is assigned to the great improvement of η.     

Cu（In,Ga）Se2 Thin Films on Flexible Polyimide Sheet： Structural and Electrical Properties versus Composition

The structural and electrical properties of Cu（In,Ga）Se2 （CIGS） films grown on polyimide （PI） sheet using the three-stage co-evaporation process are investigated by x-ray diffraction spectra （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, Raman spectra, and Hall effect measurements, respectively. The results show that the properties of CIGS films on PI sheet are strongly dependent on the compositional ratio of Cu/（In＋Oa） （Cu/Ⅲ）. In contrast to the non-stoichiometric CIGS films, stoichiometric CIGS films show better structural and electrical properties, such as a relatively larger grain size, lower resistivity and higher carrier concentration. The flexible CIGS solar cells on PI sheet with the conversion efficiencies of 9.7% and 6.6% are demonstrated for the CIGS absorber layer with Cu/Ⅲ of 0.96 and 0.76, respectively （active area, 0.20cm^2）. The cell efficiency for Cu-poor CIGS films is limited by a relatively lower open circuit voltage and fill factor.     

Effects of Ge doping on the properties of Sb2Te3 phase-change thin films

Ge-doped Sb₂Te₃ films were prepared by magnetron sputtering of Ge and Sb₂Te₃ targets on SiO₂/Si (1 0 0) substrates. The effect of Ge doping on the structure was studied in details by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. It is indicated that Ge atoms substitute for Sb/Te in lattice sites and form Ge-Te bonds, moreover, a metastable phase was observed in Ge-doped specimens. Both crystallization temperature and resistivity of amorphous Sb₂Te₃ increase after Ge doping, which are beneficial for improving room temperature stability of the amorphous state and reducing the SET current of chalcogenide random access memory.     

Efficiency Enhancement of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells： Using Salt CuI as an Additive in an Ionic Liquid

Energy conversion efficiency of the dye-sensitized solar cell is improved from 3.5% to 4.5% by adding a small amount of CuI into an ionic liquid electrolyte. It is found that other copper-I salts, for example, CuBr, have the same effect for the dye-sensitized solar cell. Experimental results show that no Cu^2＋ ions exist in this electrolyte. It is suggested that this improvement is caused by the adsorption of Cu^＋ onto the TiO2 porous film.     

Correlation between Displacement Damage Dose and Proton Irradiation Effects on GaInP/GaAs/Ge Space Solar Cells

The irradiation effects of 0.28-2.80 MeV protons on GalnP/GaAs/Ge solar cells have been analysed, and then correlated with the displacement damage dose. The results of I-V and spectral response measurements, combined with the SRIM-derived vacancies produced rates, show that the degradation of the solar cells is largely determined by the displacement damage of the GaAs sub-cell. Thus the SRIM-derived NIEL values for protons in the GaAs sub-cell are used to calculate the displacement damage dose. It is shown that the irradiation effects of the solar cells caused by protons at different energies are correlated well with the aid of displacement damage dose.     

Characteristics of Si-doped Sb2Te3 thin films for phase-change random access memory

The characteristics of Si-doped Sb₂Te₃ thin films were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), four-point probe technique, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). It is found that the as-deposited Sb₂Te₃ film in our study is partly crystallized. Silicon doping increases the crystallization temperature and resistivity of Sb₂Te₃ film significantly. XRD and HRTEM analyses indicated that some of the doped Si atoms substitute for Sb or Te in the lattice, while others exists at the grain boundaries in the form of amorphous phase, which may be responsible for grain size reduction and high crystalline resistivity of Si-doped specimens. Compared with the conventional Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ film, Si-doped Sb₂Te₃ films exhibit lower melting temperature and higher crystalline resistivity, which is beneficial to RESET current reduction of phase-change random access memory (PRAM). These results show the feasibility of Si-doped Sb₂Te₃ films in PRAM application.     

Excellent Passivation of p-Type Si Surface by Sol-Gel Al2O3 Films

Al2O3 films with a thickness of about lOOnm synthesized by spin coating and thermally treated are applied for field-induced surface passivation of p-type crystalline silicon. The level of surface passivation is determined by techniques based on photoconductance. An effective surface recombination velocity below lOOcm/s is obtained on 10Ωcm p-type c-Si wafers （Cz Si）. A high density of negative fixed charges in the order of 10^12 cm^-2 is detected in the Al2O3 films and its impact on the level of surface passivation is demonstrated experimentally. Furthermore, a comparison between the surface passivation achieved for thermal SiO2 and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition SiNx ：H films on the same c-Si is presented. The high negative fixed charge density explains the excellent passivation of p-type c-S/by Al2O3.     

Vacancy Aggregation in Diamond Films grown in CH4＋H2 Atmosphere by MPCVD

Transmission electron microscopy is applied to study the diamond film grown in a CH₄ and H₂ gaseous mixture by microwave plasma assisted chemical vapour deposition. Defects in the nanometre scale, dislocation loops, arefirst observed in diamond films. The dislocation loops are found to be of co-existence with planar defects and are next to the planar defects for {111} faceting grains. A possible mechanism is suggested to interpret the co-existence of dislocation loops with planar defects.     

Influence of Annealing Temperature on Structure, Optical Loss and Laser-Induced Damage Threshold of TiO2 Thin Films

TiO2 thin films are prepared on fused silica with conventional electron beam evaporation deposition. After annealed at different temperatures for 4h, the spectra and XRD patterns of the TiO2 thin film are obtained. Weak absorption of coatings is measured by the surface thermal lensing technique, and laser-induced damage threshold （LIDT） is determined. It is found that with the increasing annealing temperature, the transmittance of TiO2 films decreases. Especially when coatings are annealed at high temperature over 1173K, the optical loss is very serious. Weak absorption detection indicates that the absorption of coatings decreases firstly and then increases, and the absorption and defects play major roles in the LIDT of TiO2 thin films.     

Performances of ZnO-Based Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Fabricated by Hydrothermal Synthesis and Sol-Gel Technique

ZnO is introduced as an alternative to TiO2 in dye sensitized solar cells （DSSCs） due to its band gap similar to TiO2, higher electron mobility, and flexible procedures of preparations. Several samples of ZnO films are prepared with the hydrothermal synthesis method and the sol-gel technique, respectively. These ZnO films were assembled as photoanodes in DSSCs using N3 dye as the sensitizer. The ZnO-based cells prepared by the hydrothermal synthesis show typical current source characteristics, whose fill factor （FF） is 0.44 and photo-to-electric power conversion efficiency is 0.34%. On the other hand, all the samples prepared with the sol-gel technique show accompanied source characteristics with relatively higher power conversion efficiencies （1%） but a lower FF （0.26）. X-ray diffraction （XRD） and atomic force microscopy （AFM） measurements indicate that the sol-gel samples have small particles sizes. Therefore, sol-gel samples could adsorb more dye molecules to generate high conversion efficiencies. At the same time, more grain boundaries make it more possible for injected electrons to recombine with the oxidized electrolyte. Hydrothermal samples have bigger grains, so they show poor conversion efficiency and relatively high FF.     

Photocatalytic Properties of TiO2/Si-NPA Nano Composite Systems

A new composite system is fabricated by depositing the TiO2 film on a silicon nanoporous pillar array （Si-NPA） and annealing at 500℃ using the spin coating method. Such a composite system exhibits a uniform morphology with the micron-dimension pillar array. Photocatalytic properties are investigated based on the degradation of methyl orange dye solution, and the results show that the photocatalytic efficiency of such a nano-composite system is 1.7 times that of the TiO2/glass system. The enhancement of photocatalytic efficiency is attributed to the large surface area of the TiO2/Si-NPA system.     

Comparison of TiO2 and ZrO2 Films Deposited by Electron-Beam Evaporation and by Sol-Gel Process

TiO2 and ZrO2 films are deposited by electron-beam （EB） evaporation and by sol-gel process. The film properties are characterized by visible and Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, x-ray diffraction analysis, surface roughness measure, absorption and laser-induced damage threshold （LIDT） test. It is found that the sol-gel films have lower refractive index, packing density and roughness than EB deposited films due to their amorphous structure and high OH group concentration in the film. The high LIDT of sol-gel films is mainly due to their amorphous and porous structure, and low absorption. LIDT of EB deposited film is considerably affected by defects in the film, and LIDT of sol-gel deposited film is mainly effected by residual organic impurities and solvent trapped in the film.     

Structural properties of CuInSe2 films prepared by selenization of metallic precursors on MoNx film substrates

The aim of this work was to study the effect of MoN_x film substrates on the structural properties of CuInSe₂ films prepared by selenization of metallic Cu-In alloy precursors. MoN_x films were prepared by reactive dc-magnetron sputtering. All the CuInSe₂ films exhibit single phase chalcopyrite structure with (1 1 2) preferred orientation, which can be explained by the reduction of lattice mismatch between CuInSe₂ and MoN_x. The bulk composition of selenized CuInSe₂ films are near stoichiometric, but the surface composition analysis suggests Cu deficiency on surface area. Furthermore, ordered defect compound, CuIn₂Se_3.5 is found on the surface of CuInSe₂ films. The results will be helpful for fabricating Cd-free ZnO buffer layer CuInSe₂ and Cu(In_1−xGa_x)Se₂ based thin film solar cells.     

Influence of Dopants in ZnO Films on Defects

The influence of dopants in ZnO films on defects is investigated by slow positron annihilation technique. The results show S that parameters meet S_Al>S_un>S_Ag for Al-doped ZnO films, undoped and Ag-doped ZnO films. Zinc vacancies are found in all ZnO films with different dopants. According to S parameter and the same defect type, it can be induced that the zinc vacancy concentration is the highest in the Al-doped ZnO film, and it is the least in the Ag-doped ZnO film. When Al atoms are doped in the ZnO films grown on silicon substrates, Zn vacancies increase as compared to the undoped and Ag-doped ZnO films. The dopant concentration could determine the position of Fermi level in materials, while defect formation energy of zinc vacancy strongly depends on the position of Fermi level, so its concentration varies with dopant element and dopant concentration.     

Chemical Oxidation of La2CuO4 Epitaxial Thin Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Chemical oxidation is used to induce superconductivity in La2CuO4 expitaxial thin films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition technique. Details about the influence of oxidation time on structural, surface morphology, Raman spectra, and electrical properties have been investigated. The results convince that successful uptake of oxygen occurs in the oxidized films, and the content of the inserted oxygen increases with increasing oxidation interval. The possible mechanism for the excess oxygen insertion into the film is also discussed.     

Splitting of X-ray diffraction peak in (Ge:SiO2)/SiO2 multilayers

(Ge:SiO₂)/SiO₂ multilayers were fabricated for exploring the influence of the stress on the structure of Ge nanocrystals. When annealed at 800 °C, the multilayers show a clear splitting (fine structure) of the Ge (220) X-ray diffraction peak and have a preferred orientation. Similar effects cannot take place in the multilayers annealed at higher or lower temperature. Analyses of Raman scattering, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscope observations suggest that the observed phenomena arise from compressive stress exerted on Ge nanocrystals, which is induced by the confinement of both the SiO₂ matrix in the cosputtered layer and neighboring SiO₂ layers. The stress may cause an orthorhombic distortion of the diamond structure of bulk Ge. This will lead to the disappearance of the (111) and (311) diffraction peaks and the splitting of the (220) peak. This kind of (Ge:SiO₂)/SiO₂ multilayers enables us to control the sizes of the Ge crystallites and enhance the stress, and is thus promising in forming new nanocrystal structures.     

Influence of ZrO2 in HfO2 on reflectance of HfO2/SiO2 multilayer at 248 nm prepared by electron-beam evaporation

Influence of ZrO₂ in HfO₂ on the reflectance of HfO₂/SiO₂ multilayer at 248 nm was investigated. Two kinds of HfO₂ with different ZrO₂ content were chosen as high refractive index material and the same kind of SiO₂ as low refractive index material to prepare the mirrors by electron-beam evaporation. The impurities in two kinds of HfO₂ starting coating materials and in their corresponding single layer thin films were determined through glow discharge mass spectrum (GDMS) technology and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) equipment, respectively. It showed that between the two kinds of HfO₂, either the bulk materials or their corresponding films, the difference of ZrO₂ was much larger than that of the other impurities such as Ti and Fe. It is the Zr element that affects the property of thin films. Both in theoretical and in experimental, the mirror prepared with the HfO₂ starting material containing more Zr content has a lower reflectance. Because the extinction coefficient of zirconia is relatively high in UV region, it can be treated as one kind of absorbing defects to influence the optical property of the mirrors.