Novel interconnection scheme for thin‐film silicon solar modules with conductive intermediate reflector

Intermediate reflector layers are commonly used for light man‐agement purposes in multi‐junction silicon based devices containing a‐Si:H top‐ and µc‐Si:H bottom‐sub‐cells. A low resistance of such layers can have a severe impact on the solar module performance due to shunting of the bottom sub‐cell by the P2 scribe. A common solution for this problem is the use of an additional scribe line. However, not only the additional processing step is disadvantageous but also the dead area losses are increased as well by the additional scribe. This work introduces a novel solar cell stripe interconnection scheme that requires only three scribing processes with similar dead area losses as they would be apparent in the standard interconnection scheme. An implementation to mini modules shows no negative impact on the electrical properties and simultaneously reducing the required number of scribing steps. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Spontaneous Ga incorporation in ZnO nanowires epitaxially grown on GaN substrate

Surface‐diffusion‐induced spontaneous Ga incorporation process is demonstrated in ZnO nanowires grown on GaN substrate. Crucially, contrasting distributions of Ga atoms in axial and radial directions are experimentally observed. Ga atoms uniformly distribute along the ～10 μm long ZnO nanowire and show a rapidly gradient distribution in the radial direction, which is attributed substantially to the difference between surface and volume diffusion. The understanding on the incorporation process can potentially modulate doping and properties in semiconductor nanomaterials.

     

Effect of Fe-doping on the structural,morphological and optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by solution combustion process

The effect of Fe-doping on the structural, morphological and optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by simple solution combustion process are reported. The powder XRD pattern indicates that the Fe-doped ZnO samples exhibit primary and secondary phases. The primary phase indicates the hexagonal wurtzite structure with the average crystalline size of around 25–50 nm and the secondary phase is associated with the face centered cubic structure of magnetite iron oxide. The elemental composition of pure and Fe-doped samples are evaluvated by EDX. The results of FE-SEM and HR-TEM cleary show that particles morphology have changed with respect to the incorporation of doping agent and particles are in aggregating nature. The vibrational properties of the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles are investigated by Raman scattering technique and it exhibits that the influence of Fe-doping significantly modify the lattice vibrational characteristics in ZnO sites. The optical properties of the Fe-doped ZnO nanoparticles are carried out by UV–vis absorption and PL spectra. The results of PL spectra show the near-band edge related emission as well as strong blue emissions in the Fe-doped ZnO nanoparticles.     

Enhanced room temperature ferromagnetism and photoluminescence behavior of Cu-doped ZnO co-doped with Mn

Cu, Mn co-doped ZnO nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by the sol–gel technique. XRD pattern described that Mn-doping did not affect the hexagonal wurtzite structure of the samples and no secondary phases were found. The reduced crystallite size at Mn=2% is due to the suppression of grain surface growth by foreign impurity. The enhancement of crystal size after Mn=2% is due to the expansion of lattice volume produced by the distortion around the dopant ion. The better dielectric constant and conductivity noticed at Mn=2% are explained by charge carrier density and crystallite size. The suppression of broad UV band by Mn-doping is discussed based on the generation of non-radiative recombination centers. Hysteresis loop showed the clear room temperature ferromagnetism in all the samples and the magnetization increased with Mn-doping. Better electrical and magnetic behavior of Zn_0.94Cu_0.04Mn_0.02O sample is suggested for effective opto-magnetic devices.     

Observation of room temperature negative differential resistance in solution synthesized ZnO nanorod

We report the observation of negative differential resistance (NDR) in solution synthesized ZnO nanorod. The ZnO nanorod was fabricated as a two terminal planar device using lithographically patterned Au electrodes. The measured current–voltage response of the device has shown a negative differential resistance behavior. The peak-to-valley current ratio of the NDR is found to be greater than 4. The mechanism of this observed NDR effect has been explained based on charge trapping and de-trapping at the nanoscale contacts. It is the first observation of negative differential resistance effect in solution synthesized ZnO nanorod.     

Patterned growth of zinc oxide nanorods using poly(vinyl alcohol)-N-methyl-4(4′-formylstyryl)pyridinium methosulfate acetal and zinc acetate mixture as a seed layer

This paper reports a new method for fabricating two-dimensional ZnO nanorod patterns. A water soluble mixture of poly(vinyl alcohol)-N-methyl-4(4′-formylstyryl)pyridinium methosulfate acetal (PVA-Sbq) and zinc acetate (ZnA) was used as a negative photoresist to produce the desired patterns using conventional photolithography. Hydrothermally-grown ZnO nanorods were grown selectively on the calcined PVA-Sbq/ZnA patterns. The appropriate concentration of PVA-Sbq and ZnA that can produce the desirable seed layer pattern was determined experimentally. Furthermore, the effects of the calcination time on the morphology and vertical alignment of ZnO nanorods were investigated. The vertically-aligned ZnO nanorods were generated by sufficient calcination of the patterned seed layer. On the other hand, the aspect ratio of ZnO nanorods decreased slightly with increasing calcination time. This new approach provides a simple and cost-effective method for fabricating ZnO nanorod patterns which can be beneficial in various solid-state devices and optoelectronic applications.     

ITO-free inverted organic solar cells fabricated with transparent and low resistance ZnO/Ag/ZnO multilayer electrode

Inverted organic solar cells (OSCs) based on poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):[6,6]-phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) bulk heterojunctions (BHJ) were fabricated with optimized ZnO/Ag/ZnO multilayer and conventional indium–tin oxide (ITO) cathode electrodes and their performance was compared. The ZnO/Ag/ZnO multilayer films showed sheet resistances in the range 3.6–3.9 Ω/sq, while ITO exhibited 14.2 Ω/sq. On the one hand, the carrier concentration gradually decreased from 1.74 × 10²² to 4.33 × 10²¹ cm⁻³ as the ZnO thickness increased from 8 to 80 nm, respectively. The transmittance of the ZnO(40 nm)/Ag(19 nm)/ZnO(40 nm) films was ∼95% at 550 nm, which is comparable to that of ITO (∼96%). The multilayer films were smooth with a root mean square (RMS) roughness of 0.81 nm. OSCs fabricated with the ZnO(40 nm)/Ag(19 nm)/ZnO(40 nm) film showed a power conversion efficiency (2.63%) comparable to that of OSCs with a conventional ITO cathode (2.71%).     

An alternative approach to investigate the origin of p-type conductivity in arsenic doped ZnO

P-type conductivity in MOCVD grown ZnO was obtained by directional thermal diffusion of arsenic from semi-insulating GaAs substrate. The films were single crystalline in nature and oriented along (002) direction. Ab initio calculations in the framework of density functional theory have been carried out with different chemical states of arsenic in ZnO. Present calculations suggested As_Zn–2V_Zn defect is a shallow acceptor and results in ferromagnetism in ZnO. The magnetic measurements of the samples indeed showed ferromagnetic ordering at room temperature. X-ray photoelectron spectra confirmed the presence of As_Zn and V_Zn. The core level chemical shift in binding energy of As_Zn indicated the formation of As_Zn–2V_Zn. Diffused arsenic substitutes zinc atom and creates additional zinc vacancies. The zinc vacancies, surrounding the oxygen atoms, result in unpaired O 2p electrons which in turn induce ferromagnetism in the samples.     

Hierarchical Tubular Structures Grown from the Gel/Liquid Interface

Three dimensional hierarchical materials are widespread in nature but are difficult to synthesize by using self‐assembly/organization. Here, we employ a gel–liquid interface to obtain centimeter‐long ～100 μm diameter tubes with complex mineral wall structures that grow from the interface into solution. The gel, made from gelatin, is loaded with metal chloride salt, whereas the solution is a high pH anion source. Tubes were obtained with a range of cations (Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Zn²⁺) and anions (CO₃^2? and PO₄^3?). The crystalline phases found in the tube walls corresponded to expectations from solution chemistries and phase solubilities. The growth mechanism is found to be akin to that of chemical gardens. The divalent cations modify the strength of the gelatin gel in a manner that involves not only simple electrostatic screening, but also ion‐specific effects. Thus, tubes were not obtained for those ions and/or concentrations that significantly changed the gel’s mechanical structure. At high Cu²⁺ loading, for example, vertical convection bands, not Liesegang bands, were observed in the gels.     

无碱条件下Au/ZnO选择性催化氧化1,3-丙二醇合成3-羟基丙酸甲酯

采用溶胶-沉积法合成了高选择性的Au/ZnO催化剂,用于1,3-丙二醇选择性氧化酯化为3-羟基丙酸甲酯的反应.研究了保护剂PVA用量、金溶胶合成温度、金负载量及催化剂循环利用对反应的影响,且优化了反应温度和反应压力,并对催化剂进行了XRD和TEM表征.结果表明,PVA∶Au(m/m)=1∶4、金溶胶合成温度25℃、金负载量1%的Au/ZnO对目标反应的催化活性最好,在100℃和Po2=2MPa的条件下1,3-丙二醇的转化率达82.8%,产物3-羟基丙酸甲酯的选择性达95.4%.Au纳米粒子的粒径影响催化性能,在Au平均粒径为2.8~6.1nm的范围内,产物选择性随Au纳米粒子的粒径的减小而增大,平均粒径在2.8~4.8nm的范围内时,催化剂具有较好的产物选择性(大于90%);Au/ZnO催化剂循环利用4次后催化性能(转化率和选择性)无明显下降;并推测了无碱条件下Au/ZnO选择性催化氧化1,3-丙二醇合成3-羟基丙酸甲酯的反应机制.