• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.277-277
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• 2012

PCDTBT (Poly[N-9''-hepta-decanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4',7'-di-2-thienyl-2',1',3'-benzothiadiazole)]) is an attractive material as a semiconducting polymer for organic thin film transistor (OTFT) and organic solar cell (OSC). High power conversion efficiency (~6%) under simulated AM 1.5G solar illumination of bulk-heterojunction solar cell with PCDTBT and [6,6]-phenyl C60 butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) blend was reported. In OSC, it is known that the band alignment at the interface between donor and acceptor is critical. Therefore, we studied the interfacial electronic structures of PCDTBT and PC61BM. The polymers are deposited by electro-spray on gold and In-situ x-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements revealed the interfacial electronic structures. We obtained the energy level alignment between two materials and the different interface formation was observed with different deposition order.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.547-552
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• 2019

Electrochemical properties of $LiMn_{0.8}Fe_{0.2}PO_4$ cathode were investigated with gel polymer electrolyte (GPE). To access fast and efficient transport of ions and electrons during the charge/discharge process, a pure and well-crystallized $LiMn_{0.8}Fe_{0.2}PO_4$ cathode material was directly synthesized via spray-pyrolysis method. For high operation voltage, polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based gel polymer electrolyte was then prepared by electrospinning process. The gel polymer electrolyte showed high ionic conductivity of $2.9{\times}10^{-3}S\;cm^{-1}$ at $25^{\circ}C$ and good electrochemical stability. $Li/GEP/LiMn_{0.8}Fe_{0.2}PO_4$ cell delivered a discharge capacity of $159mAh\;g^{-1}$ at 0.1 C rate that was close to the theoretical value ($170mAh\;g^{-1}$). The cell allows stable cycle performance (99.3% capacity retention) with discharge capacity of $133.5mAh\;g^{-1}$ for over 300 cycles at 1 C rate and exhibits high rate-capability. PAN-based gel polymer is a suitable electrolyte for application in $LiMn_{0.8}Fe_{0.2}PO_4/Li$ batteries with perspective in high energy density and safety.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.406-406
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• 2011

결정질 태양전지에서 도핑(Doping)은 반도체(Semiconductor)의 PN 접합(Junction)을 형성하는 중요한 역할을 한다. 도핑은 반도체에 불순물(Dopant)을 주입하는 공정으로 고온에서 진행되며 온도는 중요한 변수(Parameter)로 작용한다. 본 연구에서는 여러 가지 에미터(emitter)층 형성방법 중에 가장 저가이면서 공정과정이 간단하며 대면적 도핑이 용의한 Spray 방법을 통해 효과적인 에미터 층 형성의 최적화를 위해 DI water에 각각 1%, 3%, 5% 7%로 희석된 H3PO4용액 으로 850$^{\circ}C$에서 열처리 시간을 가변해 가며 최적화된 면저항과 표면농도 특성을 분석하였다. 도핑소스가 웨이퍼(wafer) 각각의 표면에 흡착시킨 후 오븐에 넣어 150$^{\circ}C$에서 5분간 건조시킨 후 퍼니스(furance)에 넣어 시간을 가변해 가며 도핑시켰다. Spray 방식은 기존의 방식보다 저렴하고 In-line 공정에 적합하며 대용량으로 전환이 쉽다는 많은 장점을 가지고 있다. 도핑시 먼저 spray를 이용하여 웨이퍼 표면에 균일하게 용액을 흡착시킨 후 오븐에서 150$^{\circ}C$에서 5분간 건조 후 furnace에 넣어 850$^{\circ}C$에서 시간을 가변 해가며 실험하였다. H3PO4용액의 비율이 1%일 때는 2분 이상 열처리를 하였을 때 60${\Omega}/{\Box}$ 이하로 내려가지 않았다. 이는 최초 표면농도가 낮아 더 이상 확산되지 않음을 의미한다. 또한 H3PO4의 비율이 3% 이상일 때는 열처리 시간이 1분 이하일 때 면저항의 변화가 거의 없었으나 2분 이상일 때는 시간에 따라서 점차 낮아졌으며 균일도 역시 좋아졌다. 이는 H3PO4의 비율이 3% 이상일 때는 표면농도가 높아서 1분 이하의 열처리 시간에서는 확산해 들어가는 양이 거의 같음을 알 수 있었다.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.21-25
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• 2016

The microstructural properties and electrical characteristics of sputtering films deposited with a Cu-Ga target are analyzed. The Cu-Ga target is prepared using the cold spray process and shows generally uniform composition distributions, as suggested by secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS) data. Characteristics of the sputtered Cu-Ga films are investigated at three positions (top, center and bottom) of the Cu-Ga target by X-ray diffraction (XRD), SIMS, 4-point probe and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis methods. The results show that the Cu-Ga films are composed of hexagonal and unknown phases, and they have similar distributions of composition and resistivity at the top, center, and bottom regions of the Cu-Ga target. It demonstrates that these films have uniform properties regardless of the position on the Cu-Ga target. In conclusion, the cold spray process is expected to be a useful method for preparing sputter targets.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.502-507
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• 2014

Recently, improvement in the conversion efficiency of silicon-based solar cells has been achieved by decreasing emitter doping concentration, because the lightly doped emitter can effectively prevent the recombination of electrons and holes generated by solar light irradiation. This type of emitter is very thin due to the low doping concentration, thus conductive materials (i.e., silver) used for front electrodes can easily penetrate the emitter during a firing process because of their large diffusivity in silicon. This results in junction leakage currents which might reduce cell efficiencies. In this study, $Al_2O_3$-coated Ag powders were synthesized by an ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method and applied to the conductive materials of the front electrode to control the junction leakage current. The $Al_2O_3$ shell obstructs the Ag diffusion into the emitter during the firing process. The powder is spherical with a core-shell structure and the thickness of the $Al_2O_3$ shell is tens of nanometers. Solar cells were fabricated using pure Ag powders or the $Al_2O_3$-coated Ag powder as front electrode materials, and the conversion efficiency and junction leakage current were compared to investigate the role of the $Al_2O_3$ shell during the firing processes.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.675-675
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• 2013

CIGS thin films have received a great attention as a promising material for solar cells due to their high absorption coefficient, appropriate bandgap, long-term stability, and low cost production. CIGS thin films have been deposited by various methods such as co-evaporation, sputtering, spray pyrolysis and electro-deposition. In this study, Cu(In,Ga)Se2(CIGS) thin films were prepared using a single quaternary target by rf magnetron sputtering. The effect of sulfurization on the structural, compositional and electrical properties of the films was examined in order to develop the deposition process. An optimal sulfurization process will be selected for the preparation of CIGS thin films with good structural, optical and electrical properties by applying various sulfurization processes. In addition, the electrical properties of CIGS thin films were investigated by post-deposition annealing process. The carrier concentration of CIG(SSe) thin films after sulfurization was increased from $10^{14}cm^{-3}$ to $10^{16}cm^{-3}$ and the resistivity was increased from 10 ${\Omega}cm$ to $10^3$ ${\Omega}cm$. It is confirmed that CIG(SSe) thin films prepared at optimal deposition condition have similar atomic ratio to the target value after sulfurization.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.64.2-64.2
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• 2010

In order to improve the overall power conversion efficiency in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), it is very important to secure the sufficient surface area of photocatalytic nanoparticles layer for absorbing dye molecules. It is because increasing the amount of dye absorbed generally results in increasing the amount of light harvesting. In this work, we proposed a new method for increasing the specific surface area of photocatalytic titanium oxide ($TiO_2$) nanoparticles by using an inorganic templating method. Salt-$TiO_2$ composite nanoparticles were synthesized in this approach by spray pyrolyzing both the titanium butoxide and sodium chloride solution. After aqueous removal of salt from salt-$TiO_2$ composite nanoparticles, mesoporous $TiO_2$ nanoparticles with pore size of 2~50 nm were formed and then the specific surface area of resulting porous $TiO_2$ nanoparticle was measured by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. Generally, commercially available P-25 with the average primary size of ~25 nm $TiO_2$ nanoparticles was used as an active layer for dye-sensitized solarcells, and the specific surface area of P-25 was found to be ~50 $m^2/g$. On the other hand, the specific surface area of mesoporous $TiO_2$ nanoparticles prepared in this approach was found to be ~286 $m^2/g$, which is 5 times higher than that of P-25. The increased specific surface area of $TiO_2$ nanoparticles will absorb relatively more dye molecules, which can increase the short curcuit current (Jsc) in DSSCs. The influence of nanoporous structures of $TiO_2$ on the performance of DSSCs will be discussed in terms of the amount of dye molecules absorbed, the fill factor, the short circuit current, and the power conversion efficiency.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.99.1-99.1
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• 2012

The thin-film photovoltaic absorbers (CdTe and $Cu(In,Ga)Se_2$) can achieve solar conversion efficiencies of up to 20% and are now commercially available, but the presence of toxic (Cd,Se) and expensive elemental components (In, Te) is a real issue as the demand for photovoltaics rapidly increases. To overcome these limitations, there has been substantial interest in developing viable alternative materials, such as $Cu_2ZnSnS_4$ (CZTS) is an emerging solar absorber that is structurally similar to CIGS, but contains only earth abundant, non-toxic elements and has a near optimal direct band gap energy of 1.4 - 1.6 eV and a large absorption coefficient of ~104 $cm^{-1}$. The CZTS absorber layers are grown and investigated by various fabrication methods, such as thermal evaporation, e-beam evaporation with a post sulfurization, sputtering, non-vacuum sol-gel, pulsed laser, spray-pyrolysis method and electrodeposition technique. In the present work, we report an alternative aqueous chemical approach based on chemical bath deposition (CBD) method for large area deposition of CZTS thin films. Samples produced by our method were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, absorbance and photoluminescence. The results show that this inexpensive and relatively benign process produces thin films of CZTS exhibiting uniform composition, kesterite crystal structure, and some factors like triethanolamine, ammonia, temperature which strongly affect on the morphology of CZTS film.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.375-375
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• 2010

CdTe as an absorber material is widely used in thin film solar cells with the heterostructure due to its almost ideal band gap energy of 1.45 eV, high photovoltaic conversion efficiency, low cost and stable performance. The deposition methods and preparation conditions for the fabrication of CdTe are very important for the achievement of high solar cell conversion efficiency. There are some rearranged reports about the deposition methods available for the preparation of CdTe thin films such as close spaced sublimation (CSS), physical vapor deposition (PVD), vacuum evaporation, vapor transport deposition (VTD), closed space vapor transport, electrodeposition, screen printing, spray pyrolysis, metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and RF sputtering. The RF sputtering method for the preparation of CdTe thin films has important advantages in that the thin films can be prepared at low growth temperatures with large-area deposition suitable for mass-production. The authors reported that the optical and electrical properties of CdTe thin film were closely connected by the thickness-uniformity of the film in the previous study [1], which means that the better optical absorbance and the higher carrier concentration could be obtained in the better condition of thickness-uniformity for CdTe thin film. The thickness-uniformity could be controlled and improved by the some process parameters such as vacuum level and RF power in the sputtering process of CdTe thin films. However, there is a limitation to improve the thickness-uniformity only in the preparation process [1]. So it is necessary to introduce the external or additional method for improving the thickness-uniformity of CdTe thin film because the cell size of thin film solar cell will be enlarged. Therefore, the authors firstly applied the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process to improving the thickness-uniformity of CdTe thin films with a G&P POLI-450 CMP polisher [2]. CMP process is the most important process in semiconductor manufacturing processes in order to planarize the surface of the wafer even over 300 mm and to form the copper interconnects with damascene process. Some important CMP characteristics for CdTe were obtained including removal rate (RR), WIWNU%, RMS roughness, and peak-to-valley roughness [2]. With these important results, the CMP process for CdTe thin films was performed to improve the thickness-uniformity of the sputtering-deposited CdTe thin film which had the worst two thickness-uniformities of them. Some optical properties including optical transmittance and absorbance of the CdTe thin films were measured by using a UV-Visible spectrophotometer (Varian Techtron, Cary500scan) in the range of 400 - 800 nm. After CMP process, the thickness-uniformities became better than that of the best condition in the previous sputtering process of CdTe thin films. Consequently, the optical properties were directly affected by the thickness-uniformity of CdTe thin film. The absorbance of CdTe thin films was improved although the thickness of CdTe thin film was not changed.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.382-382
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• 2009

염료감응형 태양전지의 구성체 중 전극으로 연구 되어 지고 있는 $TiO_2$는 기존에 대량 생산이 가능한 spin coating법, screen printing법, spray법의 연구가 이루어져 왔으나 고 효율 태양전지에 쓰이는 전극 시스템에 비해 고 분산성을 지닌 $TiO_2$페이스트를 제조 하는데 어려움이 있다. 그리고 플렉시블 디스플레이 소자의 응용을 위해서는 소자 공정 온도인 $250^{\circ}C$ 이하의 공정 온도가 요구 되어 지므로 고온공정인 CVD법은 이에 적합하지 않다. 이에 본 연구는 진공 증착 방법인 광원자층증착법을 이용하여 $150^{\circ}C$이하의 저온공정온도에서도 적용이 가능한 $TiO_2$ 박막을 185nm의 UV light를 조사하여 glass 기판위에 제조 하고 그에 따른 박막의 물성 분석을 하였다. Mo source로는 titanium tetraisopropoxide(TTIP)와 reactant gas 로는 $H_2O$를 사용하였으며 불활성 기체인 Ar 가스는 purge 가스로 각각 사용하였다. $100^{\circ}C{\sim}250^{\circ}C$ 공정온도를 변수로 $TiO_2$ 박막을 제조 하였으며 제조된 $TiO_2$ 박막의 물성 분석을 위해 FESEM, TEM을 이용하여 표면 및 두께를 분석하였다. 또한 $100^{\circ}C$ 400 cycles에서 약 12nm 막 두께를 관찰 할 수 있었으며 그 결과 박막의 성장률이 $0.3{\AA}$/cycle 임을 확인 할 수 있었다. 그리고 UV-VIS을 이용하여 박막의 좌외선에 대한 흡수도 및 투과도 분석을 하였다. 또한 XPS 성분 분석을 통하여 $100^{\circ}C$의 저온 공정에서 형성된 박막이 $TiO_2$임을 확인 하였다. 이러한 결과에서 185nm의 UV light에 의한 광원자층 증착법으로 $100^{\circ}C$의 저온에서도 $TiO_2$ 박막이 증착 되는 것을 확인 할 수 있었다.