No abstract

No abstract

This paper reports the improvement in the sensing performance of nanocrystalline SnO2-based liquid petroleum gas (LPG) sensors by doping with fluorine (F). Un-doped and F-doped tin oxide films were prepared on glass substrates by the dip-coating technique using a layer-by-layer deposition cycle (alternating between dip-coating a thin layer followed by a drying in air after each new layer). The results showed that this technique is superior to the conventional technique for both improving the film thickness uniformity and film transparency. The effect of F concentration on the structural, surface morphological and LPG sensing properties of the SnO2 films was investigated. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction pattern measurements showed that the obtained thin films are nanocrystalline SnO2 with nanoscale-textured surfaces. Gas sensing characteristics (sensor response and response/recovery time) of the SnO2:F sensors based on a planar interdigital structure were investigated at different operating temperatures and at different LPG concentrations. The addition of fluorine to SnO2 was found to be advantageous for efficient detection of LPG gases, e.g., F-doped sensors are more stable at a low operating temperature (300 °C) with higher sensor response and faster response/recovery time, compared to un-doped sensor materials. The sensors based on SnO2:F films could detect LPG even at a low level of 25% LEL, showing the possibility of using this transparent material for LPG leak detection.

In this study, a pn homojunction was intentionally fabricated in the Cu(InGa)Se2 (CIGS) layer by Zn doping. For Zn doping of the CIGS layer, Zn was evaporated after CIGS formation, and a potential improvement in cell performance was confirmed by this technique. Furthermore, Zn diffusion into the CIGS film was investigated by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). A conductivity-type conversion from p-type to n-type was studied by the measurement of the cross-sectional electron beam-induced current (junction EBIC: JEBIC) and the spectral response of solar cells. A conversion efficiency of 11.5% has been achieved using the Zn-doped CIGS layer without a buffer layer and by the formation of a pn homojunction in the CIGS absorber.

The aim of our experiments is to improve the performance of Cd-free ZnO/Cu(InGa)Se 2 solar cells using a high-resistivity ZnO buffer layer. Buffer layers were deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using diethylzinc (DEZn) and H 2 O as reactant gases. The structural and electrical properties of the ZnO films on glass substrates were characterized. A high resistivity of more than 10 3 ·cm and a transmittance of above 80% in the visible range were obtained. We focused on determining the optimum deposition parameters for the ALD-ZnO buffer layer. Results indicate that the thickness and resistivity of the ALD-ZnO buffer layer, as well as the heat treatment prior to the deposition of the buffer layer, affect the device characteristics. The best efficiency obtained with an ALD-ZnO buffer layer of solar cells without an antireflective coating was 12.1%. The reversible light soaking effect was observed in these devices.