• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2011.08a
• /
• pp.218-218
• /
• 2011

The CIGS Solar Cells have the highest conversion efficiency in the film-type solar cells. They consist of p-type CuInSe2 film and n-type ZnO film. The CdS films are used as buffer layer in the CIGS solar cells since remarkable difference in the lattice constant and energy band gap of two films. The CdS films are toxic and make harmful circumstances. The CdS films deposition process need wet process. In this works, we design and make the hitter and lamp reflection part in the sputtering system for the ZnS films deposition as buffer layer, not using wet process. Film thickness, SEM, and AFM are measured for the uniformity valuation of the ZnS films. We conclude the optimum deposition temperature for the films uniformity less than 1.6%. The ZnS films deposited by the sputtering system are more dense and uniform than the CdS films deposited by the Chemical Bath Deposition Method(CBD) for the CIGS Solar Cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2010.06a
• /
• pp.4-4
• /
• 2010

Single-crystalline IGZO (Indium-Gallium-Zinc oxide) was fabricated on c-sapphire substrate. Single crystal ZnO was used as a buffer layer, and post-annealing was treated in $900^{\circ}C$ for crystallization of IGZO. Crystallized IGZO formed superlattice structure spontaneously induced to c-axis direction by ZnO butTer layer, the composition of IGZO was varied by amount of ZnO. Crystallinity and composition of IGZO was analyzed by X-ray Diffraction and Transmission Electron Microscopy.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.30 no.10
• /
• pp.566-572
• /
• 2020

In the recent years, thin film solar cells (TFSCs) have emerged as a viable replacement for crystalline silicon solar cells and offer a variety of choices, particularly in terms of synthesis processes and substrates (rigid or flexible, metal or insulator). Among the thin-film absorber materials, SnS has great potential for the manufacturing of low-cost TFSCs due to its suitable optical and electrical properties, non-toxic nature, and earth abundancy. However, the efficiency of SnS-based solar cells is found to be in the range of 1 ~ 4 % and remains far below those of CdTe-, CIGS-, and CZTSSe-based TFSCs. Aside from the improvement in the physical properties of absorber layer, enormous efforts have been focused on the development of suitable buffer layer for SnS-based solar cells. Herein, we investigate the device performance of SnS-based TFSCs by introducing double buffer layers, in which CdS is applied as first buffer layer and ZnMgO films is employed as second buffer layer. The effect of the composition ratio (Mg/(Mg+Zn)) of RF sputtered ZnMgO films on the device performance is studied. The structural and optical properties of ZnMgO films with various Mg/(Mg+Zn) ratios are also analyzed systemically. The fabricated SnS-based TFSCs with device structure of SLG/Mo/SnS/CdS/ZnMgO/AZO/Al exhibit a highest cell efficiency of 1.84 % along with open-circuit voltage of 0.302 V, short-circuit current density of 13.55 mA cm^-2, and fill factor of 0.45 with an optimum Mg/(Mg + Zn) ratio of 0.02.

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

• Current Photovoltaic Research
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.21-26
• /
• 2018

Beside several advantages, the PV power generation as a clean energy source, is still below the supply level due to high power generation cost. Therefore, the interest in fabricating low-cost thin film solar cells is increasing continuously. $Cu_2O$, a low cost photovoltaic material, has a wide direct band gap of ~2.1 eV has along with the high theoretical energy conversion efficiency of about 20%. On the other hand, it has other benefits such as earth-abundance, low cost, non-toxic, high carrier mobility ($100cm^2/Vs$). In spite of these various advantages, the efficiency of $Cu_2O$ based solar cells is still significantly lower than the theoretical limit as reported in several literatures. One of the reasons behind the low efficiency of $Cu_2O$ solar cells can be the formation of CuO layer due to atmospheric surface oxidation of $Cu_2O$ absorber layer. In this work, atomic layer deposition method was used to remove the CuO layer that formed on $Cu_2O$ surface. First, $Cu_2O$ absorber layer was deposited by electrodeposition. On top of it buffer (ZnO) and TCO (AZO) layers were deposited by atomic layer deposition and rf-magnetron sputtering respectively. We fabricated the cells with a change in the deposition temperature of buffer layer ranging between $80^{\circ}C$ to $140^{\circ}C$. Finally, we compared the performance of fabricated solar cells, and studied the influence of buffer layer deposition temperature on $Cu_2O$ based solar cells by J-V and XPS measurements.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2004.07a
• /
• pp.413-416
• /
• 2004

In this study, zinc oxide(ZnO) having large misfit(18.2%) with sapphire was tried to be grown on very thin nitride buffer layers. For the creation of various kinds of nitride buffer layer, sapphire surface was modified by an irradiation of nitrogen ion beam with low energy generated from stationary plasma thruster(SPT) at room temperature. After the irradiation of ion beam, Al-N and Al-O-N bonding was identified to be formed as nitride buffet layers. Surface morphology was measured by AFM and then ZnO growth was followed by pulsed laser deposition(PLD). Their properties are analyzed by XRD, AFM, TEM, and PL. We observed that surface morphology was improved and deep level emission related to defects was almost vanished in PL spectra from the ZnO grown on nitride buffer layer.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2010.05a
• /
• pp.35.1-35.1
• /
• 2010

The Cu(In,Ga)Se2(CIGS) thin film solar cells have been achieved until almost 20% efficiency by NREL. These solar cells include chemically deposited CdS as buffer layer between CIGS absorber layer and ZnO window layer. Although CIGS solar cells with CdS buffer layer show excellent performance, many groups made hard efforts to overcome its disadvantages in terms of high absorption of short wavelength, Cd hazardous element. Among Cd-free candidate materials, the CIGS thin film solar cells with Zn compound buffer layer seem to be promising with 15.2%(module by showa shell K.K.), 18.6%(small area by NREL). However, few groups were successful to report high-efficiency CIGS solar cells with Zn compound buffer layer, compared to be known how to fabricate these solar cells. Each group's chemical bah deposition (CBD) condition is seriously different. It may mean that it is not fully understood to grow high quality Zn compound thin film on the CIGS using CBD. In this study, we focused to clarify growth mechanism of chemically deposited Zn compound thin film on the CIGS, especially. Additionally, we tried to characterize junction properties with unfavorable issues, that is, slow growth rate, imperfect film coverage and minimize these issues. Early works reported that film deposition rate increased with reagent concentration and film covered whole rough CIGS surface. But they did not mention well how film growth of zinc compound evolves homogeneously or heterogeneously and what kinds of defects exist within film that can cause low solar performance. We observed sufficient correlation between growth quality and concentration of NH3 as complex agent. When NH3 concentration increased, thickness of zinc compound increased with dominant heterogeneous growth for high quality film. But the large amounts of NH3 in the solution made many particles of zinc hydroxide due to hydroxide ions. The zinc hydroxides bonded weakly to the CIGS surface have been removed at rinsing after CBD.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2007.11a
• /
• pp.46.1-46.1
• /
• 2007

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2006.06a
• /
• pp.108-109
• /
• 2006

ZnO semiconductor has a wide band gap of 3.37 eV and a large exciton binding energy of 60 meV, and displays excellent sensing and optical properties. In particular, ZnO based 1D nanowires and nanorods have received intensive attention because of their potential applications in various fields. We grew ZnO buffer layers prior to the growth of ZnO nanorods for the fabrication of the vertically well-aligned ZnO nanorods without any catalysts. The ZnO nanorods were grown on Si (111) substrates by vertical MOCVD. The ZnO buffer layers were grown with various thicknesses at $400^{\circ}C$ and their effect on the formation of ZnO nanorods at $300^{\circ}C$ was evaluated by FESEM, XRD, and PL. The synthesized ZnO nanorods on the ZnO film show a high quality, a large-scale uniformity, and a vertical alignment along the [0001]ZnO compared to those on the Si substrates showing the randomly inclined ZnO nanorods. For sample using ZnO buffer layer, 1D ZnO nanorods with diameters of 150-200 nm were successively fabricated at very low growth temperature, while for sample without ZnO buffer the ZnO films with rough surface were grown.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.24-28
• /
• 2012

In this study, we fabricated an amorphous InGaZnO pseudo-MOS transistor (a-IGZO ${\Psi}$-MOSFET) with a stacked $Si_3N_4/SiO_2$ (NO) gate dielectric and evaluated reliability of the devices with various thicknesses of a $SiO_2$ buffer layer. The roles of a $SiO_2$ buffer layer are improving the interface states and preventing degradation caused by the injection of photo-created holes because of a small valance band offset of amorphous IGZO and $Si_3N_4$. Meanwhile, excellent electrical properties were obtained for a device with 10-nm-thick $SiO_2$ buffer layer of a NO stacked dielectric. The threshold voltage shift of a device, however, was drastically increased because of its thin $SiO_2$ buffer layer which highlighted bias and light-induced hole trapping into the $Si_3N_4$ layer. As a results, the pseudo-MOS transistor with a 20-nm-thick $SiO_2$ buffer layer exhibited improved electrical characteristics and device reliability; field effective mobility(${\mu}_{FE}$) of 12.3 $cm^2/V{\cdot}s$, subthreshold slope (SS) of 148 mV/dec, trap density ($N_t$) of $4.52{\times}1011\;cm^{-2}$, negative bias illumination stress (NBIS) ${\Delta}V_{th}$ of 1.23 V, and negative bias temperature illumination stress (NBTIS) ${\Delta}V_{th}$ of 2.06 V.