• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.375-375
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• 2010

CdTe as an absorber material is widely used in thin film solar cells with the heterostructure due to its almost ideal band gap energy of 1.45 eV, high photovoltaic conversion efficiency, low cost and stable performance. The deposition methods and preparation conditions for the fabrication of CdTe are very important for the achievement of high solar cell conversion efficiency. There are some rearranged reports about the deposition methods available for the preparation of CdTe thin films such as close spaced sublimation (CSS), physical vapor deposition (PVD), vacuum evaporation, vapor transport deposition (VTD), closed space vapor transport, electrodeposition, screen printing, spray pyrolysis, metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and RF sputtering. The RF sputtering method for the preparation of CdTe thin films has important advantages in that the thin films can be prepared at low growth temperatures with large-area deposition suitable for mass-production. The authors reported that the optical and electrical properties of CdTe thin film were closely connected by the thickness-uniformity of the film in the previous study [1], which means that the better optical absorbance and the higher carrier concentration could be obtained in the better condition of thickness-uniformity for CdTe thin film. The thickness-uniformity could be controlled and improved by the some process parameters such as vacuum level and RF power in the sputtering process of CdTe thin films. However, there is a limitation to improve the thickness-uniformity only in the preparation process [1]. So it is necessary to introduce the external or additional method for improving the thickness-uniformity of CdTe thin film because the cell size of thin film solar cell will be enlarged. Therefore, the authors firstly applied the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process to improving the thickness-uniformity of CdTe thin films with a G&P POLI-450 CMP polisher [2]. CMP process is the most important process in semiconductor manufacturing processes in order to planarize the surface of the wafer even over 300 mm and to form the copper interconnects with damascene process. Some important CMP characteristics for CdTe were obtained including removal rate (RR), WIWNU%, RMS roughness, and peak-to-valley roughness [2]. With these important results, the CMP process for CdTe thin films was performed to improve the thickness-uniformity of the sputtering-deposited CdTe thin film which had the worst two thickness-uniformities of them. Some optical properties including optical transmittance and absorbance of the CdTe thin films were measured by using a UV-Visible spectrophotometer (Varian Techtron, Cary500scan) in the range of 400 - 800 nm. After CMP process, the thickness-uniformities became better than that of the best condition in the previous sputtering process of CdTe thin films. Consequently, the optical properties were directly affected by the thickness-uniformity of CdTe thin film. The absorbance of CdTe thin films was improved although the thickness of CdTe thin film was not changed.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.59-64
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• 2003

We fabricated mixed ionic-electronic conducting membranes, $CH_4\;Using\;{0.7}Sr_{0.3}Ga_{0.6}Fe_{0.4}O_{3-\delta}$, by solid state reaction method for solid oxide fuel cell. The membranes consisted of single perovskite phase and exhibited high relative density, $>95\%$. We coated $La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}CoO_{3-\delta}$ layer using screen printing method in order to improve surface reactivity of the $La_{0.7}Sr_{0.3}Ga_{0.6}Fe_{0.4}O_{3-\delta}$. As a result, the oxygen permeation flux of the coated $La_{0.7}Sr_{0.3}Ga_{0.6}Fe_{0.4}O_{3-\delta}$ showed higher value, $0.5ml/min{\cdot}cm^2\;at\;950^{\circ}C$ than the uncoated one. Higher oxygen permeation was observed in the porously coated Lao $La_{0.7}Sr_{0.3}Ga_{0.6}Fe_{0.4}O_{3-\delta}$membranes with larger grain sizes. Syngas, $CO+H_2$, was successfully obtained from methane gas, $CH_4$, using the $La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}CoO_{3-\delta}$ coated $La_{0.7}Sr_{0.3}Ga_{0.6}Fe_{0.4}O_{3-\delta}$, with over $40\%\;of\;CH_4$ conversion and syngas yield. $La_{0.7}Sr_{0.3}Ga_{0.6}Fe_{0.4}O_{3-\delta}$ membrane was stable even when it was exposed to the reducing environment, methane, for 600 hrs at $950^{\circ}C$.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.143-151
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• 2001

We have fabricated mixed-ionic conducting membranes, L $a_{0.6}$S $r_{0.4}$ $Co_{0.2}$F $e_{0.8}$ $O_{3-}$$\delta$/ and L $a_{0.7}$S $r_{0.3}$G $a_{0.6}$F $e_{0.4}$ $O_{3-}$$\delta$/ by the solid state method. Ceramic membranes consisted of perovskite-type structures and exhibited high relative density, >95%. Especially, dense L $a_{0.6}$S $r_{0.4}$Co $O_{3-}$$\delta$/ layer was coated on the L $a_{0.7}$S $r_{0.3}$G $a_{0.6}$F $e_{0.4}$ $O_{3-}$$\delta$/ membranes by using screen printing technique in order to improve oxygen ion flux. We measured oxygen ion flux on uncoated L $a_{0.6}$S $r_{0.4}$ $Co_{0.2}$F $e_{0.8}$ $O_{3-}$$\delta$/, uncoated L $a_{0.7}$S $r_{0.3}$G $a_{0.6}$F $e_{0.4}$ $O_{3-}$$\delta$/, and coated L $a_{0.7}$S $r_{0.3}$G $a_{0.6}$F $e_{0.4}$ $O_{3-}$$\delta$/ membranes. The L $a_{0.6}$S $r_{0.4}$ $Co_{0.2}$F $e_{0.8}$ $O_{3-}$$\delta$/ membranes showed the highest flux, 0.26 mL/min.$\textrm{cm}^2$ at 90$0^{\circ}C$, after steady state had been reached. The oxygen flux of coated L $a_{0.7}$S $r_{0.3}$G $a_{0.6}$F $e_{0.4}$ $O_{3-}$$\delta$/ membranes showed higher value, 0.19 mL/min.$\textrm{cm}^2$ at 95$0^{\circ}C$. This flux was as much as 2 or 3 times higher than those of uncoated L $a_{0.7}$S $r_{0.3}$G $a_{0.6}$F $e_{0.4}$ $O_{3-}$$\delta$/ membranes. 3-$\delta$/ membranes.X> 3-$\delta$/ membranes.membranes.