58 research outputs found
Report of the Workshop on Next-Generation Space PV: Thin Films
A workshop on the future use of thin-film photovoltaic devices in space power was convened at the 16th Space Photovoltaic Research and Technology Conference held at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH. This workshop began by addressing: 1) What are the leading impediments or technological challenges to be overcome with regard to the use of thin-film PV in space? 2) What is the status of organic based cells? Will they have a role in space PV, if so when? and 3) What about an integrated PV/Li battery array-up and down sides? A discussion on these three questions pertaining to future use of thin film devices for space power systems is presente
Electrodeposited CuInSe2 Thin Film Junctions
We have investigated thin films and junctions based on copper indium diselenide (CIS) which have been grown by electrochemical deposition. CIS is a leading candidate for use in polycrystalline thin film photovoltaic solar cells. Electrodeposition is a cost-effective method for producing thin-film CIS. We have produced both p and n type CIS thin films from the same aqueous solution by simply varying the deposition potential. A CIS pn junction was deposited using a step-function potential. Stoichiometry of the single layer films was determined by energy dispersive spectroscopy. Carrier densities of these films increased with deviation from stoichiometry, as determined by the capacitance versus voltage dependence of Schottky contacts. Optical bandgaps for the single layer films as determined by transmission spectroscopy were also found to increase with deviation from stoichiometry. Rectifying current versus voltage characteristics were demonstrated for the Schottky barriers and for the pn junction
High Temperature Thermopower in La_{2/3}Ca_{1/3}MnO_3 Films: Evidence for Polaronic Transport
Thermoelectric power, electrical resistivity and magnetization experiments,
performed in the paramagnetic phase of La_{2/3}Ca_{1/3}MnO_3, provide evidence
for polaron-dominated conduction in CMR materials. At high temperatures, a
large, nearly field-independent difference between the activation energies for
resistivity (rho) and thermopower (S), a characteristic of Holstein Polarons,
is observed, and ln(rho) ceases to scale with the magnetization. On approaching
T_c, both energies become field-dependent, indicating that the polarons are
magnetically polarized. Below T_c, the thermopower follows a law S(H) prop.
1/rho (H) as in non saturated ferromagnetic metals.Comment: 10 pages, 5 .gif figures. Phys. Rev B (in press
Electrical Characterization of Defects in SiC Schottky Barriers
We have been investigating the effect of screw dislocation and other structural defects on the electrical properties of SiC. SiC is a wide-bandgap semiconductor that is currently received much attention due to its favorable high temperature behavior and high electric field breakdown strength. Unfortunately, the current state-of-the-art crystal growth and device processing methods produce material with high defect densities, resulting in a limited commercial viabilit
Small-polaron hopping conductivity in bilayer manganite LaSrMnO
We report anisotropic resistivity measurements on a
LaSrMnO single crystal over a temperature range
from 2 to 400 K and in magnetic fields up to 14 T. For K, the
temperature dependence of the zero-field in-plane resistivity
obeys the adiabatic small polaron hopping mechanism, while the out-of-plane
resistivity can be ascribed by an Arrhenius law with the same
activation energy. Considering the magnetic character of the polarons and the
close correlation between the resistivity and magnetization, we developed a
model which allows the determination of . The excellent
agreement of the calculations with the measurements indicates that small
polarons play an essential role in the electrical transport properties in the
paramagnetic phase of bilayer manganites.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Physical Review
From Bench Top to Market: Growth of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Injection CVD Using Fe Organometallics - Production of a Commercial Reactor
Preferential oriented multiwalled carbon nanotubes were prepared by the injection chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method using either cyclopentadienyliron dicarbonyl dimer or cyclooctatetraene iron tricarbonyl as the iron catalyst source. The catalyst precursors were dissolved in toluene as the carrier solvent for the injections. The concentration of the catalyst was found to influence both the growth (i.e., MWNT orientation) of the nanotubes, as well as the amount of iron in the deposited material. As deposited, the multiwalled carbon nanotubes contained as little as 2.8% iron by weight. The material was deposited onto tantalum foil and fused silica substrates. The nanotubes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. This synthetic route provides a simple and scalable method to deposit MWNTs with a low defect density, low metal content and a preferred orientation. Subsequently, a small start-up was founded to commercialize the deposition equipment. The contrast between the research and entrepreneurial environments will be discussed
Strain effect on electronic transport and ferromagnetic transition temperature in LaSrMnO thin films
We report on a systematic study of strain effects on the transport properties
and the ferromagnetic transition temperature of high-quality
LaSrMnO thin films epitaxially grown on (100) SrTiO
substrates. Both the magnetization and the resistivity are critically dependent
on the film thickness. is enhanced with decreasing the film thickness
due to the compressive stain produced by lattice mismatch. The resistivity
above 165 K of the films with various thicknesses is consistent with small
polaronic hopping conductivity. The polaronic formation energy is
reduced with the decrease of film thickness. We found that the strain
dependence of mainly results from the strain-induced electron-phonon
coupling. The strain effect on is in good agreement with the
theoretical predictions.Comment: 6 pages and 5 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
An Integrated Power Pack of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell and Li Battery Based on Double-Sided TiO 2
Charge identification of fragments with the emulsion spectrometer of the FOOT experiment
The FOOT (FragmentatiOn Of Target) experi- ment is an international project designed to carry out the fragmentation cross-sectional measurements relevant for charged particle therapy (CPT), a technique based on the use of charged particle beams for the treatment of deep-seated tumors. The FOOT detector consists of an electronic setup for the identification of Z >= 3 fragments and an emulsion spectrometer for Z <= 3 fragments. The first data taking was performed in 2019 at the GSI facility(Darmstadt, Germany). In this study, the charge identifi-cation of fragments induced by exposing an emulsion detector, embedding a C2H4 target, to an oxygen ion beam of 200 MeV/n is discussed. The charge identifica-tion is based on the controlled fading of nuclear emulsions in order to extend their dynamic range in the ionization response
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