Thin-Film Compound Semiconductor Photovoltaics - 2007: Volume 1012


Book Description

Thin-film compound semiconductor photovoltaic solar cells have demonstrated efficiencies of nearly 20% and are leading candidates to provide lower-cost energy due to potential advantages in manufacturing and materials costs. To fulfill the promise, a number of technical issues are being addressed, including a lack of fundamental understanding of these unique materials, devices and processes for large-area deposition. This book focuses on advances in the materials science, chemistry, processing and device issues of thin-film compound semiconductor materials that are used, or have potential use, in photovoltaic solar cells and related applications. Topics include: growth and performance of compound thin-film solar cells; novel materials and processes; defects and impurities; industrial perspectives; contacts and interfaces; grain boundaries and inhomogeneities; and structural, optical and electronic characterization.




Advances in Induction and Microwave Heating of Mineral and Organic Materials


Book Description

The book offers comprehensive coverage of the broad range of scientific knowledge in the fields of advances in induction and microwave heating of mineral and organic materials. Beginning with industry application in many areas of practical application to mineral materials and ending with raw materials of agriculture origin the authors, specialists in different scientific area, present their results in the two sections: Section 1-Induction and Microwave Heating of Mineral Materials, and Section 2-Microwave Heating of Organic Materials.




Technological Innovation for Sustainability


Book Description

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second IFIP WG 5.5/SOCOLNET Doctoral Conference on Computing, Electrical and Industrial Systems, DoCEIS 2011, held in Costa de Caparica, Portugal, in February 2011. The 67 revised full papers were carefully selected from numerous submissions. They cover a wide spectrum of topics ranging from collaborative enterprise networks to microelectronics. The papers are organized in topical sections on collaborative networks, service-oriented systems, computational intelligence, robotic systems, Petri nets, sensorial and perceptional systems, sensorial systems and decision, signal processing, fault-tolerant systems, control systems, energy systems, electrical machines, and electronics.




Solar Cells


Book Description

The first book of this four-volume edition is dedicated to one of the most promising areas of photovoltaics, which has already reached a large-scale production of the second-generation thin-film solar modules and has resulted in building the powerful solar plants in several countries around the world. Thin-film technologies using direct-gap semiconductors such as CIGS and CdTe offer the lowest manufacturing costs and are becoming more prevalent in the industry allowing to improve manufacturability of the production at significantly larger scales than for wafer or ribbon Si modules. It is only a matter of time before thin films like CIGS and CdTe will replace wafer-based silicon solar cells as the dominant photovoltaic technology. Photoelectric efficiency of thin-film solar modules is still far from the theoretical limit. The scientific and technological problems of increasing this key parameter of the solar cell are discussed in several chapters of this volume.




Semiconductor Defect Engineering: Volume 994


Book Description

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners. This book, first published in 2007, focuses on the application of defects and impurities in current and emerging semiconductor technologies.




Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Materials - 2007: Volume 1007


Book Description

The field of organic/inorganic hybrids has evolved significantly, providing materials with increasing architectural complexities and functionalities. Scientists involved in this field are gradually moving from building materials using a classical molecular approach (e.g. polymerization) to assembling materials on the nanoscale, using a variety of innovative strategies which can vary from the assembly of DNA motifs, to the formation of mesoporous materials by spinodal decomposition, or the use of nanoparticles or oxoclusters as nanobuilding blocks for building complex structures such as nacre-like transition metal oxides. This precise control over the materials architecture also adds functionality to the hybrid materials, whether it is for designing special membranes for phase separation and chromatography or thin films for photonic or magnetic applications. This book presents contributions from researchers worldwide and discusses organosiloxane-based materials; mesoporous materials and films; layered materials; surface and interface modification and characterization; controlled release and biological applications; nanoparticles synthesis and assembly; nanocomposites and new concepts.




Amorphous and Polycrystalline Thin-Film Silicon Science and Technology - 2007: Volume 989


Book Description

Thin films of amorphous nano-, micro- and polycrystalline silicon, and related alloys, are used in active-matrix liquid crystal displays, solar cells, digital imagers and scanners. These products make large-area electronics the fastest growing semiconductor technology today and are encouraging further research on materials and devices. The success of amorphous silicon and polysilicon materials in commercial products is the driving force for the topic being one of the longest-running symposia and proceedings series of the Materials Research Society, providing excellent forums for reporting research results, exchanging ideas, and discussing scientific and technological issues. This volume, the most recent in the series, focuses on: defects and metastability; solar cells; alloys; crystallization and crystallization techniques; micro- and nanocrystalline silicon; thin-film growth; flexible substrates; novel applications; thin-film transistors; imagers and sensors; electronics and flexible substrates; electronic properties and metastability; structural properties; and nanocrystals, nanoclusters and nanowires.







Ion-Beam-Based Nanofabrication: Volume 1020


Book Description

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.