High Index Glass Thin Film Processing for Photonics and Photovoltaic (PV) Applications

High Index Glass Thin Film Processing for Photonics and Photovoltaic (PV) Applications PDF Author: Okechukwu Anthony Ogbuu
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781369128499
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 104

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Book Description
To favorably compete with fossil-fuel technology, the greatest challenge for thin film solar-cells is to improve efficiency and reduce material cost. Thickness scaling to thin film reduces material cost but affects the light absorption in the cells; therefore a concept that traps incident photons and increases its optical path length is needed to boost absorption in thin film solar cells. One approach is the integration of low symmetric gratings (LSG), using high index material, on either the front-side or backside of 30 um thin c-Si cells. In this study, Multicomponent TeO2–Bi2O 3–ZnO (TBZ) glass thin films were prepared using RF magnetron sputtering under different oxygen flow rates. The influences of oxygen flow rate on the structural and optical properties of the resulting thin films were investigated. The structural origin of the optical property variation was studied using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman Spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate that TBZ glass thin film is a suitable material for front side LSG material photovoltaic and photonics applications due to their amorphous nature, high refractive index (n > 2), broad band optical transparency window, low processing temperature. We developed a simple maskless method to pattern sputtered tellurite based glass thin films using unconventional agarose hydrogel mediated wet etching. Conventional wet etching process, while claiming low cost and high throughput, suffers from reproducibility and pattern fidelity issues due to the isotropic nature of wet chemical etching when applied to glasses and polymers. This method overcomes these challenges by using an agarose hydrogel stamp to mediate a conformal etching process. In our maskless method, agarose hydrogel stamps are patterned following a standard soft lithography and replica molding process from micropatterned masters and soaked in a chemical etchant. The micro-scale features on the stamp are subsequently transferred into glass and polymer thin films via conformal wet etching. High refractive index chalcogenide glass (n = 2.6) thin films with composition As20Se80 was selected for backside LSG material due to their attractive properties. We developed an optimized integration protocol for LSG integration and successfully integrated these LSG structures at the back side of both 30 μm c-Si solar cells and standalone 30 μm c-Si wafers. Optical and electrical characterization of LSG on thin c-Si cells shows that LSG structures create higher absorption enhancement and external quantum efficiency at long wavelengths.

High Index Glass Thin Film Processing for Photonics and Photovoltaic (PV) Applications

High Index Glass Thin Film Processing for Photonics and Photovoltaic (PV) Applications PDF Author: Okechukwu Anthony Ogbuu
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781369128499
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 104

Get Book Here

Book Description
To favorably compete with fossil-fuel technology, the greatest challenge for thin film solar-cells is to improve efficiency and reduce material cost. Thickness scaling to thin film reduces material cost but affects the light absorption in the cells; therefore a concept that traps incident photons and increases its optical path length is needed to boost absorption in thin film solar cells. One approach is the integration of low symmetric gratings (LSG), using high index material, on either the front-side or backside of 30 um thin c-Si cells. In this study, Multicomponent TeO2–Bi2O 3–ZnO (TBZ) glass thin films were prepared using RF magnetron sputtering under different oxygen flow rates. The influences of oxygen flow rate on the structural and optical properties of the resulting thin films were investigated. The structural origin of the optical property variation was studied using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman Spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate that TBZ glass thin film is a suitable material for front side LSG material photovoltaic and photonics applications due to their amorphous nature, high refractive index (n > 2), broad band optical transparency window, low processing temperature. We developed a simple maskless method to pattern sputtered tellurite based glass thin films using unconventional agarose hydrogel mediated wet etching. Conventional wet etching process, while claiming low cost and high throughput, suffers from reproducibility and pattern fidelity issues due to the isotropic nature of wet chemical etching when applied to glasses and polymers. This method overcomes these challenges by using an agarose hydrogel stamp to mediate a conformal etching process. In our maskless method, agarose hydrogel stamps are patterned following a standard soft lithography and replica molding process from micropatterned masters and soaked in a chemical etchant. The micro-scale features on the stamp are subsequently transferred into glass and polymer thin films via conformal wet etching. High refractive index chalcogenide glass (n = 2.6) thin films with composition As20Se80 was selected for backside LSG material due to their attractive properties. We developed an optimized integration protocol for LSG integration and successfully integrated these LSG structures at the back side of both 30 μm c-Si solar cells and standalone 30 μm c-Si wafers. Optical and electrical characterization of LSG on thin c-Si cells shows that LSG structures create higher absorption enhancement and external quantum efficiency at long wavelengths.

Sol-Gel Derived Optical and Photonic Materials

Sol-Gel Derived Optical and Photonic Materials PDF Author: Rui Almeida
Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
ISBN: 0128182369
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 396

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Book Description
Sol-gel processing is a low temperature, low cost wet chemistry route to a range of different materials, particularly glassy and ceramic oxides, including nanoparticles and powders, fibers, thin films and membranes, or monoliths and composites. Thin films and coatings represent by far the most important category of sol-gel derived products with optical, electronic and magnetic functionalities, for example photoresist and dielectric spin-on-glass layers, flat screen displays, anti-reflection, conducting and magnetic disk coatings, as well as photochromic, electrochromic and photovoltaic coatings. Sol-gel derived materials are homogeneous at the molecular level and are a good example of a bottom-up approach to materials synthesis. There is increasing need of new optical and photonic materials with improved performance, where molecular level homogeneity and easy fabrication in film form may be especially convenient, highlighting a decisive advantage of sol-gel over other more established technologies to obtain graded index optical components, solar control coatings, phosphors, glass ceramics or multilayer photonic structures. There is no book available yet which focuses in particular on optical and photonic sol-gel derived materials. This is what makes this book unique at this point for those especially or exclusively interested in optical and photonic functional materials and applications. This book represents an important tool to update scientists and engineers with recent advances in the rapidly evolving field of optical and photonic materials, components and devices. Our target audience are those working in materials science, physics, engineering and chemistry disciplines, in particular academics and researchers working in advanced optical/photonic processing technologies, research and development engineers in high technology industries and research project leaders. This book will also be an essential tool for graduate students pursuing a PhD or even a Master's degree. - Reviews wide range of sol-gel derived coatings including reflective and anti-reflective, self-cleaning, and electrochromic - Discusses latest advances in sol-gel derived photonic crystals including one dimensional, two dimensional, and three dimensional structures - Addresses key applications in solid state lighting, solar cells, sensors, fiber optics, and magneto-optical devices

Thin Films on Glass

Thin Films on Glass PDF Author: Hans Bach
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662034751
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 445

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Book Description
This book, entitled Thin Films on Glass, is one of a series reporting on research and development activities on products and processes conducted by the Schott Group. The scientifically founded development of new products and technical pro cesses has traditionally been of vital importance to Schott and has always been performed on a scale determined by the prospects for application of our special glasses. Since the reconstruction of the Schott Glaswerke in Mainz, the scale has increased enormously. The range of expert knowledge required could never have been supplied by Schott alone. It is also a tradition in our company to cultivate collaboration with customers, universities, and research institutes. Publications in numerous technical journals, which since 1969 we have edited to a regular schedule as Forschungsberichte - 'research reports' - describe the results of these cooperations. They contain up-to-date infor mation on various topics for the expert but are not suited as survey material for those whose standpoint is more remote. This is the point where we would like to place our series, to stimulate the exchange of thoughts, so that we can consider from different points of view the possibilities offered by those incredibly versatile materials, glass and glass ceramics. We would like to share the knowledge won through our research and development at Schott in cooperation with the users of our materials with scientists and engineers, interested customers and friends, and with the employees of our firm.

Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells

Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells PDF Author: Arvind Victor Shah
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439808104
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 438

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Book Description
Photovoltaic technology has now developed to the extent that it is close to fulfilling the vision of a "solar-energy world," as devices based on this technology are becoming efficient, low-cost and durable. This book provides a comprehensive treatment of thin-film silicon, a prevalent PV material, in terms of its semiconductor nature, startin

Optical Properties and Applications of Semiconductors

Optical Properties and Applications of Semiconductors PDF Author: Inamuddin
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000598950
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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Book Description
Semiconductors with optical characteristics have found widespread use in evolving semiconductor photovoltaics, where optical features are important. The industrialization of semiconductors and their allied applications have paved the way for optical measurement techniques to be used in new ways. Due to their unique properties, semiconductors are key components in the daily employed technologies in healthcare, computing, communications, green energy, and a range of other uses. This book examines the fundamental optical properties and applications of semiconductors. It summarizes the information as well as the optical characteristics and applicability of semiconductors through an in-depth review of the literature. Accomplished experts in the field share their knowledge and examine new developments. FEATURES Comprehensive coverage of all types of optical applications using semiconductors Explores relevant composite materials and devices for each application Addresses the optical properties of crystalline and amorphous semiconductors Describes new developments in the field and future potential applications Optical Properties and Applications of Semiconductors is a comprehensive reference and an invaluable resource for engineers, scientists, academics, and industry R&D teams working in applied physics.

Recent Advances in Thin Films

Recent Advances in Thin Films PDF Author: Sushil Kumar
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9811561168
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 721

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Book Description
This volume comprises the expert contributions from the invited speakers at the 17th International Conference on Thin Films (ICTF 2017), held at CSIR-NPL, New Delhi, India. Thin film research has become increasingly important over the last few decades owing to the applications in latest technologies and devices. The book focuses on current advances in thin film deposition processes and characterization including thin film measurements. The chapters cover different types of thin films like metal, dielectric, organic and inorganic, and their diverse applications across transistors, resistors, capacitors, memory elements for computers, optical filters and mirrors, sensors, solar cells, LED's, transparent conducting coatings for liquid crystal display, printed circuit board, and automobile headlamp covers. This book can be a useful reference for students, researchers as well as industry professionals by providing an up-to-date knowledge on thin films and coatings.

Handbook of Silicon Photonics

Handbook of Silicon Photonics PDF Author: Laurent Vivien
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1439836116
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 831

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Book Description
The development of integrated silicon photonic circuits has recently been driven by the Internet and the push for high bandwidth as well as the need to reduce power dissipation induced by high data-rate signal transmission. To reach these goals, efficient passive and active silicon photonic devices, including waveguide, modulators, photodetectors,

Advances in Glass Research

Advances in Glass Research PDF Author: Shadia Jamil Ikhmayies
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 303120266X
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 411

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Book Description
This book covers preparation methods, characterization, and applications of most glass families. It reports the fundamentals of glass, challenges in the development, traditional and new manufacturing processes, characterization techniques, structural, thermal, and optical properties. The book reviews redox reactions in glasses and the factors affecting them, in addition to the techniques for determining the redox states and speciation of polyvalent ions in glass. A special chapter is dedicate to phosphate glasses, their importance, preparation methods, structure and properties. The use of different types of phosphate glasses in biomedicine, optics, electrochemistry, and as hosts for nuclear wastes is thoroughly discussed. Moreover, the applications of phosphate glasses in electronics and laser technology are also discussed in this book. Recent experimental studies such as the development of a novel bioglass system and the influence of ZnO, TiO2, and Al2O3 incorporation on structural, mechanical strength, degradation, pH variation, and formation of hydroxyapatite (Hap) layer on the glass surface are reported. Promising aluminum-silicate glassy system and its glass-ceramic counterpart are also presented in this books. An overview of the calorimetry approaches related to rare earth improvements on the thermal stability of glass is provided. The book discusses the advances in the chalcogenide glasses (ChGs) and based devices. It also reports their applications in optical devices, semiconductor circuits, and other applications. In addition, lanthanide and/or QDs doped luminescent glasses and their use in solid-state lighting and displays, security (anti-counterfeiting), optical temperature sensors, and solar energy (solar spectrum conversion) are reviewed along with a comparison of their advantages and disadvantages. Finally, the nature of phthalocyanines as materials for glass coatings and most widely used synthesis methods of porphyrins and phthalocyanines are discussed.

Thin Films for Integrated Optics Applications: Volume 392

Thin Films for Integrated Optics Applications: Volume 392 PDF Author: Bruce W. Wessels
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
The combination of electro-optic (EO) thin films with silicon-integrated circuits provides a promising approach to creating optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs) capable of sending information at data rates greater than 1 Gbit/second with low power consumption. These devices are of two basic types - very highly parallel (64K channels or greater) or very high speed (Gbits/ second/channel). Materials scientists, chemists and physicists come together in this new volume to discuss EO thin-film materials and devices, and to learn about advances in fields outside of their specific areas. Electro-optic materials featured include organic polymers and/or multilayers, liquid crystals, and inorganic thin films. Materials design, processing, and device issues are addressed. Topics include: nonlinear organics; liquid crystals for integrated optics; ferroelectric thin films; Er-doped inorganic thin films; inorganic thin film waveguides.

Silicon Photonics Bloom

Silicon Photonics Bloom PDF Author: Ozdal Boyraz
Publisher: MDPI
ISBN: 3039369083
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
The open access journal Micromachines invites manuscript submissions for the Special Issue “Silicon Photonics Bloom”. The past two decades have witnessed a tremendous growth of silicon photonics. Lab-scale research on simple passive component designs is now being expanded by on-chip hybrid systems architectures. With the recent injection of government and private funding, we are living the 1980s of the electronic industry, when the first merchant foundries were established. Soon, we will see more and more merchant foundries proposing well-established electronic design tools, product development kits, and mature component libraries. The open access journal Micromachines invites the submission of manuscripts in the developing area of silicon photonics. The goal of this Special Issue is to highlight the recent developments in this cutting-edge technology.]