• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.400.2-400.2
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• 2016

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have been widely investigated as a next generation solar cell because of their simple structure and low manufacturing cost. To realize a commercially competitive technology of DSSCs, it is imperative to employ a technique to prepare nanocrystlline thin film on the flexible organic substrate, aiming at increasing the flexibility and reducing the weight as well as the overall device thickness of DSSCs. The key operation of glass-to-plastic substrates conversion is to prepare mesoporous TiO2 thin film at low temperature with a high surface area for dye adsorption and a high degree of crystallinity for fast transport of electrons. However, the electron transport in the TiO2 film synthesized at low temperature is very poor. So, in this study, TiO2 films synthesized at high temperature were transferred on the selective substrate. We fabricated DSSCs at low temperature using this method. So, we confirmed that the performance of DSSCs using TiO2 films synthesized at high temperature was improved.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.398.1-398.1
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• 2014

The $Cu_2ZnSnSe_4$ (CZTSe) thin films solar cell is one of the next generation candidates for photovoltaic materials as the absorber of thin film solar cells because it has optimal bandgap (Eg=1.0eV) and high absorption coefficient of $10^4cm^{-1}$ in the visible length region. More importantly, CZTSe consists of abundant and non-toxic elements, so researches on CZTSe thin film solar cells have been increasing significantly in recent years. CZTSe thin film has very similar structure and properties with the CIGS thin film by substituting In with Zn and Ga with Sn. In this study, As-deposited CZTSe thin films have been deposited onto soda lime glass (SLG) substrates at different deposition condition using Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) technique without post-annealing process. The effects of deposition conditions (deposition time, deposition temperature) onto the structural, compositional and optical properties of CZTSe thin films have been investigated, without experiencing selenization process. The XRD pattern shows that quaternary CZTSe films with a stannite single phase. The existence of (112), (204), (312), (008), (316) peaks indicates all films grew and crystallized as a stannite-type structure, which is in a good agreement with the diffraction pattern of CZTSe single crystal. All the films were observed to be polycrystalline in nature with a high (112) predominant orientation at $2{\theta}{\sim}26.8^{\circ}$. The carrier concentration, mobility, resistivity and optical band gap of CZTSe thin films depending on the deposition conditions. Average energy band gap of the CZTSe thin films is about 1.3 eV.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.880-886
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• 2011

With the introduction of high-current 8-inch solar cells, conventional Schottky bypass diodes, usually adopted in photovoltaic (PV) panels to prevent the hot spot phenomenon, are becoming ineffective as they cause relatively high voltage drops with associated undue power consumption. In this paper, we present the architecture of an active circuit that reduces the aforementioned power dissipation by profitably replacing the bypass diode through a power MOS switch with its embedded driving circuitry. Experimental prototypes were fabricated and tested, showing that the proposed solution allows a reduction of the power dissipation by more than 70% compared to conventional Schottky diodes. The whole circuit does not require a dedicated DC power and is fully compatible with standard CMOS technologies. This enables its integration, even directly on the panel, thereby opening new scenarios for next generation PV systems.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2013

The $Cu_2ZnSnS_4$ (CZTS) thin film solar cell is a candidate next generation thin film solar cell. For the application of an absorption layer in solar cells, CZTS thin films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at substrate temperature of $300^{\circ}C$ without post annealing process. Deposition time was carefully adjusted as the main experimental variable. Regardless of deposition time, single phase CZTS thin films are obtained with no existence of secondary phases. Irregularly-shaped grains are densely formed on the surface of CZTS thin films. With increasing deposition time, the grain size increases and the thickness of the CZTS thin films increases from 0.16 to $1{\mu}m$. The variation of the surface morphology and thickness of the CZTS thin films depends on the deposition time. The stoichiometry of all CZTS thin films shows a Cu-rich and S-poor state. Sn content gradually increases as deposition time increases. Secondary ion mass spectrometry was carried out to evaluate the elemental depth distribution in CZTS thin films. The optimal deposition time to grow CZTS thin films is 150 min. In this study, we show the effect of deposition time on the structural properties of CZTS thin film deposited on soda lime glass (SLG) substrate using PLD. We present a comprehensive evaluation of CZTS thin films.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.918-925
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• 2021

The perovskite solar cell is a next-generation solar cell that replaces the existing silicon solar cell. It is a solar cell device using an organic-inorganic hybrid material having a perovskite structure as a photoactive layer. It has advantages for the process and has shown rapid efficiency improvement over the past decade. In the process of commercialization of such perovskite solar cells, research and development for a large-area coating method should be carried out. As one of the large-area perovskite solar cell large-area coating methods, the slot-die coating method was studied. By using a meniscus to pass over the substrate and coating the solution, the 3D printer was equipped with a meniscus so that it could be coated. Variables that act during coating include bed temperature, coating speed, N₂ blowing interval, N₂ blowing height, N₂ blowing intensity, etc. By controlling these, the perovskite absorption layer was manufactured and the coating conditions for manufacturing large-area devices were optimized.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.207-207
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• 2012

Si quantum dot (QD) imbedded in a $SiO_2$ matrix is a promising material for the next generation optoelectronic devices, such as solar cells and light emission diodes (LEDs). However, low conductivity of the Si quantum dot layer is a great hindrance for the performance of the Si QD-based optoelectronic devices. The effective doping of the Si QDs by semiconducting elements is one of the most important factors for the improvement of conductivity. High dielectric constant of the matrix material $SiO_2$ is an additional source of the low conductivity. Active doping of B was observed in nanometer silicon layers confined in $SiO_2$ layers by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiling analysis and confirmed by Hall effect measurements. The uniformly distributed boron atoms in the B-doped silicon layers of $[SiO_2(8nm)/B-doped\;Si(10nm)]_5$ films turned out to be segregated into the $Si/SiO_2$ interfaces and the Si bulk, forming a distinct bimodal distribution by annealing at high temperature. B atoms in the Si layers were found to preferentially substitute inactive three-fold Si atoms in the grain boundaries and then substitute the four-fold Si atoms to achieve electrically active doping. As a result, active doping of B is initiated at high doping concentrations above $1.1{\times}10^{20}atoms/cm^3$ and high active doping of $3{\times}10^{20}atoms/cm^3$ could be achieved. The active doping in ultra-thin Si layers were implemented to silicon quantum dots (QDs) to realize a Si QD solar cell. A high energy conversion efficiency of 13.4% was realized from a p-type Si QD solar cell with B concentration of $4{\times}1^{20}atoms/cm^3$. We will present the diffusion behaviors of the various dopants in silicon nanostructures and the performance of the Si quantum dot solar cell with the optimized structures.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.324-327
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• 2014

Germanium (Ge) is a promising material for next generation nanoelectronics and multiple junction solar cells. This work investigated the electrical properties in Cu/p-type Ge Schottky diodes, using current-voltage (I-V) measurements. The Schottky barrier heights were 0.66, 0.59, and 0.70 eV from the forward ln(I)-V, Cheung, and Norde methods, respectively. The ideality factors were 1.92 and 1.78 from the forward ln(I)-V method and Cheung method, respectively. Such high ideality factor could be associated with the presence of an interfacial layer and interface states at the Cu/p-Ge interface. The reverse-biased current transport was dominated by the Poole-Frenkel emission rather than the Schottky emission.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.343-343
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• 2011

ZnO has been introduced as one of the good candidates for next generation opto-electronics. Recently, ZnO is known to be suitable for the transparent electrode in organic solar cells and light emitting devices. The contact with n-type organic material has been studied due to the n-type properties of ZnO. However, the surface of ZnO has shown different electronic property with respect to its surface orientation. Therefore, it is presumed that there are differences in the interfacial electronic structures between organic materials and ZnO with different orientation. Therefore, it is required to classify the interfacial electronic structures according to the surface orientation of ZnO. In this study, we measured the interfacial electronic structures between the ZnO substrate having various orientations and a typical n-type organic material, tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3). In-situ x-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements revealed the interfacial electronic structures. We found the changes in the electronic structures with respect to the orientation of ZnO substrate and it could be used to improve the contact between ZnO and Alq3.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.449-469
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• 2017

The development of quantum dots (QDs) has had a significant impact on various applications, such as solar cells, field-effect transistors, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Through successful engineering of the core/shell heterostructure of QDs, their photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) and stability have been dramatically enhanced. Such high-quality QDs have been regarded as key fluorescent materials in realizing next-generation display devices. Particularly, electrically driven (or electroluminescent, EL) QD light-emitting diodes (QLED) have been highlighted as an alternative to organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), mostly owing to their unbeatably high color purity. Structural optimizations in QD material as well as QLED architecture have led to substantial improvements of device performance, especially during the past decade. In this review article, we discuss QDs with various semiconductor compositions and describe the mechanisms behind the operation of QDs and QLEDs and the primary strategies for improving their PL and EL performances.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.441-441
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• 2009

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have been widely investigated as a next-generation solar cell because of their simple fabrication process and low coats. The cells use a porous nanocrystalline TiO2 matrix coated with a sensitizer dye that acts as the light-harvesting element. The photo-exited dye injects electrons into the $TiO_2$ particles, and the oxide dye reacts with I- in the electrolyte in regenerative cycle that is completed by the reduction of $I_3^-$ at a platinum-coated counter electrode. Since $TiO_2$ porous film plays a key role in the enhancement of photoelectric conversion efficiency of DSSC, many scientists focus their researches on it. Especially, a high light-to-electricity conversion efficiency results from particle size and crystallographic phase, film porosity, surface structure, charge and surface area to volume ratio of porous $TiO_2$ electrodes, on which the dye can be sufficiently adsorbed. Effective treatment of the photoanode is important to improve DSSC performance. In this paper, to obtain properties of surface and dispersion as nitric acid treated $TiO_2$ photoelectrode was investigate. The photovoltaic characteristics of DSSCs based the electrode fabricated by nitric acid pre-treatment $TiO_2$ materials gave better performances on both of short circuit current density and open circuit voltage. We compare dispersion of $TiO_2$ nanoparticles before and after nitric acid treatment and measured Ti oxidized state from XPS. Low charge transfer resistance was obtained in nitric acid treated sample than that of untreated sample. The dye-sensitized solar cell based on the nitric acid treatment had open-circuit voltage of 0.71 V, a short-circuit current of 15.2 mAcm-2 and an energy conversion efficiency of 6.6 % under light intensity of $100\;mWcm^{-2}$. About 14 % increases in efficiency obtained when the $TiO_2$ electrode was treated by nitric acid.