The Role of Nano-crystallites on Conduction Mechanisms of Current Through Ag Gridlines of Si Solar Cells

MRS Advances ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 311-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keming Ren ◽  
Tang Ye ◽  
Yong Zhang ◽  
Abasifreke Ebong

ABSTRACTIn order to understand the impact of nano-crystallites on current transport mechanisms in screen-printed c-Si solar cells with lowly-doped emitter, Te-glass based Ag pastes with different transition temperatures (Tg) were used. The Te-glass with lower Tg showed lower Rc than the one with higher Tg due to the formation of nano-crystallites in the glass layer. These nano-crystallites enhance the conductivity of the glass and lead to higher fill factor (FF). The nature of these nano-crystallites was first identified by the Raman spectrometry and the peaks at 76 cm-1, 119 cm-1 and 145 cm-1 were corresponding to Ag2Te and PbTe. The conductive-AFM further confirmed the high conductivity of these nano-crystallites without pyramidal Ag crystallites, which means the current transporting from Si emitter to Ag gridlines is mainly through the nano-crystallites in the glass.

MRS Advances ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 431-439
Author(s):  
Keming Ren ◽  
Abasifreke Ebong

ABSTRACTIn a bid to further reduce the cost of the front Ag contact metallization in Si solar cells, Cu is the potential alternative to replace the Ag in the Ag paste. However, this requires an understanding of the contact mechanism of screen-printable Ag/Cu paste in Si solar cell through rapid thermal process. The pastes with different weight percent of Cu (0 wt%, 25 wt% and 50 wt%) were used and the Voc of the cells was reduced with the increasing weight percent of Cu. This is because the presence of Cu in the paste changed the microstructure of the Ag/Cu/Si contact through Cu doping of the glass frits and hence increasing the Tg of the glass. The increased Tg of the glass impeded the uniform spreading of the molten glass and resulted in poor wetting and etching of the SiNx, which impacted the contact as evident in ideality factor of less than unity. This also led to the formation of agglomerated Ag crystallites with features of 700 nm in length and 200 nm in depth, which is close to the p-n junction, of which depth is ∼300 nm. However, the interface glass layer acted as an effective diffusion barrier layer to prevent Cu atoms from diffusing into the Si emitter, which is quite remarkable for Cu not to diffuse into silicon at high temperature. Further investigation of the Ag/Cu contacts with the conductive AFM in conjunction with the SEM and STEM analyses revealed that the growth of Ag crystallites in the Si emitter is responsible for carrier conduction the gridlines as with the pure Ag paste.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Yaser Abdulraheem ◽  
Moustafa Ghannam ◽  
Hariharsudan Sivaramakrishnan Radhakrishnan ◽  
Ivan Gordon

Photovoltaic devices based on amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon (a-Si:H/c-Si) heterojunction interfaces hold the highest efficiency as of date in the class of silicon-based devices with efficiencies exceeding 26% and are regarded as a promising technology for large-scale terrestrial PV applications. The detailed understanding behind the operation of this type of device is crucial to improving and optimizing its performance. SHJ solar cells have primarily two main interfaces that play a major role in their operation: the transparent conductive oxide (TCO)/a-Si:H interface and the a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction interface. In the work presented here, a detailed analytical description is provided for the impact of both interfaces on the performance of such devices and especially on the device fill factor ( FF ). It has been found that the TCO work function can dramatically impact the FF by introducing a series resistance element in addition to limiting the forward biased current under illumination causing the well-known S-shape characteristic in the I-V curve of such devices. On the other hand, it is shown that the thermionic emission barrier at the heterojunction interface can play a major role in introducing an added series resistance factor due to the intrinsic a-Si:H buffer layer that is usually introduced to improve surface passivation. Theoretical explanation on the role of both interfaces on device operation based on 1D device simulation is experimentally verified. The I-V characteristics of fabricated devices were compared to the curves produced by simulation, and the observed degradation in the FF of fabricated devices was explained in light of analytical findings from simulation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Michael Bourne

Technology has an ever increasing impact on how we work and live. Article adressed the issue of the impact of technology in two key areas of language learning. On the one side learners increasingly used technology to translate. Given this trend, was there any real need to learn a language. On the other side, educational institutions increasingly used technology to rate language proficiency. Given this trend, would the work of the teacher become less and less important. The survey was conducted by using quantitative method. The respondents’ age range was 18-25. There were 53 respondents, 35% were male and 65% were female. The instrument was a questionaire having 9 questions describing the students’ reliance on computer in translation. It can be concluded that learners of English indicate that they accept and welcome the role of technology in language learning, but there is a doubt that the role and participation of humans in the learning process will be completely replaced. The human element remains an important ingredient. (EE)


Author(s):  
Steven Moran ◽  
Nicholas A. Lester ◽  
Eitan Grossman

In this paper, we investigate evolutionarily recent changes in the distributions of speech sounds in the world's languages. In particular, we explore the impact of language contact in the past two millennia on today's distributions. Based on three extensive databases of phonological inventories, we analyse the discrepancies between the distribution of speech sounds of ancient and reconstructed languages, on the one hand, and those in present-day languages, on the other. Furthermore, we analyse the degree to which the diffusion of speech sounds via language contact played a role in these discrepancies. We find evidence for substantive differences between ancient and present-day distributions, as well as for the important role of language contact in shaping these distributions over time. Moreover, our findings suggest that the distributions of speech sounds across geographic macro-areas were homogenized to an observable extent in recent millennia. Our findings suggest that what we call the Implicit Uniformitarian Hypothesis, at least with respect to the composition of phonological inventories, cannot be held uncritically. Linguists who would like to draw inferences about human language based on present-day cross-linguistic distributions must consider their theories in light of even short-term language evolution. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Reconstructing prehistoric languages’.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (48) ◽  
pp. 120-125
Author(s):  
O. P. Vashkiv ◽  
◽  
S. B. Smereka ◽  

The article is aimed at studying the features of energy saving at a manufacturing enterprise and establishing a cause-and-effect relationship between energy saving and product competitiveness. Due to analyzing and generalizing the research results of domestic and foreign scientists the views of researchers on the process of energy saving at a manufacturing enterprise are systematized; the growing role of energy saving in ensuring energy efficiency and, consequently, product competitiveness is established. The research results show that energy saving at an enterprise is one of its most important assets, the impact of which on the level of product competitiveness is becoming increasingly important in the face of the exacerbating energy and environmental crises. Energy saving, basically focusing on the intensification of production processes and use of energy and energy resources, on the one hand, reduces the level of specific energy consumption and, consequently, the price of the released product while maintaining or increasing its quality; on the other hand, it reduces the carbon loading on the environment, thus contributes to the growth of the company's image among its consumers and partners. Both components are the most important factors in ensuring product competitiveness. The development and implementation of energy saving measures at industrial enterprises, with regard to the industry-specific character of economic entities, market conditions, and the requirements of environmental standards can serve as prospects for further research


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Gaubas ◽  
T. Ceponis ◽  
V. Kalendra ◽  
J. Kusakovskij ◽  
A. Uleckas

Technique for barrier evaluation by measurements of current transients induced by linearly increasing voltage pulse based on analysis of barrier and diffusion capacitance changes is presented. The components of the barrier capacitance charging and generation/recombination currents are discussed. Different situations of the impact of deep center defects on barrier and diffusion capacitance changes are analyzed. Basics of the profiling of layered junction structures using the presented technique are discussed. Instrumentation for implementation of this technique and for investigations of the steady-state bias infra-red illumination and temperature dependent variations of the barrier capacitance charging and generation/recombination currents are described. Applications of this technique for the analysis of barrier quality in solar cells and particle detectors fabricated on silicon material are demonstrated.


Author(s):  
Doina Stratu-Strelet ◽  
Anna Karina López-Hernández ◽  
Vicente Guerola-Navarro ◽  
Hermenegildo Gil-Gómez ◽  
Raul Oltra-Badenes

This chapter highlights the role of technology-based universities in public-private partnerships (PPP) to strengthen and deploy the digital single market strategy. Moreover, it analyzes how these collaboration channels have link knowledge management as a tool for sustainable collaboration. Given the need to establish collaboration channels with the private sector, according to Lee, it is critical to establish the impact of sharing sophisticated knowledge and partnering at the same time. This chapter wants to highlights two relevant aspects of PPP: on the one hand, the importance of integrating the participation of a technology-based university with three objectives: (1) the coordination, (2) the funding management, and (3) the dissemination of results; and the other hand, the participation private sector that is represented by agile agents capable to execute high-value actions for society. With the recognition of these values, the investment and interest of the projects under way are justified by public-private partnership.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (9) ◽  
pp. 935-945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Procel ◽  
Haiyuan Xu ◽  
Aurora Saez ◽  
Carlos Ruiz‐Tobon ◽  
Luana Mazzarella ◽  
...  

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (01n02) ◽  
pp. 57-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. DENG ◽  
W. WANG ◽  
S. HAN ◽  
H. POVOLNY ◽  
W. DU ◽  
...  

This paper reports the impact of a wide bandgap p-type hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) on the performances of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) based solar cells. The p-layer consists of nanometer-sized Si Crystallites and has a wide effective bandgap determined mainly by the quantum size-confinement effect (QSE). By incorporation of this p-layer into the devices we have obtained high performances of a-Si:H top solar cells with V oc = 1.045 V and FF = 70.3%, and much improved mid and bottom a-SiGe:H cells, deposited on stainless steel (SS) substrate. The effects of the band-edge mismatch at the p/i-interface on the I-V characteristics of the solar cells are discussed on the bases on the bases of the density-functional approach and the AMPS model.


Legal Studies ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 602-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Rackley

This paper reconsiders images of the judge and, in particular, the position of the woman judge using fairy tale and myth. It begins by exploring the actuality of women's exclusion within the judiciary, traditional explanations for this and the impact of recent changes. It goes on to consider the image of the Herculean judge, arguing that whilst we may view him as an ideological construct, or even as a fairy tale, we routinely deny this to ourselves and to others. This both ensures the normative survival of Hercules and simultaneously constrains counter-images of judges, including that of the woman judge, who becomes almost a contradiction in terms, faced with the need to shed her difference and fit the fairy tale. Like the little mermaid, the woman judge must trade her voice for partial acceptance in the prince's world.This image of silencing which Andersen's tale so vividly captures highlights a paradox in current discourses of adjudication. On the one hand, women judges are viewed as desirable in order to broaden the range of perspectives on the bench, thus making the judiciary more representative; on the other hand, judges are supposed to be without perspective, thus suggesting there is little need for a representative judiciary. Feminists and other commentators negotiate their way uncomfortably through this territory, acknowledging a gender dimension to adjudication, but failing fully to confront its implications. This paper seeks to ‘undress’ the judge, to flush out images of adjudication which deter or prevent women from joining the judiciary and constrain their potential within it. It highlights both the role of the imagination in existing conceptions of adjudication and the increasing necessity for a re-imagined Hercules – an alternative understanding of the judge which women and other groups currently underrepresented on the bench can comfortably and constructively occupy.


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