Excellent passivation of thin silicon wafers by HF‐free hydrogen plasma etching using an industrial ICPECVD tool

In this work, hydrogen plasma etching of surface oxides was successfully accomplished on thin (～100 µm) planar n‐type Czochralski silicon wafers prior to intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon [a‐Si:H(i)] deposition for heterojunction solar cells, using an industrial inductively coupled plasma‐enhanced chemical vapour deposition (ICPECVD) platform. The plasma etching process is intended as a dry alternative to the conventional wet‐chemical hydrofluoric acid (HF) dip for solar cell processing. After symmetrical deposition of an a‐Si:H(i) passivation layer, high effective carrier lifetimes of up to 3.7 ms are obtained, which are equivalent to effective surface recombination velocities of 1.3 cm s^–1 and an implied open‐circuit voltage (V_oc) of 741 mV. The passivation quality is excellent and comparable to other high quality a‐Si:H(i) passivation. High‐resolution transmission electron microscopy shows evidence of plasma‐silicon interactions and a sub‐nanometre interfacial layer. Using electron energy‐loss spectroscopy, this layer is further investigated and confirmed to be hydrogenated suboxide layers. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Nanotextured multicrystalline Al‐BSF solar cells reaching 18% conversion efficiency using industrially viable solar cell processes

We report recent achievements in adapting industrially used solar cell processes on nanotextured surfaces. Nanostructures were etched into c‐Si surfaces by dry exothermic plasma‐less reaction of F species with Si in atmospheric pressure conditions and then modified using a short post‐etching process. Nanotextured multicrystalline wafers are used to prepare Al‐BSF solar cells using industrially feasible solar cell proc‐ essing steps. In comparison to the reference acidic textured solar cells, the nanostructured cells showed gain in short circuit current (J_sc) of up to 0.8 mA/cm² and absolute gain in conversion efficiency of up to 0.3%. The best nanotextured solar cell was independently certified to reach the conversion efficiency of 18.0%. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

非链式HF/DF激光器的研究进展

HF/DF激光器是中红外波段能提供最高能量输出的激光光源,也是中红外波段应用非常广泛的相干光源。本文介绍了近几年国内外关于非链式HF/DF激光器的研究进展及其成果应用,分析了非链式HF/DF激光器在应用方面的优缺点,总结了实现非链式HF/DF激光输出的关键技术和存在的问题,指出了该技术的未来发展方向。     

Selective etching of ZnTe in HF:H2O2:H2O solution: Interpretation of extended defect‐related etch figures

HF:H₂O₂:H₂O solution (40%wt.HF: 30wt.%H₂O₂: H₂O, 3:2:1 by volume) was used to reveal extended defects (line, face and volume defects) in bulk ZnTe crystals grown from Te solution. The etch patterns were analyzed based on their size, shape and distribution. The etch figures, both in the shape of pits and hillocks with high resolution, show forms controlled by the symmetries of the respective faces were produced. Two different sizes of pits were observed, the larger‐size pits correspond to dislocations penetrating the surface, however, the smaller‐size texture pits are produced on the defect‐free region, which serve as standard pits on respect faces. The face defects, such as grain boundaries, sub‐grain boundaries, dislocation walls, twins and stacking faults, can be all displayed clearly. Another essential feature of the etchant is that, it can effectively dissolve Te‐rich phase (Te inclusion/precipitates), which makes it promising to reveal the shape of this volume defect.     

Effects of acid etching on the structure of PtNi catalyst and total exposed active sites

The integration technology of hydrogen preparation–hydrogen storage not only can utilize hydrogen energy efficiently but also can improve the selectivity of the electrode maximally. In the present work, the structure and composition of the PtNi catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD); and its electrochemical properties, morphology, and surface binding energy were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear scanning voltammetry (LSV), scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The effects of different acid etching treatments (e.g., etching time, etchant concentration, and etching temperature) on the structure and surface active sites were investigated by the orthogonal experiment. The experimental results reveal that after etching with 0.5 mol/L of perchloric acid for 0.5 h at 60°C, the electrode weight loss of the PtNi catalyst is mainly attributed to the large loss of Ni atoms in film layer. This results in the reduced alloy phase in film layer and the appearance of Pt characteristic diffraction peak. The relative content of Pt on the surface of the film electrode increases significantly, and the total number of active sites also increases correspondingly. The binding energy of Pt4f_7/2 decreases by 0.19 eV, and the number of active sites involved in hydrogen release decreases, indicative of the reduced promotion effect of the PtNi catalyst on hydrogen release.     

纳米银刻蚀比色法检测褪黑激素

该文构建了一种基于氯金酸刻蚀球形纳米银检测褪黑激素的简单、高灵敏比色探针。纳米银可被氯金酸氧化刻蚀为Ag+,同时还原生成的纳米金沉积在刻蚀后的纳米银表面,导致其溶液的吸光度降低和颜色增强(由黄色变为橘黄色)。当向体系中加入褪黑激素时,氯金酸被还原,抑制了纳米银的刻蚀,从而使得溶液吸光度增加和颜色变浅。结果显示,在0.1 nmol/L~1.0 mmol/L范围内,褪黑激素浓度对数值(lgC)与其吸光度改变值(ΔA)呈良好的线性关系,线性方程为ΔA=0.049 8+0.516lgC,相关系数(R2)为0.996 4,检出限为0.09 nmol/L。该方法成功应用于人体尿液和葡萄中的褪黑激素的测定。     

Towards Long‐Term Photostability of Nickel Hydroxide/BiVO4 Photoanodes for Oxygen Evolution Catalysts via In Situ Catalyst Tuning

Increasing long‐term photostability of BiVO₄ photoelectrode is an important issue for solar water splitting. The NiOOH oxygen evolution catalyst (OEC) has fast water oxidation kinetics compared to the FeOOH OEC. However, it generally shows a lower photoresponse and poor stability because of the more substantial interface recombination at the NiOOH/BiVO₄ junction. Herein, we utilize a plasma etching approach to reduce both interface/surface recombination at NiOOH/BiVO₄ and NiOOH/electrolyte junctions. Further, adding Fe²⁺ into the borate buffer electrolyte alleviates the active but unstable character of etched‐NiOOH/BiVO₄, leading to an outstanding oxygen evolution over 200 h. The improved charge transfer and photostability can be attributed to the active defects and a mixture of NiOOH/NiO/Ni in OEC induced by plasma etching. Metallic Ni acts as the ion source for the in situ generation of the NiFe OEC over long‐term durability.     

Simulation of proppant transport at intersection of hydraulic fracture and natural fracture of wellbores using CFD-DEM

Proppants transport is an advanced technique to improve the hydraulic fracture phenomenon, in order to promote the versatility of gas/oil reservoirs. A numerical simulation of proppants transport at both hydraulic fracture (HF) and natural fracture (NF) intersection is performed to provide a better understanding of key factors which cause, or contribute to proppants transport in HF–NF intersection. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in association with discrete element method (DEM) is used to model the complex interactions between proppant particles, host fluid medium and fractured walls. The effect of non-spherical geometry of particles is considered in this model, using the multi-sphere method. All interaction forces between fluid flow and particles are considered in the computational model. Moreover, the interactions of particle–particle and particle–wall are taken into account via Hertz–Mindlin model. The results of the CFD-DEM simulations are compared to the experimental data. It is found that the CFD-DEM simulation is capable of predicting proppant transport and deposition quality at intersections which are in agreement with experimental data. The results indicate that the HF–NF intersection type, fluid velocity and NF aperture affect the quality of blockage occurrence, presenting a new index, called the blockage coefficient which indicates the severity of the blockage.     

光纤探针传输效率的研究

用实验方法测量了光纤探针的传输效率随光纤圆锥角的变化关系,给出了传输效率曲线。通过测定探针传输效率的实验可以看到,只要光纤探针的锥角在30°~55°范围内,就具有高透过率、高分辨率纳米微探针。测量了传输效率与光波波长的关系。     

大锥角光纤探针的制备

用熔拉法、腐蚀法、管腐蚀法、熔拉-腐蚀法、激光消融法等制备了光纤探针,对其外形进行了分析比较.熔拉法制作的探针,锥形过渡区细长,并且获得的探针锥角不大(8°～35°).腐蚀法与管腐蚀法可以使探针的锥形过渡区短,损耗小,锥角大(15°～65°),但在制备更大的锥角光纤探针时,表面开始变得粗糙.拉伸-腐蚀的方法制作光纤探针存在一个变锥度区.激光消融腐蚀法容易获得大锥角的探针,并且表面光滑.