• 한국재료학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국재료학회 2010년도 춘계학술발표대회
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• pp.35.1-35.1
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• 2010

The Cu(In,Ga)Se2(CIGS) thin film solar cells have been achieved until almost 20% efficiency by NREL. These solar cells include chemically deposited CdS as buffer layer between CIGS absorber layer and ZnO window layer. Although CIGS solar cells with CdS buffer layer show excellent performance, many groups made hard efforts to overcome its disadvantages in terms of high absorption of short wavelength, Cd hazardous element. Among Cd-free candidate materials, the CIGS thin film solar cells with Zn compound buffer layer seem to be promising with 15.2%(module by showa shell K.K.), 18.6%(small area by NREL). However, few groups were successful to report high-efficiency CIGS solar cells with Zn compound buffer layer, compared to be known how to fabricate these solar cells. Each group's chemical bah deposition (CBD) condition is seriously different. It may mean that it is not fully understood to grow high quality Zn compound thin film on the CIGS using CBD. In this study, we focused to clarify growth mechanism of chemically deposited Zn compound thin film on the CIGS, especially. Additionally, we tried to characterize junction properties with unfavorable issues, that is, slow growth rate, imperfect film coverage and minimize these issues. Early works reported that film deposition rate increased with reagent concentration and film covered whole rough CIGS surface. But they did not mention well how film growth of zinc compound evolves homogeneously or heterogeneously and what kinds of defects exist within film that can cause low solar performance. We observed sufficient correlation between growth quality and concentration of NH3 as complex agent. When NH3 concentration increased, thickness of zinc compound increased with dominant heterogeneous growth for high quality film. But the large amounts of NH3 in the solution made many particles of zinc hydroxide due to hydroxide ions. The zinc hydroxides bonded weakly to the CIGS surface have been removed at rinsing after CBD.

• 한국진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국진공학회 2013년도 제44회 동계 정기학술대회 초록집
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• pp.688-688
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• 2013

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films have attracted a lot of attention as a cheap transparent conducting oxide (TCO) material that can replace the expensive Sn-doped In2O3. In particular, AZO thin films are widely used as a window layer of chalcogenide-based thin film solar cells such as Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS). Mostly important requirements for the window layer material of the thin film solar cells are the high transparency and the low sheet resistance, because they influence the light absorption by the activelayer and the electron collection from the active layer, respectively. In this study, we prepared the AZO thin films by RF magnetron sputtering using a ZnO/Al2O3 (98：2wt%) ceramic target, and the effect of the sputtering condition such as the working pressure, RF power, and the working distance on the optical, electrical, and crystallographic properties of the AZO thin films was investigated. The AZO thin films with optimized properties were used as a window layer of CZTS thin film solar cells. The CZTS active layers were prepared by the electrochemical deposition and the subsequent sulfurization process, which is also one of the cost-effective synthetic approaches. In addition, the solar cell properties of the CZTS thin film solar cells, such as the photocurrent density-voltage (J-V) characteristics and the external quantum efficiency (EQE) were investigated.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• 제3권2호
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• pp.54-60
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• 2015

ZnSnO thin films were deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) process using diethyl zinc ($Zn(C_2H_5)_2$) and tetrakis (dimethylamino) tin ($Sn(C_2H_6N)_4$) as metal precursors and water vapor as a reactant. ALD process has several advantages over other deposition methods such as precise thickness control, good conformality, and good uniformity for large area. The composition of ZnSnO thin films was controlled by varying the ratio of ZnO and $SnO_2$ ALD cycles. The ALD ZnSnO film was an amorphous state. The band gap of ZnSnO thin films increased as the Sn content increased. The CIGS solar cell using ZnSnO buffer layer showed about 18% energy conversion efficiency. With such a high efficiency with the ALD ZnSnO buffer and no light soaking effect, AlD ZnSnO buffer mighty be a good candidate to replace Zn(S,O) buffer in CIGSsolar cells.

• 한국진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국진공학회 2013년도 제45회 하계 정기학술대회 초록집
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• pp.97-97
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• 2013

Recently, Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSS), which is one of the In- and Ga- free absorber materials, has been attracted considerable attention as a new candidate for use as an absorber material in thin film solar cells. The CZTSS-based absorber material has outstanding characteristics such as band gap energy of 1.0 eV to 1.5 eV, high absorption coefficient on the order of 104 cm-1, and high theoretical conversion efficiency of 32.2% in thin film solar cells. Despite these promising characteristics, research into CZTSS based thin film solar cells is still incomprehensive and related reports are quite few compared to those for CIGS thin film solar cells, which show high efficiency of over 20%. I will briefly overview the recent technological development of CZTSS thin film solar cells and then introduce our research results mainly related to sputter based process. CZTSS thin film solar cells are prepared by sulfurization of stacked both metallic and sulfide precursors. Sulfurization process was performed in both furnace annealing system and rapid thermal processing system using S powder as well as 5% diluted H2S gas source at various annealing temperatures ranging from $520^{\circ}C$ to $580^{\circ}C$. Structural, optical, microstructural, and electrical properties of absorber layers were characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM, UV-Vis spectroscopy, Hall-measurement, TRPL, etc. The effects of processing parameters, such as composition ratio, sulfurization pressure, and sulfurization temperature on the properties of CZTSS absorber layers will be discussed in detail. CZTSS thin film solar cell fabricated using metallic precursors shows maximum cell efficiency of 6.9% with Jsc of 25.2 mA/cm2, Voc of 469 mV, and fill factor of 59.1% and CZTS thin film solar cell using sulfide precursors shows that of 4.5% with Jsc of 19.8 mA/cm2, Voc of 492 mV, and fill factor of 46.2%. In addition, other research activities in our lab related to the formation of CZTS absorber layers using solution based processes such as electro-deposition, chemical solution deposition, nano-particle formation will be introduced briefly.

• 한국재료학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국재료학회 2010년도 춘계학술발표대회
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• pp.35.2-35.2
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• 2010

최근 $Cu(In,Ga)Se_2$(CIGS)와 같은 박막 태양전지에 대한 연구가 많은 관심을 끌고 있다. CIGS 태양전지의 광투과층으로 사용되고 있는 II-VI족 화합물 반도체인 CdS는 상온에서의 에너지 밴드 갭(band gap)이 2.42eV 정도로서, 가시광영역의 많은 빛을 투과시키고, 적절한 제작 조건하에서 비교적 낮은 비저항을 나타내기 때문에 널리 사용되고 있다. 하지만 CIGS 태양전지 연구는 주로 CIGS 흡수층 제조공정에 편중되어 있으며, CdS 버퍼층 공정조건에 대한 체계적인 연구가 부족하다고 판단된다. 습식공정인 Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD)에 의해 주로 제조되는 CdS는 단순한 제조공정에도 불구하고 CIGS 태양전지의 성능에 지대한 영향을 미치는 것으로 알려져 있다. 특히, CdS합성반응이 개시되기 전까지의 용액잔류시간 (dip time)은 CIGS내로의 Cd이온 농도를 결정하는 중요한 공정변수로 판단된다. CIGS 표면에 Cd이 도핑될 경우, CIGS는 n형 전도성을 갖는 얇은 층을 갖게 되어 전체적으로 n-CIGS/p-CIGS의 동종 접합을 형성하는 장점을 부여할 것으로 기대된다. 따라서 본 논문에서는 dip time을 주요변수로 하여 CIGS 태양전지의 성능에 미치는 영향을 주로 고찰하였다. Cd의 확산 정도는 secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS)를 이용하여 정량화하였으며, 제조된 CIGS 태양전지의 전류-전압 특성과 상관성을 제시하고자 한다.

• 한국진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국진공학회 2014년도 제46회 동계 정기학술대회 초록집
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• pp.99-99
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• 2014

Transparent oxide semiconductors (TOSs) are. currently attracting attention for application to transparent electrodes in optoelectronic devices and active channel layers in thin-film transistors. One of the key issues for the realization of next generation transparent electronic devices such as transparent complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor thin-film transistors (CMOS TFTs), transparent wall light, sensors, and transparent solar cell is to develop p-type TOSs. In this talks, I will introduce issues and status related to p-type TOSs such as LnCuOQ (Ln=lanthanide, Q=S, Se), $SrCu_2O_2$, $CuMO_2$ (M=Al, Ga, Cr, In), ZnO, $Cu_2O$ and SnO. The growth and properties of SnO and Cu-based oxides and their application to electronic devices will be discussed.

• 한국정보통신학회논문지
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• 제14권7호
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• pp.1647-1652
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• 2010

CdTe 및 Cu(In,Ga)$Se_2$ 박막 태양전지의 창층으로 널리 이용되는 CdS에서 Cd의 일부를 Zn으로 치환하면 두 물질 사이의 전자 친화력의 정합이 향상되고 에너지 밴드 갭이 증가하여 개방전압 및 광전류를 증가시킬 수 있다. 본 연구에서는 태양전지와 같은 광전소자에 적용되는 CdZnS와 CdTe로 구성되는 이종접합 소자를 제작하고 접합에서의 전류 전도기구를 조사하기 위해 온도에 따른 전류-전압 특성을 분석하였다. CdS/CdTe 접합의 전류 흐름은 계면 재결합과 터널링의 조합에 의해 조절되지만 CdZnS/CdTe 접합의 경우 상온 이상의 온도에서는 공핍층에서의 생성/재결합, 상온 이하의 온도에서는 누설 전류나 터널링에 의해 전류 흐름이 제한됨을 알 수 있었다.

• 한국전기전자재료학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국전기전자재료학회 2002년도 춘계학술대회 논문집 유기절연재료 전자세라믹 방전플라즈마 일렉트렛트 및 응용기술
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• pp.108-111
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• 2002

CIGS film has been fabricated on soda-lime glass, which is coated with Mo film. by multi-source evaporation process. The films has been prepared with thickness of 1.0 ${\mu}m$, 1.75${\mu}m$, 2.0${\mu}m$, 2.3${\mu}m$, and 3.0${\mu}m$. X-ray diffraction analysis with film thickness shows that CIGS films exhibit a strong (112) preferred orientation. Furthermore. CIGS films exhibited distinctly decreasing the full width of half-maximum and (112) preferred peak with film thickness. Also, The film's microstructure, such as the preferred orientation, the full width at half-maximum(FWHM), and the interplanar spacing were examined by X-ray diffraction. The preparation condition and the characteristics of the unit layers were as followings ; Mo back contact DC sputter, CIGS absorber layer : three-stage coevaporation, CdS buffer layer : chemical bath deposition, ZnO window layer : RF sputtering, $MgF_2$ antireflectance : E-gun evaporation

• 한국전기전자재료학회논문지
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• 제24권8호
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• pp.616-621
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• 2011

In this paper, CdS thin films, which were widely used window layer of the CdTe and the Cu(In,Ga)$Se_2$ thin film solar cell, were grown by chemical bath deposition, and effects of pH of reaction solution on the structural and optical properties were investigated. For pH<10.5, as the pH of reaction solution was higher, the deposition rate of CdS films was increased by improving ion-by-ion reaction in the substrate surface and the crystallinity of the films was improved. However, when the pH was higher than 10.5, the deposition rate was decreased because of smaller $Cd^{2+}$ ion concentration in the reaction solution. Also, the crystallinity of the films were deteriorated. The CdS films deposited at lower pH showed poor optical transmittance due to adsorbed colloidal particles, while the transmittance was improved for higher pH.

• 한국전기전자재료학회논문지
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.163-168
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• 2020

We studied the change of photovoltaic properties of a flexible CuIn_xGa(_1-x)Se₂ (CIGS) solar cell fabricated on polyimide by mechanical bending with curvature radii of 75 mm (75R) and 20 mm (20R). The flexible CIGS cells were flattened on a PET film, then placed and forced against the surface of a curved block fabricated with pre-designed curvatures. Both up (compressive) and down (tensile) bending were applied to a specimen of CIGS on PET with curvatures of 75R and 20R for 10,000 times and 2,000 times, respectively. From J-V measurements, we found that the conversion efficiency (Eff.) was reduced by 3% and 4% for up-and down-bending, respectively, at curvature 75R; it was greatly reduced by 15% for curvature 20R in the up-bending. However, the open circuit voltage (V_oc) and short-circuit current density (J_sc) seemed to change little, within 3%, for the applied mechanical stresses. The degradation in Eff. resulted from the deterioration of the series (R_s) and shunt (R_sh) resistances of the solar cell.