• Title/Summary/Keyword: Solar Cell efficiency

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Synthesis and Characterization of Thiophene-Based Copolymers Containing Urethane and Alkyl Functional Side Chains for Hybrid Bulk Heterojunction Photovoltaic Cell Applications

  • Im, Min-Joung;Kim, Chul-Hyun;Song, Myung-Kwan;Park, Jin-Su;Lee, Jae-Wook;Gal, Yeong-Soon;Lee, Jun-Hee;Jin, Sung-Ho
    • Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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    • v.32 no.2
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    • pp.559-565
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    • 2011
  • The following noble series of statistical copolymers, poly[(2-(3-thienyl)ethanol n-butoxycarbonylmethylurethane)-co-3-hexylthiophene] (PURET-co-P3HT), were synthesized by the chemical dehydrogenation method using anhydrous $FeCl_3$. The structure and electro-optical properties of these copolymers were characterized using $^1H$-NMR, UV-visible spectroscopy, elemental analysis, GPC, DSC, TGA, photoluminescence (PL), and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The statistical copolymers, PURET-co-P3HT (1:0, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:3), were soluble in common organic solvents and easily spin coated onto indium-tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates. Hybrid bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cells with an ITO/G-PEDOT/PURET-co-P3HT:PCBM:Ag nanowires/$TiO_x$/Al configuration were fabricated, and the photovoltaic cells using PURET-co-P3HT (1:2) showed the best photovoltaic performance compared with those using PURET-co-P3HT (1:0, 2:1, 1:1, 1:3). The optimal hybrid bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cell exhibits a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.58% ($V_{oc}$ = 0.82 V, $J_{sc}$ = 5.58, FF = 0.35) with PURET-co-P3HT (1:2) measured by using an AM 1.5 G irradiation (100 mW/$cm^2$) on an Oriel Xenon solar simulator (Oriel 300 W).

Electrical, Optical and Structural Properties of ZrO2 and In2O3 Co-sputtered Electrdoes for Organic Photovoltaics (OPVs)

  • Cho, Da-Young;Shin, Yong-Hee;Chung, Kwun-Bum;Na, Seok-In;Kim, Han-Ki
    • Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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    • 2014.02a
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    • pp.473.1-473.1
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    • 2014
  • We report on the characteristics of Zr-doped $In_2O_3$ (IZrO) films prepared by DC-RF magnetron cosputtering of $In_2O_3$ and $ZrO_2$ targets for use as a transparent electrode for high efficient organic solar cells (OSCs). The effect of $ZrO_2$ doping power on electrical, optical, structural, and surface morphology of the IZrO film was investigated in detail. At optimized $ZrO_2$ RF power of 50 W, the IZrO film exhibited a low sheet resistance of 20.71 Ohm/square, and a high optical transmittance of 83.9 %. Furthermore, the OSC with the IZrO anode showed a good cell-performance: fill factor of 61.71 %, short circuit current (Jsc) of $8.484mA/cm^2$, open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.593 V, and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.106 %. In particular, the overall OSC characteristics of the cell with the IZrO anode were comparable to those of the OSC with the conventional Sn-doped $In_2O_3$ (FF of 65.03 %, Jsc of $8.833mA/cm^2$, Voc of 0.608 V, PCE of 3.495 %), demonstrating that the IZrO anode is a promising alternative to ITO anode in OSCs.

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Analysis of wet chemical tunnel oxide layer characteristics capped with phosphorous doped amorphous silicon for high efficiency crystalline Si solar cell application

  • Kang, Ji-yoon;Jeon, Minhan;Oh, Donghyun;Shim, Gyeongbae;Park, Cheolmin;Ahn, Shihyun;Balaji, Nagarajan;Yi, Junsin
    • Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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    • 2016.02a
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    • pp.406-406
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    • 2016
  • To get high efficiency n-type crystalline silicon solar cells, passivation is one of the key factor. Tunnel oxide (SiO2) reduce surface recombination as a passivation layer and it does not constrict the majority carrier flow. In this work, the passivation quality enhanced by different chemical solution such as HNO3, H2SO4:H2O2 and DI-water to make thin tunnel oxide layer on n-type crystalline silicon wafer and changes of characteristics by subsequent annealing process and firing process after phosphorus doped amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) deposition. The tunneling of carrier through oxide layer is checked through I-V measurement when the voltage is from -1 V to 1 V and interface state density also be calculated about $1{\times}1012cm-2eV-1$ using MIS (Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor) structure . Tunnel oxide produced by 68 wt% HNO3 for 5 min on $100^{\circ}C$, H2SO4:H2O2 for 5 min on $100^{\circ}C$ and DI-water for 60 min on $95^{\circ}C$. The oxide layer is measured thickness about 1.4~2.2 nm by spectral ellipsometry (SE) and properties as passivation layer by QSSPC (Quasi-Steady-state Photo Conductance). Tunnel oxide layer is capped with phosphorus doped amorphous silicon on both sides and additional annealing process improve lifetime from $3.25{\mu}s$ to $397{\mu}s$ and implied Voc from 544 mV to 690 mV after P-doped a-Si deposition, respectively. It will be expected that amorphous silicon is changed to poly silicon phase. Furthermore, lifetime and implied Voc were recovered by forming gas annealing (FGA) after firing process from $192{\mu}s$ to $786{\mu}s$. It is shown that the tunnel oxide layer is thermally stable.

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Fabrication of Microwire Arrays for Enhanced Light Trapping Efficiency Using Deep Reactive Ion Etching

  • Hwang, In-Chan;Seo, Gwan-Yong
    • Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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    • 2014.02a
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    • pp.454-454
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    • 2014
  • Silicon microwire array is one of the promising platforms as a means for developing highly efficient solar cells thanks to the enhanced light trapping efficiency. Among the various fabrication methods of microstructures, deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) process has been extensively used in fabrication of high aspect ratio microwire arrays. In this presentation, we show precisely controlled Si microwire arrays by tuning the DRIE process conditions. A periodic microdisk arrays were patterned on 4-inch Si wafer (p-type, $1{\sim}10{\Omega}cm$) using photolithography. After developing the pattern, 150-nm-thick Al was deposited and lifted-off to leave Al microdisk arrays on the starting Si wafer. Periodic Al microdisk arrays (diameter of $2{\mu}m$ and periodic distance of $2{\mu}m$) were used as an etch mask. A DRIE process (Tegal 200) is used for anisotropic deep silicon etching at room temperature. During the process, $SF_6$ and $C_4F_8$ gases were used for the etching and surface passivation, respectively. The length and shape of microwire arrays were controlled by etching time and $SF_6/C_4F_8$ ratio. By adjusting $SF_6/C_4F_8$ gas ratio, the shape of Si microwire can be controlled, resulting in the formation of tapered or vertical microwires. After DRIE process, the residual polymer and etching damage on the surface of the microwires were removed using piranha solution ($H_2SO_4:H_2O_2=4:1$) followed by thermal oxidation ($900^{\circ}C$, 40 min). The oxide layer formed through the thermal oxidation was etched by diluted hydrofluoric acid (1 wt% HF). The surface morphology of a Si microwire arrays was characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM, Hitachi S-4800). Optical reflection measurements were performed over 300~1100 nm wavelengths using a UV-Vis/NIR spectrophotometer (Cary 5000, Agilent) in which a 60 mm integrating sphere (Labsphere) is equipped to account for total light (diffuse and specular) reflected from the samples. The total reflection by the microwire arrays sample was reduced from 20 % to 10 % of the incident light over the visible region when the length of the microwire was increased from $10{\mu}m$ to $30{\mu}m$.

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Analysis on the Water Footprint of Crystalline Silicon PV System (결정질 실리콘 태양광시스템의 물 발자국 산정에 대한 연구)

  • Na, Won-Cheol;Kim, Younghwan;Kim, Kyung Nam;Lee, Kwan-Young
    • Clean Technology
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    • v.20 no.4
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    • pp.449-456
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    • 2014
  • There has been increasing concerns for the problems of water security in countries, caused by the frequent occurrence of localized drought due to the climate change and uncertainty of water balance. The importance of fresh water is emphasized as considerable amount of usable fresh water is utilized for power generation sector producing electricity. PV power system, the source of renewable energy, consumes water for the every steps of life cycle: manufacturing, installation, and operation. However, it uses relatively less water than the traditional energy sources such as thermal power and nuclear power sources. In this study, to find out the use of water for the entire process of PV power system from extracting raw materials to operating the system, the footprint of water in the whole process is measured to be analyzed. Measuring the result, the PV water footprint of value chain was $0.989m^3/MWh$ and the water footprint appeared higher specially in poly-Si and solar cell process. The following two reasons explain it: poly-Si process is energy-intensive process and it consumes lots of cooling water. In solar cell process, deionized water is used considerably for washing a high-efficiency crystalline silicon. It is identified that PV system is the source using less water than traditional ones, which has a critical value in saving water. In discussing the future energy policy, it is vital to introduce the concept of water footprint as a supplementary value of renewable energy.

Characterization and deposition of Cu2ZnSnS4 film for thin solar cells via sol-gel method (Sol-gel법에 의한 박막태양전지용 Cu2ZnSnS4 박막의 증착과 특성)

  • Kim, Gwan-Tae;Lee, Sang-Hyun;Park, Byung-Ok
    • Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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    • v.22 no.3
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    • pp.127-133
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    • 2012
  • To achieve low-cost and high-efficiency of thin-film solar cells applications, the sol-gel method that can be coated on a large area substrate, obtain homogeneous thin films of high purity was used. We studied structural and optical characteristics versus annealing temperature of $Cu_2ZnSnS_4$ which has kesterite structure by substitution low-cost sulfur (S) instead of high-cost selenium (Se). By analyzing XRD patterns, main peak was observed at $2{\theta}=28.5^{\circ}$ when Zn/Sn ratio is 0.8/1.2. And when we observed kesterite structure which has orientation of (112) direction, the more annealing temperature increase the bigger strength of (112) direction is. $Cu_2ZnSnS_4$ thin film showed characteristics of kesterite structure at $550^{\circ}C$. And when we calculated lattice constant, a = 5.5047 and $c=11.014{\AA}$ as same JCPDS (Joint Committee on Powder Standards) data measured. We measured optical transmittance to analyze optical characteristics. Optical transmittance was lower than 65 % at visible ray (${\lambda}=380{\sim}770nm$).

Light Scattering Properties of Highly Textured Ag/Al:Si Bilayer Back Reflectors (표면텍스처링된 이중구조 Ag/Al:Si 후면반사막의 광산란 특성)

  • Jang, Eun-Seok;Baek, Sang-Hun;Jang, Byung-Yeol;Park, Sang-Hyun;Yoon, Kyung-Hoon;Rhee, Young-Woo;Cho, Jun-Sik
    • Korean Journal of Materials Research
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    • v.21 no.10
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    • pp.573-579
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    • 2011
  • Highly textured Ag, Al and Al:Si back reflectors for flexible n-i-p silicon thin-film solar cells were prepared on 100-${\mu}m$-thick stainless steel substrates by DC magnetron sputtering and the influence of their surface textures on the light-scattering properties were investigated. The surface texture of the metal back reflectors was influenced by the increased grain size and by the bimodal distribution that arose due to the abnormal grain growth at elevated deposition temperatures. This can be explained by the structure zone model (SZM). With an increase in the deposition temperatures from room temperature to $500^{\circ}C$, the surface roughness of the Al:Si films increased from 11 nm to 95 nm, whereas that of the pure Ag films increased from 6 nm to 47 nm at the same deposition temperature. Although Al:Si back reflectors with larger surface feature dimensions than pure Ag can be fabricated at lower deposition temperatures due to the lower melting point and the Si impurity drag effect, they show poor total and diffuse reflectance, resulting from the low reflectivity and reflection loss on the textured surface. For a further improvement of the light-trapping efficiency in solar cells, a new type of back reflector consisting of Ag/Al:Si bilayer is suggested. The surface morphology and reflectance of this reflector are closely dependent on the Al:Si bottom layer and the Ag top layer. The relationship between the surface topography and the light-scattering properties of the bilayer back reflectors is also reported in this paper.

Two Way Set Temperature Control Impact Study on Ground Coupled Heat Pump System Energy Saving (양방향 설정온도 제어에 따른 지중연계 히트펌프 시스템의 에너지 절감량 평가 연구)

  • Kang, Eun-Chul;Lee, Euy-Joon;Min, Kyong-Chon
    • Journal of the Korean Society for Geothermal and Hydrothermal Energy
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    • v.10 no.2
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    • pp.7-12
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    • 2014
  • Government has recently restricted heating and cooling set temperatures for the commercial and public buildings due to increasing national energy consumption. The goal of this paper is to visualize a future two way indoor set temperature control impact on building energy consumption by using TRNSYS simulation modeling. The building was modelled based on the twin test cell with the same dimension. Air source ground coupled heat pump performance data has been used for modeling by TRNSYS 17. Daejeon weather data has been used from Korea Solar Energy Society. The heating set temperature in the reference room is $24^{\circ}C$ as well as the target room set temperature are $23^{\circ}C$, $22^{\circ}C$, $21^{\circ}C$ and $20^{\circ}C$. The cooling set temperature of the reference room is also $24^{\circ}C$ as well as the target room set temperature of $25^{\circ}C$, $26^{\circ}C$, $27^{\circ}C$ and $28^{\circ}C$. For the air source heat pump system, heating season energy consumption is $35.52kWh/m^2y$ in the reference room. But the heating energy consumption in the target room is reduced to 7.5% whenever the set temperature decreased every $1^{\circ}C$. The cooling energy consumption in the reference room is $4.57kWh/m^2y$. On the other hand, the energy consumption in the target room is reduced to 22% whenever the set temperature increased every $1^{\circ}C$ by two way controller. For the geothermal heat pump system, heating energy consumption in the reference room is reduced to 20.7%. The target room heating energy consumption is reduced to 32.6% when the set temperature is $22^{\circ}C$. The energy consumption in the target room is reduced to 59.5% when the set temperature is $26^{\circ}C$.

Improvement of light scattering properties of Ag/ZnO back-reflectors for flexible silicon thin film solar cells (플렉서블 실리콘 박막 태양전지용 Ag/ZnO 후면반사막의 광산란 특성 향상)

  • Baek, Sanghun;Lee, Jeong Chul;Park, Sang Hyun;Song, Jinsoo;Yoon, Kyung Hoon;Wang, Jin-Suk;Cho, Jun-Sik
    • 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 2010.06a
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    • pp.97.1-97.1
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    • 2010
  • 유연금속기판위에 DC 마그네트론 스퍼터링을 이용하여 Ag/ZnO 이중구조의 후면반사막을 증착하고 Ag 표면조도 변화에 따른 후면반사막의 반사특성 변화와 플렉서블 비정질 실리콘 박막 태양전지의 셀 특성에 미치는 영향을 조사하였다. Substrate구조를 갖는 플렉서블 실리콘 박막 태양전지에서는 실리콘 박막 광흡수층의 상대적으로 낮은 광 흡수율로 인하여 입사광에 대한 태양전지 내에서의 광 산란 및 포획이 태양전지 효율을 증대시키는데 매우 중요한 역할을 하는 것으로 알려져 있다. 플렉서블 실리콘 박막 태양전지에서의 후면반사막은 광 흡수층에서 흡수되지 않는 입사광을 다시 반사시켜 광 흡수를 증대시키며 이때 후면반사막 표면에서 반사 빛을 효율적으로 산란시켜 이동경로를 증대시킴으로써 광 흡수율을 더욱 향상시킬 수 있다. 본 연구에서는 유연금속 기판위에 Ag와 ZnO:Al($Al_2O_3$ 2.5wt%) 타겟을 사용한 DC 마그네트론 스퍼터링법으로 Ag/AZO 이중구조의 후면반사막을 제조하고, Ag 박막의 표면형상 변화와 이에 따른 후면반사막의 반사도 변화를 비교, 분석하였다. 증착 조건 변화에 따른 표면 형상 및 반사 특성은 Atomic Force Mircroscope(AFM), Scanning electron miroscopy(SEM), UV-visible-nIR spectrometry를 통하여 분석하였다. 서로 다른 표면 거칠기를 갖는 후면반사막 위에 n-i-p구조의 a-Si:H 실리콘 박막 태양전지를 제조한 후 태양전지 동작 특성에 미치는 영향을 조사하였다. n,p층은 13.56MHz PECVD, i층은 60MHz VHF CVD를 사용하여 각각 제조 하였으며, Photo I-V, External Quantum Efficiency(EQE) 분석을 통하여 태양전지 특성을 조사 하였다. SEM 분석결과 공정 온도가 증가 할수록 Ag 박막의 표면 결정립 크기도 증가하였으며, AFM분석을 통한 Root-mean-square(Rms)값은 상온에서 $500^{\circ}C$로 증착온도가 증가함에 따라 6.62nm에서 46.64nm까지 증가하였다. Ag 박막의 표면 거칠기 증가에 따라 후면반 사막의 확산 반사도도 함께 증가하였다. 공정온도 $500^{\circ}C$에서 증착된 후면반사막을 사용하여 a-Si:H 태양전지를 제조하였을 때 상온에서 제조한 후면반사막에 비하여 단락전류밀도 (Jsc)값은 9.94mA/$cm^2$에서 13.36mA/$cm^2$로 증가하였으며, 7.6%의 가장 높은 태양전지 효율을 나타내었다.

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A Study on Improved Open-Circuit Voltage Characteristics Through Bi-Layer Structure in Heterojunction Solar Cells (이종접합 태양전지에서의 Bi-Layer 구조를 통한 향상된 개방전압특성에 대한 고찰)

  • Kim, Hongrae;Jeong, Sungjin;Cho, Jaewoong;Kim, Sungheon;Han, Seungyong;Dhungel, Suresh Kumar;Yi, Junsin
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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    • v.35 no.6
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    • pp.603-609
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    • 2022
  • Passivation quality is mainly governed by epitaxial growth of crystalline silicon wafer surface. Void-rich intrinsic a-Si:H interfacial layer could offer higher resistivity of the c-Si surface and hence a better device efficiency as well. To reduce the resistivity of the contact area, a modification of void-rich intrinsic layer of a-Si:H towards more ordered state with a higher density is adopted by adapting its thickness and reducing its series resistance significantly, but it slightly decreases passivation quality. Higher resistance is not dominated by asymmetric effects like different band offsets for electrons or holes. In this study, multilayer of intrinsic a-Si:H layers were used. The first one with a void-rich was a-Si:H(I1) and the next one a-SiOx:H(I2) were used, where a-SiOx:H(I2) had relatively larger band gap of ~2.07 eV than that of a-Si:H (I1). Using a-SiOx:H as I2 layer was expected to increase transparency, which could lead to an easy carrier transport. Also, higher implied voltage than the conventional structure was expected. This means that the a-SiOx:H could be a promising material for a high-quality passivation of c-Si. In addition, the i-a-SiOx:H microstructure can help the carrier transportation through tunneling and thermal emission.