Neutron damage and annealing studies of copper-doped silicon solar cells

The effects of Cu-doping, oxygen and dopant on the fast neutron radiation damage of silicon solar cells are studied in this paper. The diffusion length damage coefficientK _L is defined as K_L= (1/L _i ² – 1/L _o ² )^–1= (1/L²)^–1. The (1/L²) values of n/p-type cells, measured at 300 and 80K, are smaller by about one order in magnitude than those of p/n-type cells. Characteristic curves of (1/L ²) values versus total neutron flux of p/n, n/p and copper-doped n/p-type cells begin to deviate from a 45° straight line around a total neutron flux of 10¹² to 10¹³ n cm^–2. The effect of copper-doping on the radiation resistant property is observed with high resistivity bulk n/p-type (20 to 40 -cm) cells, but not with low resistivity bulk n/p-type (10 -cm) cells at 300K. Values of (1/L ²) versus neutron flux, measured at 80K, are not affected by copper-doping, bulk dopant and oxygen concentration in the bulk region of n/p-type cells. The isochronal annealing of silicon solar cells depends on the total neutron flux, copper-doping and carrier injection during the annealing process. Namely, copper-doping and carrier injection enhance the annealing process of the neutron-induced defect clusters in n/p-type cells.     

Solvent extraction of silver picrate by 3m-crown-m ethers (m = 5, 6) and its mono-benzo-derivative from water into benzene or chloroform: elucidation of an extraction equilibrium using component equilibrium constants

Ion-pair formation constant (K_AgPic in mol⁻¹ dm³) of silver picrate (AgPic), those (K_AgLPic) of its ion-pair complexes (AgLPic) with crown ethers (L) and complex formation constants (K_AgL) of Ag⁺ with L (15-crown-5 ether (15C5) and benzo-15C5) in water (w) were determined potentiometrically at 25 °C. Compounds used as L were 18-crown-6 ether (18C6), its benzo-derivative (B18C6) and the two 15C5 derivatives. Extraction constants (K_ex in mol⁻¹ dm³) of AgPic with L (15C5, 18C6, B18C6) from acidic w-phases into either C₆H₆ or CHCl₃ were recalculated from K_AgPic, K_AgL, K_AgLPic and data opened in previous papers. Thus obtained K_ex was divided into five component equilibrium constants containing K_AgL and K_AgLPic anew. Then, contributions of the component constants, K_AgL, K_AgLPic and distribution constants of AgLPic between the w- and C₆H₆-phases, to K_ex were discussed and compared with corresponding extraction systems of NaPic and KPic with18C6.     

Determination of ion-pair formation constants of univalent metal–crown ether complex ions with anions in water using ion-selective electrodes: application of modified determination methods to several salts

Ion-pair formation constants (mol^–1 dm³ unit), K_MX for a univalent metal salt (MX) and K_MLX for its ion-pair complex (ML⁺X^–) with a crown ether (L) in water, were determined at various ionic strengths (I) and 25°C by potentiometry with ion-selective electrodes for MX=NaPic, NaMnO₄, NaBPh₄, KPic, and KMnO₄; and MLX=Na(18C6)Pic, K(18C6)Pic, and Na(18C6)BPh₄, where Pic^– and 18C6 denote a picrate ion and 18-crown-6 ether, respectively. Equations for analyzing I-dependence of logK_MLX and logK_MX were derived and fitted well to the I-dependence using a non-linear regression analysis. The equilibrium constants at I=0 mol dm^–3, K_MLX° and K_MX°, were simultaneously obtained from the analysis. The experimental values of K_MLX and K_MX were only in agreement with the values calculated from K_MLX° and K_MX°, respectively, in the ranges of higher I.     

High-power femtosecond fiber-feedback optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled stoichiometric LiTaO3

We demonstrate a synchronously pumped high-gain optical parametric oscillator with feedback through a fiber, using a passively mode-locked Yb:YAG thin-disk laser as a pump source. We obtain as much as 19-W average signal power at a wavelength of 1.45 microm in 840-fs pulses and 7.8 W of idler power at 3.57 microm. The repetition rate of the pulses is 56 MHz, and the transverse beam quality of the generated signal is M2 < 1.6.     

Effect of copropagating and counterpropagating directions on a semiconductor optical amplifier-Mach-Zehnder interferometer based wavelength converter using a continuous-wave assist light

We experimentally investigate and compare the effects of copropagating and counterpropagating directions on a semiconductor optical amplifier-Mach-Zehnder interferometer based wavelength converter. When an assist light is not used, the copropagating scheme induces a long rise-fall time and small timing jitter, whereas the counterpropagating scheme induces a short rise-fall time and large timing jitter. The results show that the copropagating scheme with a backward assist light yields the best performance.     

Compositional variation in Si-rich SiGe single crystals grown by multi-component zone melting method using Si seed and source crystals

The effect of the supply of depleted Si solute elements on the compositional variation in the Si-rich SiGe bulk crystals was studied using the method which was used to grow Ge-rich SiGe single crystals with a uniform composition. By selecting the proper pulling rate, we can obtain Si-rich Si_1−xGe_x bulk crystals with uniform composition of x=0.1 without using the supply mechanism of depleted Si solute elements. When the supply mechanism of Si solute elements was used, the initial composition in Si-rich SiGe crystals can be much more easily determined by controlling the growth temperature than that in Ge-rich crystals because the Si seed crystal is not melted down. The supply of Si solute elements is very effective to change the compositional variation even for Si-rich SiGe crystals.     

Syntheses of cyclopentyl nucleoside (−)-neplanocin A through tetrazole-fragmentation from cyanophosphates

1. Download high-res image (154KB)
2. Download full-size image

     

Unusual electric-field-induced transformations in the dark conglomerate phase of a bent-core liquid crystal

Unusual behaviour of the dark conglomerate (DC) phase seen in an oxadiazole-based achiral bent-core liquid crystal, which has not previously been reported for the DC phase of other liquid crystals, is described. Under polarising optical microscopy, we see no domains of opposite handedness in the ground state of the DC phase. However, it shows unusual transformations when an electric field is applied to the system. On increasing the electric field, at first the domains of opposite handedness become visible and then they grow in size and slowly the sample transforms to a monochiral or single-handed form which is followed by a nonchiral state at very high fields. The threshold electric fields required to achieve these changes are temperature dependent and the transformations are seen irrespective of the frequency of the applied electric field (100 Hz to 5 kHz), type of the waveform (sine, square and triangular) and the thickness (1.5 μm to 15 μm) or the geometry (planar and twisted) of the device used. Further, there is no field-induced high birefringence texture observed even though sufficiently large electric field (~22 V/μm) has been applied across the devices. The nature of the behaviour is investigated by various techniques such as optical microscopy, conoscopy, circular dichroic and Raman spectroscopies, electro-optics and dielectric spectroscopy. The possible physical phenomena behind these changes are discussed in detail.