• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.74-80
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• 2018

Recently, perovskite solar cells have shown tremendous improvement in power conversion efficiencies. Moreover, they have potential in semitransparent solar cell applications due to their high absorption coefficients. In order to fabricate semitransparent perovskite solar cells with good performance, it is essential to consider the suitability of transparent electrode materials in various aspects, such as transparency, conductivity and fabrication process. In this review, candidate materials for transparent electrodes in perovskite solar cells including carbon-based nanomaterials, conductive polymers and metallic nanostructures are discussed.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.237-242
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• 2009

As semitransparent dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have advanced to large-scale applications from lab-level research, the large-scale performance has attracted much attention. Modules of DSSCs have been investigated to optimize the efficiency as a $TiO_2$ systhesis temperature and a surface treatment of $TiCl_4$ aqueous solution. Essentially, these semitransparent modules have an extended structure with lab-scale works with the exception of the dimensions and methods for the series connection. The $5cm{\times}6.5cm$ modules have shown an efficiency of about 6% without a scattering layer. While the fill factors of modules depend on the width of each $TiO_2$ unit cell, they are much less dependent on the lengths of the unit cells.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.730-733
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• 2013

In this work, buffer layers with various conditions are inserted at an n/i interface in hydrogenated amorphous silicon semitransparent solar cells. It is observed that the performance of a solar cell strongly depends on the arrangement and thickness of the buffer layer. When arranging buffer layers with various bandgaps in ascending order from the intrinsic layer to the n layer, a relatively high open circuit voltage and short circuit current are observed. In addition, the fill factors are improved, owing to an enhanced shunt resistance under every instance of the introduced n/i buffer layers. Among the various conditions during the arrangement of the buffer layers, a reverse V shape of the energy bandgap is found to be the most effective for high efficiency, which also exhibits intermediate transmittance among all samples. This is an inspiring result, enabling an independent control of the conversion efficiency and transmittance.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.118-128
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• 2020

A semitransparent photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) air collector can produce electricity and heat simultaneously. To maximize the thermal and overall efficiency of the semitransparent PV/T air collector, its availability should be maximum; this can be determined through a Markov analysis. In this paper, a Markov model is developed to select an optimized number of semitransparent PV modules in service with five states and two states by considering two parameters, namely failure rate (λ) and repair rate (μ). Three artificial neural network (ANN) models are developed to obtain the minimum cost, minimum temperature, and maximum thermal efficiency of the semitransparent PV/T air collector by setting its type appropriately and optimizing the number of photovoltaic modules and cost. An attempt is also made to achieve maximum thermal and overall efficiency for the semitransparent PV/T air collector by using ANN after obtaining its minimum temperature and available solar radiation.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2010

Nanostructured metal oxides have been widely used in the research fields of photoelectrochemistry, photochemistry and opto-electronics. Dye-sensitized solar cell is a typical example because it is based on nanostructured $TiO_2$. Since the discovery of dye-sensitized solar cell in 1991, it has been considered as a promising photovoltaic solar cell because of low-cost, colorful and semitransparent characteristics. Unlike p-n junction type solar cell, dye-sensitized solar cell is photoelectrochemical type and is usually composed of the dye-adsorbed nanocrystalline metal oxide, the iodide/tri-iodide redox electrolyte and the Pt and/or carbon counter electrode. Among the studied issues to improve efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cell, nanoengineering technologies of metal oxide particle and film have been reviewed in terms of improving optical property, electron transport and electron life time.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.587-593
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• 2013

We demonstrate semitransparent organic photovoltaics (OPVs) based on thin metal electrodes and polymer photoactive layers consisting of poly(3-hexylthiophene) and [6,6]-phenyl $C_{61}$ butyric acid methyl ester. The power conversion efficiency of a semitransparent OPV device comprising a 15-nm silver (Ag) rear electrode is 1.98% under AM 1.5-G illumination through the indium-tin-oxide side of the front anode at 100 $mW/cm^2$ with 15.6% average transmittance of the entire cell in the visible wavelength range. As its thickness increases, a thin Ag electrode mainly influences the enhancement of the short circuit current density and fill factor. Its relatively low absorption intensity makes a Ag thin film a viable option for semitransparent electrodes compatible with organic layers.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.651-655
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• 2017

This work reports the surface morphology and transmittance of copper oxide thin films for semitransparent solar cell applications. We prepared the oxide specimens by subjecting copper thin films to an oxidation reaction at annealing temperatures ranging between $100^{\circ}C$ and $300^{\circ}C$. The color of the as-deposited specimen was red, but changed to purple at the annealing temperature of $300^{\circ}C$. The surface morphology and transmittance of the specimens were significantly dependent on the annealing temperature and thickness of the copper films. Copper oxide nanoparticles prepared from a 20-nm-thick copper film at an annealing temperature of $300^{\circ}C$ provided a maximum transmittance of 93%. The obtained optical characteristics and surface morphology suggest that copper oxide thin films prepared by an oxidation reaction can be potentially employed as color- and transmittance-adjusting layer in semitransparent thin solar cells.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.97-102
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• 2019

Bifacial and semitransparent hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film solar cells in p-i-n configuration were prepared with front and rear transparent conducting oxide (TCO) electrodes using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method. Fluorine-doped tin oxide and tin-doped indium oxide films were used as front and rear TCO contacts, respectively. Film thickness of intrinsic a-Si:H absorber layers were controlled from 150 nm to 450 nm by changing deposition time. The dependence of performance characteristics of solar cells on the front and rear illumination direction were investigated. For front illumination, gradual increase in the short-circuit current density (J_SC) from 10.59 mA/㎠ to 14.19 mA/㎠ was obtained, whereas slight decreases from 0.83 V to 0.81 V for the open-circuit voltage (V_OC) and from 68.43% to 65.75% for fill factor (FF) were observed. The average optical transmittance in the wavelength region of 380 ~ 780 nm of the solar cells decreased gradually from 22.76% to 15.67% as the absorber thickness was changed from 150 nm to 450 nm. In case of the solar cells under rear illumination condition, the J_SC increased from 10.81 to 12.64 mA/㎠ and the FF deceased from 66.63% to 61.85%, while the V_OC values were maintained at 0.80 V with increasing the absorber thickness from 150 nm to 450 nm. By optimizing the deposition parameters, a high-quality bifacial and semitransparent a-Si:H solar cell with 350 nm-thick i-a-Si:H absorber layer exhibited the conversion efficiencies of 7.69% for front illumination and 6.40% for rear illumination, and average visible optical transmittance of 17.20%.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.460-464
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• 2020

This study reports the fabrication and application of semitransparent Cu nanoparticle layers. Spin coating and subsequent drying of a Cu colloid solution were performed to deposit Cu nanoparticle layers onto Si and glass substrates. As the spin speed of the spin coating increases, the density of the nanoparticles on the substrate decreases, and the agglomeration of nanoparticles is suppressed. This microstructural variation affects the optical properties of the nanoparticle layers. The transmittance and reflectance of the Cu nanoparticle layers increase with increasing spin speed, which results from the trade-off between the exposed substrate area and surface coverage of the Cu nanoparticles. Since the glass substrates coated with Cu nanoparticle layers are semitransparent and colored, it is anticipated that the application of a Cu nanoparticle-dielectric bilayer structure to transparent solar cells will improve the cell efficiency as well as aesthetic appearance.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.437-442
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• 2018

This work reports the preparation of Al-Ti based oxide thin films and their optical properties. Although the transmittance of a $TiO_2/Al2O_3$ bilayer structure was as high as 90% at wavelengths of 600 nm or larger, the reflectance of the bilayer reached its minimum at wavelengths of around 360 nm. The transmittance of an 89-nm-thick $TiO_2$ thin film rapidly increased and then decreased at a critical wavelength because of destructive interference. The wavelength corresponding to the reflectance minimum increased after an increase in $TiO_2$ film thickness. The smooth surface morphology of the AlTiO thin film was retained up to a film thickness of 65 nm, and the transmittance of the film was inversely proportional to film thickness, in accordance with the general tendency for optical films. The reflectance of the AlTiO film at visible light wavelengths was lower than that of the $TiO_2$ film, which implies that the AlTiO film is suitable for applications as an optical thin film layer in semitransparent solar cells.