• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.225-232
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• 2011

Reactive ion etching (RIE) technique for maskless surface texturing of mc-silicon solar wafers has been applied and succeed in fabricating a grass-like black-silicon with an average reflectance of $4{\pm}1%$ in a wavelength range of 300~1,200 nm. In order to investigate the optimized texturing conditions for mass production of high quantum efficiency solar cell Surface characteristics such as the spatial distribution of average reflectance, micrscopic surface morphology and minority carrier lifetime were monitored for samples from saw-damaged $15.6{\times}15.6\;cm^2$ bare wafer to key-processed wafers as well as the mc-Si solar cells. We observed that RIE textured wafers reveal lower average reflectance along from center to edges by 1% and referred the origin to the non-uniform surface structures with a depth of 2 times deeper and half-maximum width of 3 times. Samples with anti-reflection coating after forming emitter layer also revealed longer minority carrier lifetime by 40% for the edge compared to wafer center due to size effects. As results, mc-Si solar cells with RIE-textured surface also revealed higher efficiency by 2% and better external quantum efficiency by 15% for edge positions with higher height.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.584-584
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• 2012

결정형 실리콘 태양전지 공정 중 표면 texturing 공정은 표면에 요철을 형성시켜 반사되는 빛 손실을 줄여서, 증가된 빛 흡수 양에 의해 단락전류(Isc)를 증가시키는데 그 목적이 있다. 표면 texturing 공정은 습식 식각과 건식 식각에 의한 방법으로 나눌 수 있다. 습식 식각은 KOH, TMAH, HNA 등의 실리콘 식각 용액을 사용하여 공정상의 위험도가 크고, 사용 후 용액의 폐기물에 의한 환경오염 문제가 있다. 건식 식각은 습식 식각과 달리 폐기물의 처리가 없고 미량의 가스를 이용한다. 그리고 다결정 실리콘 웨이퍼처럼 불규칙적인 결정방향에도 영향을 받지 않는 장점을 가지고 있어서 건식 식각을 이용한 표면 texturing 공정에 관한 많은 연구가 진행되고 있으며, 특히 RIE(reactive ion etching)를 이용한 태양전지 texturing 공정이 가장 주목을 받고 있다. 하지만 기존의 RIE를 이용하여 표면 texturing 공정을 하게 되면 500 nm 이하의 needle-like 구조의 표면이 만들어진다. Needle-like 구조의 표면은 전극을 형성할 때에 접촉 면적이 좁기 때문에 adhesion이 좋지 않은 것과 단파장 대역에서 광 손실이 많다는 단점이 있다. 본 논문에서는 기존의 RIE texturing의 단점을 보완하기 위해 챔버 내부에 metal-mesh를 장착한 후 RIE를 이용하여 $1{\mu}m$의 피라미드 구조를 형성하였고, RIE 공정 시 ion bombardment에 의한 표면 손상을 제거(RIE damage remove etching)하기 위하여 10초간 TMAH(Tetramethyl -ammonium hydroxide, 25 %) 식각 공정을 하였다.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.287-293
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• 2015

Laser surface texturing (LST), a surface engineering modification, has been considered as one of the new processes used to improve tribological characteristics of materials by creating artificially patterned microstructure on the contact surface of mechanical components. In LST technology, the laser is optimized to obtain or manufacture the dimples with maximum precision. The micro-dimples reduce the coefficients of friction and also improve the wear resistance of materials. This study investigates the effect of dimple density is investigated. For this purpose, a ball-on-disc type tester is used with AISI 52100 bearing steel as the test material. Discs are textured with a 5% and 10% dimple density. Experimental work is performed with normal loads of 5 N, 10 N, and 15 N under a fixed speed of 150 rpm at room temperature. The effect of the textured surface is compared to that of the untextured one. Experimental results show that the textured surface yields lower friction coefficients compared to those of untextured surfaces. Specifically, the 10% dimple density textured surface shows better friction reduction behavior than the 5% dimple density textured sample, and has an 18% improvement in friction reduction compared with the untextured samples. Microscopic observation using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) shows that the major friction mechanisms of the AISI 52100 bearing steel are adhesion, plastic deformation, and ploughing.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.50.1-50.1
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• 2009

Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) play an important role in thin-film solar cells in terms of low cost and performance improvement. Al-doped ZnO (AZO) is a very promising material for thin-film solar cellfabrication because of the wide availability of its constituent raw materials and its low cost. In this study, AZO films were prepared by low pressurechemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) using trimethylaluminum (TMA), diethylzinc(DEZ), and water vapor. In order to improve the absorbance of light, atypical surface texturing method is wet etching of front electrode using chemical solution. Alternatively, LPCVD can create a rough surface during deposition. This "self-texturing" is a very useful technique, which can eliminate additional chemical texturing process. The introduction of a TMA doping source has a strong influence on resistivity and the diffusion of light in a wide wavelength range.The haze factor of AZO up to a value of 43 % at 600 nm was achieved without an additional surface texturing process by simple TMA doping. The use of AZO TCO resulted in energy conversion efficiencies of 7.7 % when it was applied to thep-i-n a-Si:H thin film solar cell, which was comparable to commercially available fluorine doped tin oxide ($SnO_2$:F).

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.143-146
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• 2009

One of the most important issues of crystalline silicon solar cell is minimizing reflectance at the surface. Laser texturing is an isotropic process that will sculpt the surface of a silicon wafer, regardless of its crystallographic orientation. We investigated surface texturing process using Nd-YAG laser ($\lambda$=1064 nm) on multi-crystalline silicon wafer. Removal of slag formed after the laser process was performed using acid solution (HF : $HNO_3$ : $CH_3COOH$ : DI water). The reflectance and carrier lifetime of the samples were measured and analyzed using UV-Vis spectrophotometer and carrier lifetime tester. It was found that the minimum reflectance of the samples was 16.39% and maximum carrier life time was $21.8\;{\mu}s$.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.2735-2738
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• 2011

To obtain the Si solar cells, the Si-wafers were textured by using the IPA+DI water mixed solution with KOH acids during the various 1~40 minutes at the temperature with $80^{\circ}C$, respectively. The samples were analyzed by the scanning electron microscopy for the surface images and the solar simulation for I-V measurement system. It was researched the correlation between the efficiency of solar cells and the effect of texturing. From the results of the surface images obtained by SEM, the efficiency was increased at the sample textured uniformly, and the efficiency of over etched-samples decreased.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2010

In the last decade, laser surface texturing (LST) has emerged as a viable option of surface engineering. Many problems related with mechanical components such as thrust bearings, mechanical face seals and piston rings, etc, LST result in significant improvement in load capacity, wear resistance and reduction in friction force. It is mainly experimentally reported the micro-dimpled bearing surfaces can reduce friction force, however, precise theoretical results are not presented until now. In this paper, a commercial computational fluid dynamics(CFD) code, FLUENT is used to investigate the lubrication characteristics of a parallel thrust bearing having 3-dimensional micro-dimple. The results show that the pressure, velocity and density distributions are highly affected by the location and number of dimple. The numerical method and results can be use in design of optimum dimple characteristics, and further researches are required.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.164-168
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• 1993

Grinding of 3mol% Y-TZP enhanced the texturing of t-ZrO2, which is represented by the increased I(002)t/I(200)t peak intensity ratio, and an asymetric broadening of (111)t peak. The degree of texturing and asymetric broadening depended on a seversity of grinding. The asymetric (111)t peak broadening was resulted by the formation of r-ZrO2. When aged at 25$0^{\circ}C$ for 120h, r-ZrO2 transformed to t-ZrO2 due to the relief of stressed surface area and the amount of tlongrightarrowm transformation inversely varied with the I(002)t/I(200)t. The inverse dependence was interpreted by that the degree of texturing determines the magnitude of residual surface stress and the lattice relaxation of t-ZrO2, which causes the low temperature degradation, is retarded as the residual stress becomes greater.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.148-153
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• 2023

Laser surface dimple patterning is a method of laser surface texturing to reduce lubrication sliding friction. The dimple pattern improves friction properties by reserving lubricant and trapping worn particles. This surface texturing technology can reduce coefficients of friction and extend the service life by applying a uniform load to the surface of the material. This study investigates the friction properties using PMMA, a highly compatible polymer material, as a specimen. We observe the friction properties of untextured specimens by processing specimens with dimple pattern densities of 5 and 10 on the surface area using laser. Dimple pattern density affects the coefficient of friction. We present the following friction property results using a pin-on-disc sliding friction test under saline lubrication. The coefficients of friction for the dimple patterned specimens are lower than those for the untextured specimens. As the normal load and sliding speed increase, the coefficients of friction of the dimple pattern specimens decrease differently from those of the untextured specimens. The specimen with a dimple pattern density of 5 at a normal load of 24.5 N and a sliding speed of 0.22 m/s has the best friction properties. Notably, different friction properties are exhibited depending on the dimple pattern densities.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2018

Current major photovoltaic (PV) market share (> 60%) is being occupied by the multicrystalline (mc)-silicon solar cells despite of low efficiency compared to single crystalline silicon solar cells. The diamond wire sawing technology reduces the production cost of crystalline silicon solar cells, it increases the optical loss for the existing mc-silicon solar cells and hence its efficiency is low in the current mass production line. To overcome the optical loss in the mc-crystalline silicon, caused by the diamond wire sawing, next generation texturing process is being investigated by various research groups for the PV industry. In this review, the limitation of surface structure and optical loss due to the reflectivity of conventional mc-silicon solar cells are explained by the typical texturing mechanism. Various texturing technologies that could minimize the optical loss of mc-silicon solar cells are explained. Finally, next generation texturing technology to survive in the fierce cost competition of photovoltaic market is discussed.