We have developed a new solar cell using thin-film silicon supported by a silicon substrate etched in a grid form. The light-trapping structures of this cell have been studied by considering rear surface light reflections, electrical power loss and mechanical strength. High rear reflectance can be obtained by employing a multi-layer rear electrode. The pattern of the rear substrate is designed to provide sufficient mechanical strength and to minimize the electrical power loss, taking account of the current flow path. A conversion efficiency of 14.2% for a practical size of 10×10 cm2 is obtained by applying these calculated parameters using a single-crystal silicon substrate.
We present an atomistic model of interface alloying that presupposes exchange of adatoms with substrate atoms and floating of adatoms on the upper layers during deposition. Due to the existence of a preferred direction (the growth direction), the chemical profile near the interface proves to be asymmetrical. The floating algorithm combined with self-consistent calculations of atomic magnetic moments is used as a model for interpreting Mössbauer data obtained from 57 Fe-enriched interfacial tracer layers in Fe/Cr(001) superlattices. The superlattices were grown at different temperatures in order to modify their interface roughness. A linear correlation between calculated moment peaks and observed distinct magnetic hyperfine fields was found. Our experimental samples exhibit larger intermixing than the simplified theoretical model we used. The experimental giant magnetoresistance ratio was observed to increase with the decreasing fraction of certain 57 Fe atoms located in the interfacial region. Therefore, bulk scattering from impurity atoms appears to provide the main contribution to the giant magnetoresistance in Fe/Cr. Moreover, our theoretical results clarify the dependence of the short-wavelength period of interlayer coupling on the interface roughness in Fe/Cr.
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