Author: Wenbing Yang Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 108
Book Description
The barrier to utilize solar generated electricity mainly comes from their higher cost relative to fossil fuels. However, innovations with new materials and processing techniques can potentially make cost effective photovoltaics. One such strategy is to develop solution processed photovoltaics which avoid the expensive vacuum processing required by traditional solar cells. The dissertation is mainly focused on two absorber material system for thin film solar cells: chalcopyrite CuIn(S, Se)2 (CISS) and kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S, Se)4 organized in chronological order. Chalcopyrite CISS is a very promising material. It has been demonstrated to achieve the highest efficiency among thin film solar cells. Scaled-up industry production at present has reached the giga-watt per year level. The process however mainly relies on vacuum systems which account for a significant percentage of the manufacturing cost. In the first section of this dissertation, hydrazine based solution processed CISS has been explored. The focus of the research involves the procedures to fabricate devices from solution. The topics covered in Chapter 2 include: precursor solution synthesis with a focus on understanding the solution chemistry, CISS absorber formation from precursor, properties modification toward favorable device performance, and device structure innovation toward tandem device. For photovoltaics to have a significant impact toward meeting energy demands, the annual production capability needs to be on TW-level. On such a level, raw materials supply of rare elements (indium for CIS or tellurium for CdTe) will be the bottleneck limiting the scalability. Replacing indium with zinc and tin, earth abundant kesterite CZTS exhibits great potential to reach the goal of TW-level with no limitations on raw material availability. Chapter 3 shows pioneering work towards solution processing of CZTS film at low temperature. The solution processed devices show performances which rival vacuum-based techniques and is partially attributed to the ease in controlling composition and CZTS phase through this technique. Based on this platform, comprehensive characterization on CZTS devices is carried out including solar cells and transistors. Especially defects properties are exploited in Chapter 4 targeting to identify the limiting factors for further improvement on CZTS solar cells efficiency. Finally, molecular structures and precursor solution stability have been explored, potentially to provide a universal approach to process multinary compounds.
Author: David Mitzi Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: 0470407611 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 522
Book Description
Discover the materials set to revolutionize the electronics industry The search for electronic materials that can be cheaply solution-processed into films, while simultaneously providing quality device characteristics, represents a major challenge for materials scientists. Continuous semiconducting thin films with large carrier mobilities are particularly desirable for high-speed microelectronic applications, potentially providing new opportunities for the development of low-cost, large-area, flexible computing devices, displays, sensors, and solar cells. To date, the majority of solution-processing research has focused on molecular and polymeric organic films. In contrast, this book reviews recent achievements in the search for solution-processed inorganic semiconductors and other critical electronic components. These components offer the potential for better performance and more robust thermal and mechanical stability than comparable organic-based systems. Solution Processing of Inorganic Materials covers everything from the more traditional fields of sol-gel processing and chemical bath deposition to the cutting-edge use of nanomaterials in thin-film deposition. In particular, the book focuses on materials and techniques that are compatible with high-throughput, low-cost, and low-temperature deposition processes such as spin coating, dip coating, printing, and stamping. Throughout the text, illustrations and examples of applications are provided to help the reader fully appreciate the concepts and opportunities involved in this exciting field. In addition to presenting the state-of-the-art research, the book offers extensive background material. As a result, any researcher involved or interested in electronic device fabrication can turn to this book to become fully versed in the solution-processed inorganic materials that are set to revolutionize the electronics industry.
Author: Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 4
Book Description
We found that bulk metals and metal chalcogenides dissolve in primary amine-dithiol solvent mixtures at ambient conditions. Thin-films of CuS, SnS, ZnS, Cu2Sn(Sx, Se1-x)3, and Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1-x)4 (0 d"x d"1) were deposited using the as-dissolved solutions. Furthermore, Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1-x)4 solar cells with efficiencies of 6.84% and 7.02% under AM1.5 illumination were fabricated from two example solution precursors, respectively.
Author: Nurdan Demirci Sankir Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: 1119283736 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 578
Book Description
Printable Solar Cells The book brings together the recent advances, new and cutting edge materials from solution process and manufacturing techniques that are the key to making photovoltaic devices more efficient and inexpensive. Printable Solar Cells provides an overall view of the new and highly promising materials and thin film deposition techniques for printable solar cell applications. The book is organized in four parts. Organic and inorganic hybrid materials and solar cell manufacturing techniques are covered in Part I. Part II is devoted to organic materials and processing technologies like spray coating. This part also demonstrates the key features of the interface engineering for the printable organic solar cells. The main focus of Part III is the perovskite solar cells, which is a new and promising family of the photovoltaic applications. Finally, inorganic materials and solution based thin film formation methods using these materials for printable solar cell application is discussed in Part IV. Audience The book will be of interest to a multidisciplinary group of fields, in industry and academia, including physics, chemistry, materials science, biochemical engineering, optoelectronic information, photovoltaic and renewable energy engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical and manufacturing engineering.
Author: Marcos Antonio Santana Andrade Junior Publisher: ISBN: Category : Electronic books Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
Chalcogenides-based thin film solar cells are great competitors to beat high efficiencies as silicone solar cells. The chalcogenides that have been commonly used as absorber materials are CIS, CIGS, and CZTS. They present some advantages of having a direct and tunable band gap, high absorption coefficient and respectable efficiency to cost ratio. Solution processable deposition approaches for the fabrication of solar cells attracts a great deal attention due to its lower capital cost of the manufacturing than the vacuum-based techniques. In this chapter, we detail the use of a low-cost method of deposition for the chalcogenide thin films by spin-coating and spray-coating, which is already widely employed in several fields of industries.
Author: Stephen Thacker Connor Publisher: Stanford University ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 99
Book Description
In recent years, the field of photovoltaics has become increasingly important due to rising energy demand and climate change. While most solar cells are currently composed of crystalline silicon, devices with thinner films of inorganic absorber materials might allow production at a greater scale due to their lower materials cost. In particular, thin films of CuInS2 are promising solar absorber materials due to their high efficiencies and low required thicknesses. However, the fabrication of thin film solar cells currently requires expensive vacuum techniques. As an alternative, solution-based deposition techniques have been proposed as a route to low-cost and high-throughput electronic device fabrication. I have studied how film growth depends on solutuion deposited precursor film quality, with the goal of producing large grained films of CuInS2 through solution processing. In the first approach, we used solvothermal decomposition of organometallic precursors at moderate temperatures to produce nanoparticles of CuInS2. Thin films of these nanoparticles were cast onto molybdenum coated glass and further processed to create CuInS2 solar cells. We found that performance was dependent on film porosity, grain size, and stoichiometry of the nanoparticles. Films with grain sizes of ~200nm were attained, from which 1.3% efficient solar cells were made. In addition, we showed that this synthesis could be extended to produce CuInS2 nanoparticles with partial substitution of Fe, Zn, and Ga. In the second approach, we synthesized an air-stable hybrid organometallic/nanoparticle ink at room temperature in ambient conditions through a vulcanization reaction. This ink could be coated onto substrates in smooth layers, and further reactive annealing formed large grained CuInS2 films. This process was characterized, and a correlation between residual carbon and grain growth was found. Additionally, the chemical transformation between precursor layers and final sulfide thin film was analyzed, with an emphasis on the difference between sulfurization and selenization. We demonstrated that the sulfurization process was producing morphological defects due to its nucleation limited growth mechanism. However, it was modified to more closely resemble the diffusion limited selenization mechanism, thus producing flat films of CuInS2 with grain sizes of ~500nm.
Author: Alicia Esther Ares Publisher: ISBN: 9781838819934 Category : Thin films Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
Thin films can be used for a variety of applications. The engineering of thin films is complicated by the fact that their physics is not well understood. The vast varieties of thin film materials, their deposition, processing and fabrication techniques, optical characterization probes, physical properties, spectroscopic characterization, and properties-structure relationships are the key features of such devices and the basis of thin film technologies. Depending on the desired properties, several techniques have been developed for the deposition of thin films of metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, and superconductors on a variety of substrate materials. The book describes several principles and applications.
Author: Fabian I. Ezema Publisher: Springer Nature ISBN: 3031234014 Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 435
Book Description
This book satisfies the interest and curiosity of beginners in thin film electrode preparations, characterizations, and device making, while providing insight into the area for experts. The considerable literature on ‘metal chalcogenides based carbon composites and their versatile applications’ reflect its importance for research and demonstrate how it’s now reached a level where the timely review is necessary to understand the current progress and recent trends and future opportunities. In the book, the authors examine recent advances in the state-of-the-art fabrication techniques of metal sulfide based carbon composites along with their working mechanisms, associated issues/solutions, and possible future are discussed. In addition, detailed insight into the properties and various applications including principles, design, fabrication, and engineering aspects are further discussed.
Author: Benjamin D. Weil Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
CIGS is currently the highest efficiency chalcogenide absorber, with a record cell efficiency of 20.3%. One of the main challenges of CIGS manufacturing is reducing costs and scaling up manufacturing. The use of toxic elements (Se, Te, Cd) and rare earth elements (In, Te) further complicates the materials processing. The development of non-toxic, earth abundant materials to replace these technologies is underway. Furthermore, there is a need to develop scalable and high-throughput manufacturing techniques that could reduce costs and improve manufacturing of chalcogenide solar cells. Solution-based deposition techniques are widely considered to be a route to low-cost, high-throughput photovoltaic device fabrication. Nanoparticle based inks are one means of achieving low-cost and high-throughput solution-processed devices. I study the properties of CuInS2 nanoparticles and their application to solar cell fabrication. I also establish a methodology for a highly scalable deposition process and report the synthesis of an air-stable, vulcanized ink from commercially available precursors. Using this air-stable solution process, solar cells are made with an absorber layer that is flat, contaminant-free, and composed of large-grained CuInS2. I demonstrate an initial power efficiency of 2.15%. To address the challenge of reducing elemental toxicity and the use of rare elements in chalcogenide solar cells, I will discuss some alternative absorbers that don't contain Indium, Cadmium, Tellurium, or Selenium. I demonstrate a 2.2% Cu2SnS3/CdS solar cell using rapid thermal processing and address the challenges facing this material to improve efficiency.
Author: Kentaro Ito Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: 111843787X Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 449
Book Description
Beginning with an overview and historical background of Copper Zinc Tin Sulphide (CZTS) technology, subsequent chapters cover properties of CZTS thin films, different preparation methods of CZTS thin films, a comparative study of CZTS and CIGS solar cell, computational approach, and future applications of CZTS thin film solar modules to both ground-mount and rooftop installation. The semiconducting compound (CZTS) is made up earth-abundant, low-cost and non-toxic elements, which make it an ideal candidate to replace Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) and CdTe solar cells which face material scarcity and toxicity issues. The device performance of CZTS-based thin film solar cells has been steadily improving over the past 20 years, and they have now reached near commercial efficiency levels (10%). These achievements prove that CZTS-based solar cells have the potential to be used for large-scale deployment of photovoltaics. With contributions from leading researchers from academia and industry, many of these authors have contributed to the improvement of its efficiency, and have rich experience in preparing a variety of semiconducting thin films for solar cells.
Author: Wenbing Yang
Author: David Mitzi
Author: 
Author: Nurdan Demirci Sankir
Author: Marcos Antonio Santana Andrade Junior
Author: Stephen Thacker Connor
Author: Alicia Esther Ares
Author: Fabian I. Ezema
Author: Benjamin D. Weil
Author: Kentaro Ito