• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.553-558
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• 2019

$Cu_2ZnSn(S,Se)_4(CZTSSe)$ thin film solar cells areone of the most promising candidates for photovoltaic devices due to their earth-abundant composition, high absorption coefficient and appropriate band gap. The sputtering process is the main challenge to achieving high efficiency of CZTSSe solar cells for industrialization. In this study, we fabricated CZTSSe absorbers on Mo coated soda lime glass using different pressures during the annealing process. As an environmental strategy, the annealing process is performed with S and Se powder, without any toxic $H_2Se$ and/or $H_2S$ gases. Because CZTSSe thin films have a very narrow stable phase region, it is important to control the condition of the annealing process to achieve high efficiency of the solar cell. To identify the effect of process pressure during the sulfo-selenization, we experiment with varying initial pressure from 600 Torr to 800 Torr. We fabricate a CZTSSe thin film solar cell with 8.24 % efficiency, with 435 mV for open circuit voltage($V_{OC}$) and $36.98mA/cm^2$ for short circuit current density($J_{SC}$), under a highest process pressure of 800 Torr.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.501-507
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• 2010

Changes in surface morphology and roughness of dc sputtered ZnO:Al/Ag back reflectors by varying the deposition temperature and their influence on the performance of flexible silicon thin film solar cells were systematically investigated. By increasing the deposition temperature from $25^{\circ}C$ to $500^{\circ}C$, the grain size of Ag thin films increased from 100 nm to 1000 nm and the grain size distribution became irregular, which resulted in an increment of surface roughness from 6.6 nm to 46.6 nm. Even after the 100 nm thick ZnO:Al film deposition, the surface morphology and roughness of the ZnO:Al/Ag double structured back reflectors were the same as those of the Ag layers, meaning that the ZnO:Al films were deposited conformally on the Ag films without unnecessary changes in the surfacefeatures. The diffused reflectance of the back reflectors improved significantly with the increasing grain size and surface roughness of the Ag films, and in particular, an enhanced diffused reflectance in the long wavelength over 800 nm was observed in the Ag back reflectors deposited at $500^{\circ}C$, which had an irregular grain size distribution of 200-1000 nm and large surface roughness. The improved light scattering properties on the rough ZnO:Al/Ag back reflector surfaces led to an increase of light trapping in the solar cells, and this resulted in a noticeable improvement in the $J_{sc}$ values from 9.94 mA/$cm^2$ for the flat Ag back reflector at $25^{\circ}C$ to 13.36 mA/$cm^2$ for the rough one at $500^{\circ}C$. A conversion efficiency of 7.60% ($V_{oc}$ = 0.93, $J_{sc}$ = 13.36 mA/$cm^2$, FF = 61%) was achieved in the flexible silicon thin film solar cells at this moment.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.279-283
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• 2014

In this paper, we present an economical and practical standard to install a bypass diode in a thin-film PV module. This method helps to reduce heat generation and to prevent module degradation due to excess current from reverse bias. The experimental results confirm that for different numbers of solar cells, there is a relation between the excess reverse current and the degradation of solar cells in a-Si:H modules. The optimal number of solar cells that can be connected per bypass diode could be obtained through an analysis of the results to effectively suppress the degradation and to reduce the heat generated by the module. This technique could be expanded for use in high power crystalline Si PV modules.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.86-89
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• 2013

Dye-sensitized solar cells have a FTO/$TiO_2$/Dye/Electrode/Pt counter electrode structure, yet more than a 10% electron loss occurs at each interface. A passivating layer between the $TiO_2$/FTO glass interface can prevent this loss of electrons. In theory, ZnO has excellent electron collecting capabilities and a 3.4 eV band gap, which suppresses electron mobility. FTO glass was coated with ZnO thin films by RF-magnetron sputtering; each film was deposited under different $O_2$:Ar ratios and RF-gun power. The optical transmittance of the ZnO thin film depends on the thickness and morphology of ZnO. The conversion efficiency was measured with the maximum value of 5.22% at an Ar:$O_2$ ratio of 1:1 and RF-gun power of 80 W, due to effective prevention of the electron recombination into electrolytes.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.525-528
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• 2001

ZnO:Al thin film can be used as a transparent conducting oxide(TCO) which has low electric resistivity and high optical transmittance for the front electrode of amorphous silicon solar cells and display devices. This study of electrical, crystallographic and optical properties of Al doped ZnO thin films prepared by Facing Targets Sputtering (FTS), where strong internal magnets were contained in target holders to confine the plasma between the targets, is described. Optimal transmittance and resistivity was obtained by controlling flow rate of O$_2$ gas and substrate temperature. When the of gas rate of 0.3 and substrate temperature 200$^{\circ}C$ , ZnO:Al thin film had strongly oriented c-axis and lower resistivity(<10$\^$-4/Ω-cm).

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.315-315
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• 2016

The hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin film solar cells using n/Al or n/Ag/Al back reflector have low short circuit current (Jsc) due to high absorption coefficients of Al or work function difference between n-layer and the metal. In this article, we utilized aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) to raise the internal reflectance for the improvement of short current density (Jsc) in a-Si:H thin film solar cells. It was found that there was a slight increase in the reflectance in the long wavelength range at the process temperature of 125oC due to improved crystalline quality of the AZO back reflector. The optical band gap (Eg) and work function were affected by the temperature and so did the internal reflectance. The increased internal reflectance within the solar cell resulted in Jsc of 14.94 mA/cm2 and the efficiency of 8.84%. Jsc for the cell without back reflector was 12.29 mA/cm2.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.115-118
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• 2017

Highly photosensitive and wide bandgap amorphous silicon oxide (a-$SiO_x$:H) films were developed at low temperature ranges ($100{\sim}150^{\circ}C$) with employing plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition by optimizing $H_2/SiH_4$ gas ratio and $CO_2$ flow. Photosensitivity more than $10^5$ and wide bandgap (1.81~1.85 eV) properties were used for making the a-$SiO_x$:H thin film solar cells, which exhibited a high open circuit voltage of 0.987 V at the substrate temperature of $100^{\circ}C$. In addition, a power conversion efficiency of 6.87% for the cell could be improved up to 7.77% by employing a new n-type nc-$SiO_x$:H/ZnO:Al/Ag triple back-reflector that offers better short circuit currents in the thin film photovoltaic devices.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.442-443
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• 2009

We prepared and characterized particle based CIGS thin film using a thermal evaporator. CIGS powder were obtained at $240^{\circ}C$ for 6 hours from the reaction of $CuCl_2$, $InCl_3$, $GaCl_3$, Se powder in solvent. The CIGS thin film deposited on a sodalime glass. The CIGS thin film were identified to have a typical chalcopyrite tetragonal structure by using UV/Vis-spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction(XRD), Auger Electron Spectroscopy(AES), Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM).

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.02a
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• pp.130-130
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• 2010

Thin Si films were grown by a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD, SNTEK, Korea) system. Two different deposition condition were applied and formed a fully amorphous Si (a-Si) film and a micromorph mixing of microcrystalline Si (mc-Si) and a-Si film. Under one sun illumination, the micromorph device provided the enhanced open circuit voltage and fill factor values. It presents the fabrication of the micromorph Si film and the a-Si film by modulating a deposition condition. The performances of the Si thin film Schottky solar cells are discussed.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.135-139
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• 2015

$Cu_2SnS_3$ (CTS) based thin film solar cells (TFSCs) are of great interest because of its earth abundant, low-toxic and eco-friendly material with high optical absorption coefficient of $10^4cm^{-1}$. In this study, the DC sputtered precursor thin films have been sulfurized using rapid thermal annealing (RTA) system in the graphite box under Ar gas atmosphere for 10 minute. The systematic variation of sulfur powder during annealing process has been carried out and their effects on the structural, morphological and optical properties of CTS thin films have been investigated. The preliminary power conversion efficiency of 1.47% with a short circuit current density of $33.9mA/cm^2$, an open circuit voltage of 159.7 mV, and a fill factor of 27% were obtained for CTS thin film annealed with 0.05g of S powder, although the processing parameter s have not yet been optimized.