• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.209-209
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• 2012

High-efficient transparent conductive oxide (TCO) film-embedding Si heterojunction solar cells were fabricated. An additional doping was not applied for heterojunction solar cells due to the spontaneous junction formation between TCO films and an n-type Si substrate. Three different TCO coatings were formed by sputtering method for an Al-doped ZnO (AZO) film, an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) film and double stacks of ITO/AZO films. An improved crystalline ITO film was grown on an AZO template upon hetero-epitaxial growth. This double TCO films-embedding Si heterojunction solar cell provided significantly enhanced efficiency of 9.23% as compared to the single TCO/Si devices. The effective arrangement of TCO films (ITO/AZO) provides benefits of a lower front contact resistance and a smaller band offset to Si leading enhanced photovoltaic performances. This demonstrates a potential scheme of the effective TCO film-embedding heterojunction Si solar cells.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.47.2-47.2
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• 2011

High-efficient transparent conductive oxide (TCO) film-embedding Si heterojunction solar cells were fabricated. An improved crystalline indium-tin-oxide (ITO) film was grown on an Al-doped ZnO (AZO) template upon hetero-epitaxial growth. This double TCO-layered Si solar cell provided significantly enhanced efficiency of 9.23 % as compared to the single TCO/Si devices. The effective arrangement of TCO films (ITO/AZO) provides a good interface, resulting in the enhanced photovoltaic performances. It discusses TCO film arrangement scheme for efficient TCO-layered heterojunction solar cells.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.11a
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• pp.46.2-46.2
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• 2010

For use of superstrate thin-film solar cells, surface texture of the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) has been used to enhance short-circuit currents by increasing light trapping into the cell. ZnO:Al films were deposited by using DC magnetron sputtering on glass substrates with ceramic (ZnO:$Al_2O_3$) target. The as-deposited TCO before texturing exhibited high transparencies (T > 85% for visible light including all reflection losses) and excellent electrical properties ($r=3-6{\times}10^{-4}{\Omega}.cm$). The optical and electrical properties of the TCO are influenced by the texturing conditions such as not only etchant dilutions but also etching time. We obtained the haze value of 14-16 resulting in increase in light trapping and short-circuit currents also.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.961-968
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• 2009

In this work, transparent conductive oxide(TCO) films such as $In_2O_3-SnO_2$(ITO) and $In_2O_3-ZnO$(IZO) were prepared on polyethylene naphthalene(PEN) and glass substrates by using rf-magnetron sputtering system. The TCO films deposited on PEN substrate show very poor conductivity as compared to that of the TCO films deposited on glass substrates. From the results of the residual gas analysis(RGA) test, this poor stability of plastic substrate is presumed to be caused by the deteriorated adhesion between the TCO films and the plastic substrate due to outgassing from the plastic substrate during deposition of TCO films. From our experiment, it is found that the vaporization of some defects in the plastic substrates deteriorate the adhesion of the TCO films to the plastic substrate, because the most plastic substrates containing the water vapor and/or other adsorbed particles such as organic solvents. Mixing of these gases vaporized in the sputtering process will also affect the electrical property of the deposited TCO films. Inorganic thin composite $(SiO_2)_{40}(ZnO)_{60}$ film as a gas barrier layer is coated on the PEN substrate to protecting the diffusion of vapors from the substrate, so that the TCO films with an improved quality can be obtained.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.341-346
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• 2011

In this study, we inserted a Zn buffer layer into a AZO/p-type a-si:H layer interface in order to lower the contact resistance of the interface. For the Zn layer, the deposition was conducted at 5 nm, 7 nm and 10 nm using the rf-magnetron sputtering method. The results were compared to that of the AZO film to discuss the possibility of the Zn layer being used as a transparent conductive oxide thin film for application in the silicon heterojunction solar cell. We used the rf-magnetron sputtering method to fabricate Al 2 wt.% of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) film as a transparent conductive oxide (TCO). We analyzed the electro-optical properties of the ZnO as well as the interface properties of the AZO/p-type a-Si:H layer. After inserting a buffer layer into the AZO/p-type a-Si:H layers to enhance the interface properties, we measured the contact resistance of the layers using a CTLM (circular transmission line model) pattern, the depth profile of the layers using AES (auger electron spectroscopy), and the changes in the properties of the AZO thin film through heat treatment. We investigated the effects of the interface properties of the AZO/p-type a-Si:H layer on the characteristics of silicon heterojunction solar cells and the way to improve the interface properties. When depositing AZO thin film on a-Si layer, oxygen atoms are diffused from the AZO thin film towards the a-Si layer. Thus, the characteristics of the solar cells deteriorate due to the created oxide film. While a diffusion of Zn occurs toward the a-Si in the case of AZO used as TCO, the diffusion of In occurs toward a-Si in the case of ITO used as TCO.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.93-96
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• 2017

The structural, electrical and optical properties of Ti thin films fabricated by dual magnetron sputtering were investigated under various film thicknesses. The fabricated Ti thin films exhibited uniform surfaces, crystallinity, various grain sizes, and with various film thicknesses. Also, the crystallinity and grain size of the Ti thin films increased with the increase of film thickness. The electrical properties of Ti thin films improved with the increase of film thickness. The results showed that the performance of TCO-less DSSC critically depended on the film thickness of the Ti working electrodes, due to the conductivity of Ti thin film. However, the maximum conversion efficiency of TCO-less DSSC was exhibited at the condition of 100 nm thickness due to the surface scattering of photons caused by the variation of grain size.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.725-728
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• 2016

We investigated the characterizations of carbon films fabricated by dual magnetron sputtering under various film thickness for the electrodes in TCO-less DSSC (dye-sensitized solar cells). Carbon films prepared at various conditions were exhibited smooth and uniform surfaces without defects. Also, the rms surface roughness of carbon films was decreased from 2.25 nm to 1.0 nm with the increase of film thickness. The sheet resistance as the electrical properties are improved from $11.2{\times}10^{-3}$ to $2.28{\times}10^{-3}$ with the increase of film thickness. In the results, the performance of TCO-less DSSC critically depended on the film thickness of working electrodes, indicating the conductivity of carbon films.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.02a
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• pp.454-454
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• 2010

In order to achieve a high efficient a-Si solar cell, the TCO (transparent conductive oxide) substrates are required to be a low sheet resistivity, a high transparency, and a textured surface with light trapping effect. Recently, a zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film attracts our attention as new coating material having a good transparent and conductive for TCO of solar cells. In this paper the optical properties of $H_2$ post-treated BZO (boron doped ZnO, ZnO:B) thin film are investigated with $O_2$-plasma treatment. The BZO thin films by MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition) are investigated and the samples of $H_2$ post-treated BZO thin film are tested with $O_2$-plasma treatment by plasma treatment system with 13.56 MHz as RIE (Reactive Ion Etching) type. We measured the optical properties and surface morphology of BZO thin film with and without $O_2$-plasma treatment. The optical properties such as transmittance, reflectance and haze are measured with integrating sphere and ellipsometer. This result of the BZO thin film with and without $O_2$-plasma treatment is application to the TCO for solar cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.426.1-426.1
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• 2016

We report high work function Aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) films as insertion layer as a function of O2 flow rate between transparent conducting oxides (TCO) and hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide (a-SiOx:H) layer to improve open circuit voltage (Voc) and fill factor (FF) for high efficiency thin film solar cell. However, amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells exhibit poor fill factors due to a Schottky barrier like impedance at the interface between a-SiOx:H windows and TCO. The impedance is caused by an increasing mismatch between the work function of TCO and that of p-type a-SiOx:H. In this study, we report on the silicon thin film solar cell by using as insertion layer of O2 reactive AZO films between TCO and p-type a-SiOx:H. Significant efficiency enhancement was demonstrated by using high work-function layers (4.95 eV at O2=2 sccm) for engineering the work function at the key interfaces to raise FF as well as Voc. Therefore, we can be obtained the conversion efficiency of 7 % at 13mA/cm2 of the current density (Jsc) and 63.35 % of FF.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.31-36
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• 2006

Superstrate pin amorphous silicon thin-film(a-Si:H) solar cells are prepared on $SnO_2:F$ and ZnO:Al transparent conducting oxides(TCO) in order to see the effect of TCO/p-layers on a-Si:H solar cell operation. The solar cells prepared on textured ZnO:Al have higher open circuit voltage VOC than cells prepared on $SnO_2:F$. Presence of thin microcrystalline p-type silicon layer(${\mu}c-Si:H$) between ZnO:Al and p a-SiC:H plays a major role by causing improvement in fill factor as well as $V_{OC}$ of a-Si:H solar cells prepared on ZnO:Al TCO. Without any treatment of pi interface, we could obtain high $V_{OC}$ of 994mV while keeping fill factor(72.7%) and short circuit current density $J_{SC}$ at the same level as for the cells on $SnO_2:F$ TCO. This high $V_{OC}$ value can be attributed to modification in the current transport in this region due to creation of a potential barrier.