• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.440-440
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• 2009

Semiconductor nanowires offer exciting possibilities as components of solar cells and have already found applications as active elements in organic, dye-sensitized, quantum-dot sensitized, liquid-junction, and inorganic solid-state devices. Among many semiconductors, silicon is by far the dominant material used for worldwide photovoltaic energy conversion and solar cell manufacture. For silicon wire to be used for solar device, well aligned wire arrays need to be fabricated vertically or horizontally. Macroscopic silicon wire arrays suitable for photovoltaic applications have been commonly grown by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process using metal catalysts such as Au, Ni, Pt, Cu. In the case, the impurity issues inside wire originated from metal catalyst are inevitable, leading to lowering the efficiency of solar cell. To escape from the problem, the wires of purity of wafer are the best for high efficiency of photovoltaic device. The fabrication of wire arrays by the electrochemical etching of silicon wafer with photolithography can solve the contamination of metal catalyst. In this presentation, we introduce silicon wire arrays by electrochemical etching method and then fabrication methods of radial p-n junction wire array solar cell and the various merits compared with conventional silicon solar cells.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.586-591
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• 2010

Solar cells have been more intensely studied as part of the effort to find alternatives to fossil fuels as power sources. The progression of the first two generations of solar cells has seen a sacrifice of higher efficiency for more economic use of materials. The use of a single junction makes both these types of cells lose power in two major ways: by the non-absorption of incident light of energy below the band gap; and by the dissipation by heat loss of light energy in excess of the band gap. Therefore, multi junction solar cells have been proposed as a solution to this problem. However, the $1^{st}$ and $2^{nd}$ generation solar cells have efficiency limits because a photon makes just one electron-hole pair. Fabrication of all-silicon tandem cells using an Si quantum dot superlattice structure (QD SLS) is one possible suggestion. In this study, an $SiO_x$ matrix system was investigated and analyzed for potential use as an all-silicon multi-junction solar cell. Si quantum dots with a super lattice structure (Si QD SLS) were prepared by alternating deposition of Si rich oxide (SRO; $SiO_x$ (x = 0.8, 1.12)) and $SiO_2$ layers using RF magnetron co-sputtering and subsequent annealing at temperatures between 800 and $1,100^{\circ}C$ under nitrogen ambient. Annealing temperatures and times affected the formation of Si QDs in the SRO film. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that nanocrystalline Si QDs started to precipitate after annealing at $1,100^{\circ}C$ for one hour. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images clearly showed SRO/$SiO_2$ SLS and Si QDs formation in each 4, 6, and 8 nm SRO layer after annealing at $1,100^{\circ}C$ for two hours. The systematic investigation of precipitation behavior of Si QDs in $SiO_2$ matrices is presented.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.213-213
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• 2012

It has been known that quantum confinement effect of CdSe nanocrystal was observed by increasing the number of deposition cycle using successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. Here, we report on thermally-induced quantum confinement effect of CdSe at the given cycle number using spin-coating technology. A cation precursor solution containing $0.3\;M\;Cd(NO_3)_2{\cdot}4H_2O$ is spun onto a $TiO_2$ nanoparticulate film, which is followed by spinning an anion precursor solution containing $0.3\;M\;Na_2\;SeSO_3$ to complete one cycle. The cycle is repeated up to 10 cycles, where the spin-coated $TiO_2$ film at each cycle is heated at temperature ranging from $100^{\circ}C$ to $250^{\circ}C$. The CdSe-sensitized $TiO_2$ nanostructured film is contacted with polysulfide redox electrolyte to construct photoelectrochemical solar cell. Photovoltaic performance is significantly dependent on the heat-treatment temperature. Incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) increases with increasing temperature, where the onset of the absorption increases from 600 nm for the $100^{\circ}C$- to 700 nm for the $150^{\circ}C$- and to 800 nm for the $200^{\circ}C$- and the $250^{\circ}C$-heat treatment. This is an indicative of quantum size effect. According to Tauc plot, the band gap energy decreases from 2.09 eV to 1.93 eV and to 1.76 eV as the temperature increases from $100^{\circ}C$ to $150^{\circ}C$ and to $200^{\circ}C$ (also $250^{\circ}C$), respectively. In addition, the size of CdSe increases gradually from 4.4 nm to 12.8 nm as the temperature increases from $100^{\circ}C$ to $250^{\circ}C$. From the differential thermogravimetric analysis, the increased size in CdSe by increasing the temperature at the same deposition condition is found to be attributed to the increase in energy for crystallization with $dH=240cal/^{\circ}C$. Due to the thermally induced quantum confinement effect, the conversion efficiency is substantially improved from 0.48% to 1.8% with increasing the heat-treatment temperature from $100^{\circ}C$ to $200^{\circ}C$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.379-379
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• 2011

본 연구에서는 황화납(PbS)을 감응 물질로 하는 양자점 감응형 태양전지를 제작하고 효율을 측정해보았다. 기판에 진공증착을 통해 seed layer를 형성하고 수열합성법으로 산화아연(ZnO) 나노선 어레이를 기른 후 SILAR(Successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction)법으로 PbS 양자점을 합성하였고, 농도와 cycle에 따른 특성의 변화를 주사전자현미경(SEM), X-선 회절, UV-visible spectrometer를 통해 확인하였다. SILAR법을 통해 PbS가 ZnO 나노선 위에 film 형태로 균일하게 성장한 것을 확인할 수 있었고, 이렇게 합성한 물질을 직접 태양전지로 제작하여 그 효율을 측정하였다. 또한 co-sensitizer 물질로 CdS를 합성하여 두 물질의 감응 물질로서의 성능을 확인하였다. PbS는 비교적 작은 밴드갭을 가지며 양자 제한 효과가 커 밴드갭 조절이 용이하며 여러 종류의 태양전지에서 이용되고 있다. 이러한 PbS를 감응 물질로 하는 양자점 감응형 태양전지 제작을 통해 태양전지에의 적용 가능성을 살펴보고 그러기 위해 필요한 부분들을 모색해보았다.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.434-442
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• 2014

Serious environmental problems have been caused by the greenhouse effect due to carbon dioxide($CO_2$) or nitrogen oxides($NO_x$) generated by the use of fossil fuels, including oil and liquefied natural gas. Many countries, including our own, the United States, those of the European Union and other developed countries around the world; have shown growing interest in clean energy, and have been concentrating on the development of new energy-saving materials and devices. Typical non-fossil-fuel sources include solar cells, wind power, tidal power, nuclear power, and fuel cells. In particular, organic solar cells(OSCs) have relatively low power-conversion efficiency(PCE) in comparison with inorganic(silicon) based solar cells, compound semiconductor solar cells and the CIGS [$Cu(In_{1-x}Ga_x)Se_2$] thin film solar cells. Recently, organic cell efficiencies greater than 10 % have been obtained by means of the development of new organic semiconducting materials, which feature improvements in crystalline properties, as well as in the quantum-dot nano-structure of the active layers. In this paper, a brief overview of solar cells in general is presented. In particular, the current development status of the next-generation OSCs including their operation principle, device-manufacturing processes, and improvements in the PCE are described.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.646-651
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• 2018

This paper reports that the electronic properties at a $P3HT/TiO_2$ interface associated with exciton dissociation and transport can be tailored by the insertion of a graphene quantum dot (GQD) layer. For donor/acceptor interface modification in an $ITO/TiO_2/P3HT/Al$ photovoltaic (PV) device, a continuous GQD film was prepared by a sonication treatment in solution that simplifies the conventional processes, including laser fragmentation and hydrothermal treatment, which limits a variety of component layers and involves low cost processing. The high conductivity and favorable energy alignment for exciton dissociation of the GQD layer increased the fill factor and short circuit current. The origin of the improved parameters is discussed in terms of the broad light absorption and enhanced interfacial carrier transport.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.293-294
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• 2011

It is known that semiconductor quantum-dot (QD) heterostructures have superior zero-dimensional quantum confinement, and they have been successfully applied to semiconductor laser diodes (QDLDs) for optical communication and infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) for thermal images [1]. The self-assembled QDs are normally formed at Stranski-Krastanov (S-K) growth mode utilizing the accumulated strain due to lattice-mismatch existing at heterointerfaces between QDs and cap layers. In order to increase the areal density and the number of stacks of QDs, recently, sub-monolayer (SML)-thick QDs (SQDs) with reduced strain were tried by equivalent thicknesses thinner than a wetting layer (WL) existing in conventional QDs (CQDs) by S-K mode. Despite that it is very different from CQDs with a well-defined WL, the SQD structure has been successfully applied to QDIP[2]. In this study, optical characteristics are investigated by using photoluminescence (PL) spectra taken from self-assembled InAs/GaAs QDs whose coverage are changing from submonolayer to a few monolayers. The QD structures were grown by using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on semi-insulating GaAs (100) substrates, and formed at a substrate temperature of 480$^{\circ}C$ followed by covering GaAs cap layer at 590$^{\circ}C$. We prepared six 10-period-stacked QD samples with different InAs coverages and thicknesses of GaAs spacer layers. In the QD coverage below WL thickness (~1.7 ML), the majority of SQDs with no WL coexisted with a small amount of CQDs with a WL, and multi-peak spectra changed to a single peak profile. A transition from SQDs to CQDs was found before and after a WL formation, and the sublevel of SQDs peaking at (1.32${\pm}$0.1) eV was much closer to the GaAs bandedge than that of CQDs (~1.2 eV). These revealed that QDs with no WL could be formed by near-ML coverage in InAs/GaAs system, and single-mode SQDs could be achieved by 1.5 ML just below WL that a strain field was entirely uniform.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.306-307
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• 2011

Franz Keldysh Oscillation (FKO)은 p-n 접합 구조의 공핍층(depletion zone)에서 전기장(electric field)에 의해 발생되며, Photoreflectance (PR) spectroscopy를 통하여 관측된다. InAs/GaAs 양자점 태양전지(Quantum Dot Solar Cells, QDSCs)에서 PR 신호에 대한 Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)을 통하여 FKO 주파수들을 관측할 수 있고, 각각의 FKO 주파수들은 태양전지 구조에 대응하는 표면 및 내부전기장(internal electric field) 들로 분류할 수 있다. InAs/GaAs 양자점 태양전지에서 AlGaAs potential barrier의 두께에 따른 내부전기장의 변화를 조사하기 위해, GaAs-matrix에 8주기의 InAs 양자점 층이 삽입된 태양전지를 molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) 방법으로 성장하였다. 양자점의 크기는 2.0 monolayer (ML)이며, 각 양자점 층은 1.6 nm에서 6.0 nm의 AlGaAs potential barrier들로 분리되어 있다. 또한 양자점 층의 위치에 따라 내부전기장 변화를 조사하기 위해, p-i-n 구조에서 양자점 층이 공핍층 내에 위치한 경우와 p+-n-n+ 구조에서 양자점 층이 공핍 층으로부터 멀리 떨어진 n-base 영역에 삽입하여 실험결과를 비교분석하였다. PR 실험결과로부터, p-i-n 구조에서 InAs 양자점 태양전지의 내부전기장 변화는 potential barrier 두께에 따라 다소 복잡한 변화를 보였으며, 이는 양자점 층이 공핍층 내에 위치함으로써 격자 불일치(lattice mismatch)로 발생된 응력(strain)의 영향으로 설명할 수 있다. 이러한 결과들을 각각의 태양전지 구조에서 표면 및 내부전기장에 대해 계산된 값들에 근거하여, p+-n-n+ 구조에서 양자점 층이 공핍 층으로부터 멀리 떨어진 영역에 삽입된 경우의 결과와 비교해 보면 내부전기장의 변화는 더욱 분명해진다. 즉, 양자점 층의 potential barrier의 두께를 조절하거나, 양자점 층의 위치를 변화시킴으로써 양자점 태양전지의 내부전기장을 조작할 수 있으며, 이는 PR 실험을 통해 FKO를 관측함으로써 확인할 수 있다.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.155-161
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• 2002

We studied the formation of nickel nano thin film that have various electrochromic properties. Nickel thin film having various thickness will apply photoelectronic devices, specially, electrochromic devices. These devices will apply lens, battery, glass and solar cell that have light, thin, simple and small that applied nanotechnology and quantum dot. Nickel thin film was coated by electrochemical method on ITO electrode. We studied the thin film properties by Cyclic voltammetry, Chronoamperometry. Impedance. X-ray diffraction analysis and Atomic force microscopy.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.196-196
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• 2012

염료감응 태양전지는 실리콘 태양전지에 비해 단가가 낮고 반투명하며 친환경적 특성으로 차세대 태양전지로 주목을 받았으나 염료의 안정성의 문제와 특정 파장대의 빛만 흡수하는 단점을 가지고 있다. 이러한 문제점을 해결하기 위하여 양자구속 효과에 의해 크기에 따라 밴드갭 조절이 용이하여 다양한 파장대의 빛을 흡수 할 수 있는 양자점 감응태양전지가 많은 관심을 받고 있다. 하지만 양자점 감응 태양 전지의 활성층으로 사용되는 반도체 산화물인 이산화티타늄의 두께는 $13{\sim}18{\mu}m$로 짧은 확산거리로 인해 전하수집의 한계를 가지고 있다. 이를 극복하기 위해 인듐 주석 산화물 나노선을 합성하여 전자가 광전극에 직접유입이 가능하도록 해 빠른 전하이동 및 전하수집을 가능하게 한다. 인듐 주석 산화물 나노선은 증기수송 방법(VTM)을 이용하여 인듐 주석 산화물 유리 기판 위에 $5{\sim}30{\mu}m$ 길이로 합성하였다. 전해질과 전자가 손실되는 것을 방지하기 위해 원자층 증착법(ALD)을 이용하여 이산화 티타늄 차단층을 20 nm 두께로 코팅한 후 화학증착방법(CBD)을 이용하여 인듐 주석 산화물 나노선-이산화 티타늄 코어-쉘 구조를 만든다. 마지막으로 황화카드뮴, 카드늄셀레나이드, 황화아연을 증착시킨 후 다황화물 전해질을 이용하여 양자점 감응 태양전지를 제작하였다. 특성 평가를 위해 전계방사 주사전자현미경, X-선 회절, 고분해능 투과 전자 현미경을 이용하며 intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS), intensity modulated voltage spectroscopy (IMVS)를 이용하여 전하수집 특성평가를 하였다.