Reducing absorber layer thickness below 500 nm in regular Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells decreases cell efficiency considerably, as both short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage are reduced because of incomplete absorption and high Mo/CIGS rear interface recombination. In this work, an innovative rear cell design is developed to avoid both effects: a highly reflective rear surface passiv...

The suitability of titaniumnitride (TiN) for GaAs surface passivation and protection is investigated. A 2–6nm thick TiN passivation layer is deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) at 275 C on top of InGaAs/ GaAs near surface quantum well (NSQW) structures to study the surface passivation. X-ray reflectivity measurements are used to determine the physical properties of the passivation layer....

Lithium as a plasma-facing component has many attractive features in fusion devices. We investigated chemical properties of the lithiated graphite surfaces during deposition using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and low-energy ion scattering spectroscopy. In this study we try to address some of the known issues during lithium deposition, viz., the chemical state of lithium on graphite substrat...

a proposed method for protecting carbon steel and hence reducing iron release in an aqueous solution saturated with h2s is presented in this paper. the method is based on forming a stable and resistant sulfide layer (pyrite, fes2, or pyrrhotite, fe(1-x)s, phase or a mixture of both) on the carbon steel surface. the study on the formation of the sulfide layer was carried out considering the effe...

This study assessed surface treatment techniques applicable to welded joints of stainless steel pipes and vessels for a hydrogen-permeation barrier. Specifically investigated was electrolytic polishing using electrolyte compositions consisting sulfuric acid, phosphoric methane-sulfonic acid promote uniform passive film formation on type 304 surface. also examined oxidation combination chemical ...

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) have recently attracted interest as an alternative to boron/phosphorous doped layers in crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells. In this work, the interface between n-type c-Si (n-Si) and three thermally evaporated TMOs (MoO3, WO3 and V2O5) was investigated by transmission electron microscopy and secondary ion-mass/x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. For the ...

Guide wires with suitable functional characteristics are of crucial importance for proper urological treatment. This study presents an analysis of the effect of work hardening taking place in the process of wire cold drawing and the effect of surface modification by means of electrochemical polishing and chemical passivation on the resistance of wires made of X10CrNi18-8 steel used in urology. ...

Surface defects caused during cutting and polishing in the fabrication of cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) nuclear detectors limit their spectral performance. Chemical treatments are often used to remove surface damages and defects. In this paper, we present the analysis of Te and TeO2 species on the surfaces of CdZnTe nuclear detectors treated with hydrogen bromide and ammonium-based solutions....

J. Przondziono, Faculty of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Silesian University of Technology, Katowice, Poland, W. Walke, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Zabrze, Poland Quality of applied guide wires conditions the course of treatment and its success to a great extent. In order to simulate conditions that can be found in blood vascular system samples were...