• Current Applied Physics
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.1564-1570
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• 2018

Charge transport dynamics in ZnO based inverted organic solar cell (IOSC) has been characterized with transient photocurrent spectroscopy and localised photocurrent mapping-atomic force microscopy. The value of maximum exciton generation rate was found to vary from $2.6{\times}10^{27}m^{-3}s^{-1}$ ($J_{sat}=79.7A\;m^{-2}$) to $2.9{\times}10^{27}m^{-3}s^{-1}$ ($J_{sat}=90.8A\;m^{-2}$) for devices with power conversion efficiency ranging from 2.03 to 2.51%. These results suggest that nanorods served as an excellent electron transporting layer that provides efficient charge transport and enhances IOSC device performance. The photovoltaic performance of OSCs with various growth times of ZnO nanorods have been analysed for a comparison between AM1.5G spectrum and local solar spectrum. The simulated PCE of all devices operating under local spectrum exhibited extensive improvement with the gain of 13.3-3.7% in which the ZnO nanorods grown at 15 min possess the highest PCE under local solar with the value of 2.82%.

• International Journal of Fuzzy Logic and Intelligent Systems
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.281-292
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• 2016

The proposed scheme is based on the modified perturb and observe (P&O) algorithm combined with the sliding mode technique. A modified P&O algorithm based sliding mode controller is developed to study the effects of partial shade, temperature, and insolation on the performance of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) used in photovoltaic (PV) systems. Under partially shaded conditions and temperature, the energy conversion efficiency of a PV array is very low, leading to significant power losses. Consequently, increasing efficiency by means of MPPT is particularly important. Conventional techniques are easy to implement but produce oscillations at MPP. The proposed method is applied to a model to simulate the performance of the PV system for solar energy usage, which is compared to the conventional methods under non-uniform insolation improving the PV system utilization efficiency and allowing optimization of the system performance. The modified perturb and observe sliding mode controller successfully overcomes the issues presented by non-uniform conditions and tracks the global MPP. Compared to MPPT techniques, the proposed technique is more efficient; it produces less oscillation at MPP in the steady state, and provides more precise tracking.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.662-662
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• 2013

Over the last several decades, innovative light-harvesting devices have evolved to achieve high efficiency in solar energy transfer. Research on the mechanisms for plasmon resonance is very desirable to overcome the conventional efficiency limits of photovoltaics. The influence of localized surface plasmon resonance on hot electron flow at a metal-semiconductor interface was observed with a Schottky diode composed of a thin silver layer on $TiO_2$. The photocurrent is generated by absorption of photons when electrons have enough energy to travel over the Schottky barrier and into the titanium oxide conduction band. The correlation between the hot electrons and the surface plasmon is confirmed by matching the range of peaks between the incident photons to current conversion efficiency (IPCE, flux of collected electrons per flux of incident photons) and UV-Vis spectra. The photocurrent measured on Ag/$TiO_2$ exhibited surface plasmon peaks; whereas, in contrast to the Au/$TiO_2$, a continuous Au thin film doesn't exhibit surface plasmon peaks. We modified the thickness and morphology of a continuous Ag layer by electron beam evaporation deposition and heating under gas conditions and found that the morphological change and thickness of the Ag film are key factors in controlling the peak position of light absorption.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.189-189
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• 2012

Lead sulfide (PbS) nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs) are promising materials for various optoelectronic devices, especially solar cells, because of their tunability of the optical band-gap controlled by adjusting the diameter of NQDs. PbS is a IV-VI semiconductor enabling infrared-absorption and it can be synthesized using solution process methods. A wide choice of the diameter of PbS NQDs is also a benefit to achieve the quantum confinement regime due to its large Bohr exciton radius (20 nm). To exploit these desirable properties, many research groups have intensively studied to apply for the photovoltaic devices. There are several essential requirements to fabricate the efficient NQDs-based solar cell. First of all, highly confined PbS QDs should be synthesized resulting in a narrow peak with a small full width-half maximum value at the first exciton transition observed in UV-Vis absorbance and photoluminescence spectra. In other words, the size-uniformity of NQDs ought to secure under 5%. Second, PbS NQDs should be assembled carefully in order to enhance the electronic coupling between adjacent NQDs by controlling the inter-QDs distance. Finally, appropriate structure for the photovoltaic device is the key issue to extract the photo-generated carriers from light-absorbing layer in solar cell. In this step, workfunction and Fermi energy difference could be precisely considered for Schottky and hetero junction device, respectively. In this presentation, we introduce the strategy to obtain high performance solar cell fabricated using PbS NQDs below the size of the Bohr radius. The PbS NQDs with various diameters were synthesized using methods established by Hines with a few modifications. PbS NQDs solids were assembled using layer-by-layer spin-coating method. Subsequent ligand-exchange was carried out using 1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT) to reduce inter-NQDs distance. Finally, Schottky junction solar cells were fabricated on ITO-coated glass and 150 nm-thick Al was deposited on the top of PbS NQDs solids as a top electrode using thermal evaporation technique. To evaluate the solar cell performance, current-voltage (I-V) measurement were performed under AM 1.5G solar spectrum at 1 sun intensity. As a result, we could achieve the power conversion efficiency of 3.33% at Schottky junction solar cell. This result indicates that high performance solar cell is successfully fabricated by optimizing the all steps as mentioned above in this work.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.69-77
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• 2006

Photovoltaic is an attractive technology to remote power applications, because of its reliability, low maintenance, and zero fuel requirements. In this paper represents residential PV system based on BESS(battery energy storage system) for managing the electric power, a pattern of daily operation considering the load characteristics of the house, the generation characteristics of PV power, and utility power leveling. For apply to control algorithm, we consider the load on monthly power consumption trend and daily usage pattern. As for the control of the proposed system, to increase the conversion efficiency of the PV power, bidirectional converter is used for MPPT and SPWM inverter. An experimental system is implemented, and some experimental results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed system.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.221-221
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• 2012

Small-molecule organic photovoltaic cells have recently attracted growing attention due to their potential for the low-cost fabrication of flexible and lightweight solar modules. The PVP/Ag nanoparticles were synthesized by the reaction of poly vinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and silver nitrate at $150^{\circ}C$. In the reaction, the size of the nanoparticles was controlled by relative mole fractions between PVP and Ag. The PVP/Ag nanoparticles with various sizes were then spin coated on the patterned ITO glass prior to the deposition of the PEDOT:PSS hole transport layer. The scattering of the incident light caused by these incorporated nanoparticles resulted in an increase in the path length of the light through the active layer and hence the enhancement of the light absorption. This scattering effect increased as the size of the nanoparticles increased, but it was offset by the decrease in total transmittance caused by the non-transparent nanoparticles. As a result, the maximum power conversion efficiency, 0.96% which was the value enhanced by 14% compared to the cell without incorporation of nanoparticles, was obtained when the mole fraction of PVP:Ag was 24:1 and the size of the nanoparticles was 20~40 nm.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.312-316
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• 2013

In this study, short-circuit preventive layer (blocking layer) was deposited between conductive transparent electrode and porous $TiO_2$ film in the DSSCs. As blocking layer, we selected the metal-oxide such as $TiO_2$, $Nb_2O_5$ and ZnO. The sheet resistance with each different blocking layers were 18 ${\Omega}/sq.$ for the $TiO_2$, 10 ${\Omega}/sq.$ for the $Nb_2O_5$ and 8 ${\Omega}/sq.$ for the ZnO, while the RMS (Root Mean Square) roughness value of DSSCs were 39.61 nm for the $TiO_2$, 41.84 nm for the $Nb_2O_5$ and 36.14 nm for the ZnO respectively. From the results of photocurrent-voltage curves, a sputtered $Nb_2O_5$ blocking layer showed higher performance on 2.64% of photo-electrochemical properties. The maximum of conversion efficiency which was achieved under 1 sun irradiation by depositing the blocking layer increased up to 0.56%.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.180-182
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• 2009

Two different wet etching solutions, NaOH 40% and Acid, were used for etching in tri-crystalline Silicon(Tri-Si) solar cell fabrication. The wafers etched in NaOH40% solution showed higher reflectance compared to the wafers etched in Acid solution after $SiN_x$ deposition. In light current-voltage results, the cells etched in Acid solution exhibited higher short circuit current and open circuit voltage than those of the cells etched in NaOH 40% solution. We have obtained 16.70% conversion efficiency in large area($156cm^2$) Tri-Si solar cells etched in Acid solution.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.1647-1653
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• 2014

9,10-Bis(bromomethyl)phenanthrene reacted with fullerenes via a Diels-Alder reaction to give phenanthrene-substituted fullerene mono-adducts (PCMA) and bis-adducts (PCBA) as electron acceptors for organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs). The syntheses of the fullerene derivatives were confirmed by $^1H$ $^{13}C$ NMR spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. PCMA and PCBA showed better light absorption in the UV-visible region than $PC_{61}BM$. Their electrochemical properties were measured using cyclic voltammetry. Accordingly, the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels of PCMA and PCBA were -3.66 and -3.57 eV, respectively. Photovoltaic cells were fabricated with a ITO/PEDOT:PSS/poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT):acceptor/LiF/Al configuration, where P3HT and PCBA are the electron donors and acceptors, respectively. The polymer solar cell fabricated using the P3HT:PCBA active layer showed a maximum power conversion efficiency of 0.71%.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.925-928
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• 2014

A dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was fabricated with a nanocrystalline $TiO_2$ film electrode on FTO glass, N719 dye, electrolytes (or $CsSnI_3$), and counter Pt electrode by incorporating it with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). SWNTs were combined with $TiO_2$ film, $CsSnI_3$, Pt electrode, separately, and the SWNT-containing cell was compared with a pristine cell in cell performance. We also examined the performance change by pressing $TiO_2$ film, during cell fabrication, inside a high pressure chamber. Mostly, the change of conversion efficiency was compared for each cell, and an atomic force microscopy data were suggested to explain our results.