Numerical Study and Optimization of CZTS-Based Thin-Film Solar Cell Structure with Different Novel Buffer-Layer Materials Using SCAPS-1D Software

This study explored the performances of CZTS-based thin-film solar cell with three novel buffer layer materials ZnS, CdS, and CdZnS, as well as with variation in thickness of buffer and absorber-layer, doping concentrations of absorber-layer material and operating temperature. Our aims focused to identify the most optimal thin-film solar cell structure that offers high efficiency and lower toxicity which are desirable for sustainable and eco-friendly energy sources globally. SCAPS-1D, widely used software for modeling and simulating solar cells, has been used and solar cell fundamental performance parameters such as open-circuited voltage (), short-circuited current density (), fill-factor() and efficiency() have been optimized in this study. Based on our simulation results, it was found that CZTS solar cell with Cd0.4Zn0.6S as buffer-layer offers the most optimal combination of high efficiency and lower toxicity in comparison to other structure investigated in our study. Although the efficiency of Cd0.4Zn0.6S, ZnS and CdS are comparable, Cd0.4Zn0.6S is preferable to use as buffer-layer for its non-toxic property. In addition, evaluation of performance as a function of buffer-layer thickness for Cd0.4Zn0.6S, ZnS and CdS showed that optimum buffer-layer thickness for Cd0.4Zn0.6S was in the range from 50 to 150nm while ZnS offered only 50 – 75 nm. Furthermore, the temperature dependence performance parameters evaluation revealed that it is better to operate solar cell at temperature 290K for stable operation with optimum performances. This study would provide valuable insights into design and optimization of nanotechnology-based solar energy technology for minimizing global energy crisis and developing eco-friendly energy sources sustainable and simultaneously.

Low concentration of sodium hyaluronate temporarily elevates the tear film lipid layer thickness in dry eye patients with lipid deficiency

AIM： To investigate the effects of different concentrations of artificial tears on lipid layer thickness （LLT） and blink rate （BR） in dry eye patients. METHODS： This study included 106 eyes of 58 patients with dry eye. The lipid deficiency type was defined as the LLT baseline 〈75 nm. The LLT and BR were measured at baseline and 1, 5 and 15min after the instillation of 0.1% or 0.3% sodium hyaluronate （SH） eye drops by using the LipiView ocular surface interferometer. RESULTS： In the lipid deficiency group, the LLT increased from baseline at 1rain post instillation. The LLT after the instillation of 0.1% SH was significantly higher than that after the instillation of 0.3% SH （P〈0.001）. The LLT returned to baseline at 15min post instillation of 0.1% SH and at 5min post instillation of 0.3% SH. In the non-lipid deficiency group, the LLT decreased from baseline at lmin and returned to baseline at 5rain for both treatments. The BRs were not significantly different at different time points for both treatments. CONCLUSION： SH eye drops induce a short-term increase in LLT of patients with lipid deficiency. A low concentration of artificial tears have a stronger effect than a high concentration of artificial tears on the increase in LLT. in comparison, SH eye drops induce a transient and slight decrease in LLT of patients without lipid deficiency. A low concentration of artificial tears might be better for patients with lipid deficiency.

Changes of tear film lipid layer thickness by 3% diquafosol ophthalmic solutions in patients with dry eye syndrome

AIM: To evaluate the quantitatively changes in lipid layer thickness(LLT) when 3% diquafosol eye drop is used for dry eye patients using the tear film interferometer. METHODS: A total 124 participants(32 males, 92 females;mean age, 28.9 y) diagnosed with dry eye disease(DED) received topical instillation of 4 ophthalmic solutions in one eye: diquafosol, normal saline, 0.1% sodium hyaluronate and 0.3% gatifloxacin, in a masked manner. LLT was measured using an interferometer at baseline and 20 min after the instillation of each ophthalmic solutions.RESULTS: Changes of LLT after instillation(nm, mean± standard error) were as follows: 12.6±2.0 for diquafosol(P<0.001), 1.2±2.2 for normal saline(P=0.301), 1.5±2.0 for hyaluronate(P=0.495), and 0.5±3.2 for gatifloxacin(P=0.884).CONCLUSION: Topical instillation of diquafosol increases tear film LLT in DED patients. Diquafosol 3% eye drop might be effective treatment option of evaporative DED with meibomian gland dysfunction.

Layered Foam/Film Polymer Nanocomposites with Highly Efficient EMI Shielding Properties and Ultralow Reflection

Lightweight,high-efficiency and low reflection electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding polymer composites are greatly desired for addressing the challenge of ever-increasing electromagnetic pollution.Lightweight layered foam/film PVDF nanocomposites with efficient EMI shielding effectiveness and ultralow reflection power were fabricated by physical foaming.The unique layered foam/film structure was composed of PVDF/SiCnw/MXene(Ti_(3)C_(2)Tx)composite foam as absorption layer and highly conductive PVDF/MWCNT/GnPs composite film as a reflection layer.The foam layer with numerous heterogeneous interfaces developed between the SiC nanowires(SiCnw)and 2D MXene nanosheets imparted superior EM wave attenuation capability.Furthermore,the microcellular structure effectively tuned the impedance matching and prolonged the wave propagating path by internal scattering and multiple reflections.Meanwhile,the highly conductive PVDF/MWCNT/GnPs composite(~220 S m^(−1))exhibited superior reflectivity(R)of 0.95.The tailored structure in the layered foam/film PVDF nanocomposite exhibited an EMI SE of 32.6 dB and a low reflection bandwidth of 4 GHz(R<0.1)over the Kuband(12.4-18.0 GHz)at a thickness of 1.95 mm.A peak SER of 3.1×10^(-4) dB was obtained which corresponds to only 0.0022% reflection efficiency.In consequence,this study introduces a feasible approach to develop lightweight,high-efficiency EMI shielding materials with ultralow reflection for emerging applications.

Effects of Homo-buffer Layer on Properties of Sputter-deposited ZnO Films

Two-step growth regimes were applied to realize a homoepitaxial growth of ZnO films on freestanding diamond substrates by radio-frequency （RF） reactive magnetron sputtering method. ZnO buffer layers were deposited on freestanding diamond substrates at a low sputtering power of 50 W, and then ZnO main layers were prepared on this buffer layer at a high sputtering power of 150 W. For comparison, a sample was also deposited directly on freestanding diamond substrate at a power of 150 W. The effects of ZnO buffer layers on the structural, optical, electrical and morphological properties of the ZnO main layer were studied by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, Raman spectroscopy, semiconductor characterization system and atomic force microscopy （AFM） respectively. The experimental results suggested that homo-buffer layer was helpful to improve the crystalline quality of ZnO/diamond heteroepitaxial films.

A general surface-treatment-free approach to fabrication of alignment layers using a super-aligned carbon nanotube film template

We develop a general approach to the fabrication of films with unidirectional grooves, such as silicon nitride, silicon dioxide and aluminium oxide, in which the surface is not required to be treated. Super-aligned carbon nanotube （SACNT） film may be used as a template and as sacrificial layer, which is subsequently removed by heating in an atmosphere of air. The unidirectional morphology of the SACNT film turns into a desired film, which is found to possess the ability to align liquid crystal molecules. This approach also features high efficiency, low cost and easy scaling-up for mass production.

Tandem organic light-emitting diode with a molybdenum tri-oxide thin film interconnector layer

A 10-nm-thick molybdenum tri-oxide（MoO3） thin film was used as the interconnector layer in tandem organic lightemitting devices（OLEDs）.The tandem OLEDs with two identical emissive units consisting of N,N-bis（naphthalen-1-yl）N,N-bis（phenyl）-benzidine（NPB） /tris（8-hydroxyquinoline） aluminum（Alq3） exhibited current efficiency-current density characteristics superior to the conventional single-unit devices.At 20 mA/cm2,the current efficiency of the tandem OLEDs using the interconnector layers of MoO3 thin film was about 4.0 cd/A,which is about twice that of the corresponding conventional single-unit device（1.8cd/A）.The tandem OLED showed a higher power efficiency than the conventional single-unit device for luminance over 1200cd/m2.The experimental results demonstrated that a MoO3 thin film with a proper thickness can be used as an effective interconnector layer in tandem OLEDs.Such an interconnector layer can be easily fabricated by simple thermal evaporation,greatly simplifying the device processing and fabrication processes required by previously reported interconnector layers.A possible explanation was proposed for the carrier generation of the MoO3 interconnector layer.

Magnetic properties and structure of Ni_80Fe_20/Ni_48Fe_12Cr_40 bilayer films deposited on SiO_2/Si(100) by electron beam evaporation

Ni80Fe20/Ni48Fe12Cr40 bilayer films and Ni80Fe20 monolayer films were deposited at room temperature on SiO2/Si（100） substrates by electron beam evaporation. The influence of the thickness of the Ni48Fe12Cr40 underlayer on the structure, magnetization, and magnetoresistance of the Ni80Fe20/Ni48Fe12Cr40 bilayer film was investigated. The thickness of the Ni48Fe12Cr40 layer varied from about 1 nm to 18 nm while the Ni80Fe20 layer thickness was fixed at 45 nm. For the as-deposited bilayer films the introducing of the Ni48Fe12Cr40 underlayer promotes both the （111） texture and grain growth in the Ni80Fe20 layer. The Ni48Fe12Cr40 underlayer has no significant influence on the magnetic moment of the Ni80Fe20/Ni48Fe12Cr40 bilayer film. However, the coercivity of the bilayer film changes with the thickness of the Ni48Fe12Cr40 undedayer. The optimum thickness of the Ni48Fe12Cr40 underlayer for improving the anisotropic magnetoresistance effect of the Ni80Fe20/Ni48Fe12Cr40 bilayer film is about 5 nm. With a decrease in temperature from 300 K to 81 K, the anisotropic magnetoresistance ratio of the Ni80Fe20 （45 nm）/Ni48Fe12Cr40 （5 nm） bilayer film increases linearly from 2.1% to 4.8% compared with that of the Ni80Fe20 monolayer film from 1.7% to 4.0%.

The study of amorphous incubation layers during the growth of microcrystalline silicon films under different deposition conditions

The structural un-uniformity of microcrystalline silicon, thin film, amorphous incubation layerc-Si：H films prepared using very high frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition method has been investigated by Raman spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometer and atomic force mi- croscopy. It was found that the formation of amorphous incubation layer was caused by the back diffusion of SiH4 and the amorphous induction of glass surface during the initial ignition process, and growth of the incubation layer can be suppressed and uniform μc-Si：H phase is generated by the application of delayed initial SiH4 density and silane profiling methods.

Preparation and characterization of Cd_(1-x)Zn_xS buffer layers for thin film solar cells

Cd1_xZnxS （x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 1.0） thin films have been grown successfully on soda-lime glass substrates by chemical bath deposition technique as a very promising buffer layer material for optoelectronic device applications. The composition, structural properties, surface morphol- ogy, and optical properties of Cd~_xZnxS thin films were characterized by energy dispersive analysis of X-ray tech- nique （EDAX）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and UV-Vis spectrophotometer tech- niques, respectively. The annealed films were observed to possess the deficient sulfur composition. The results of XRD show that the Cdl_xZnxS （x = 0. l） thin film annealed at 450 ~C forms hexagonal （wurtzite） structure with lattice parameters a = 0.408814 nm, c ： 0.666059 nm, and its average grain size is 24.9902 nm. The diffraction peaks become strong with the increasing annealing temperatures. The surface of Cdl_~ZnxS （x = 0.1） thin film annealed at 450 ~C is uninterrupted and homogenous as compared to other temperatures. From optical properties, it is observed that the presence of small amount of Zn results in marked changes in the optical band gap of CdS. The band gaps of the Cdl_xZnxS thin films vary from 2.42 to 3.51 eV as composition varies from x = 0.0 to 1.0.

Inverted organic solar cells with solvothermal synthesized vanadium-doped TiO2 thin films as efficient electron transport layer

We investigated the effects of using different thicknesses of pure and vanadium-doped thin films of TiO2 as the electron transport layer in the inverted configuration of organic photovoltaic cells based on poly（3-hexylthiophene） P3HT：[6-6] phenyl-（6） butyric acid methyl ester（PCBM）. 1% vanadium-doped TiO2nanoparticles were synthesized via the solvothermal method. Crystalline structure, morphology, and optical properties of pure and vanadium-doped TiO2 thin films were studied by different techniques such as x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmittance electron microscopy, and UV–visible transmission spectrum. The doctor blade method which is compatible with roll-2-roll printing was used for deposition of pure and vanadium-doped TiO2 thin films with thicknesses of 30 nm and 60 nm. The final results revealed that the best thickness of TiO2 thin films for our fabricated cells was 30 nm. The cell with vanadium-doped TiO2 thin film showed slightly higher power conversion efficiency and great Jsc of 10.7 mA/cm^2 compared with its pure counterpart. In the cells using 60 nm pure and vanadium-doped TiO2 layers, the cell using the doped layer showed much higher efficiency. It is remarkable that the external quantum efficiency of vanadium-doped TiO2 thin film was better in all wavelengths.

Effects of active layer thickness on performance and stability of dual-active-layer amorphous InGaZnO thin-film transistors

Dual-active-layer(DAL)amorphous InGaZnO(IGZO)thin-film transistors(TFTs)are fabricated at low temperature without post-annealing.A bottom low-resistance(low-R)IGZO layer and a top high-resistance(high-R)IGZO layer constitute the DAL homojunction with smooth and high-quality interface by in situ modulation of oxygen composition.The performance of the DAL TFT is significantly improved when compared to that of a single-active-layer TFT.A detailed investigation was carried out regarding the effects of the thickness of both layers on the electrical properties and gate bias stress stabilities.It is found that the low-R layer improves the mobility,ON/OFF ratio,threshold voltage and hysteresis voltage by passivating the defects and providing a smooth interface.The high-R IGZO layer has a great impact on the hysteresis,which changes from clockwise to counterclockwise.The best TFT shows a mobility of 5.41 cm^2/V·s,a subthreshold swing of 95.0 mV/dec,an ON/OFF ratio of 6.70×10^7,a threshold voltage of 0.24 V,and a hysteresis voltage of 0.13 V.The value of threshold voltage shifts under positive gate bias stress decreases when increasing the thickness of both layers.

XTEM STUDY ON ION PLATED STAINLESS STEEL MULTI-LAYER FILMS

In this paper, the cross sectional microstructure and crystal structure of ion plated multi layer films of stainless steel (1Cr18Ni9Ti ) were studied by cross sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM). The results show that ion plated stainless steel multi layer films are fine grained double phase steel films of austenites and ferrites.Cross section film growing microstructures can be divided into three zones: fine equiaxed crystals, fine columnar crystals and coarse columnar crystals. Interfaces in multi layer films can promote fine grained growing and interrupt columnar grained growing,and improve properties of film materials.

GIANT MAGNETO-IMPEDANCE OF PATTERNED FeSiB/Cu/FeSiB TRI-LAYER FILMS

Sensitive magnetic field sensor with good performances can be fabricated utilizing the giant magneto-impedance (GMI) effect of soft magnetic multi-layer thin films. The transverse and longitudinal GMI effect in patterned FeSiB/Cu/FeSiB tri-layer films with the change of external magnetic field and frequency were studied at the same time. The change of the impedance of the films with the external magnetic fieldand frequency was shown. Comparing the longitudinal and transverse effect, the transverse effect has a larger linear range from zero magnetic field to a quite large magnetic field at all frequencies, and the change still were not saturated until the external magnetic field reached 1.2×104A/m, which illustrated that the films can be utilized to detect larger magnetic fields than now presented GMI sensors.

Effects of spacer layers on magnetic properties and exchange couplings of Nd-Fe-B/Nd-Ce-Fe-B multilayer films

The influences of the spacer-layer Ta on the structures and magnetic properties of NdFeB/NdCeFeB multilayer films are investigated via DC sputtering under an Ar pressure of 1.2 Pa. An obvious （00l） texture of the hard phase is observed in each of the films, which indicates that the main phase of the film does not significantly change with Ta spacer-layer thickness. As a result, both the remanence and the saturation magnetization of the magnet first increase and then decrease, and the maximum values of 4π Mr and Hcj are 10.4 kGs （1 Gs=10^-4 T） and 15.0 kOe （1 Oe=79.5775 A·m^-1） for the film with a 2-nm-thick Ta spacer-layer, respectively, where the crystalline structures are columnar shape particles. The measured relationship between irreversible portion D （H）=-△ Mirr/2Mr and H indicates that the nucleation field of the film decreases with spacer layer thickness increasing, owing to slightly disordered grains near the interface between different magnetic layers.

LOCAL BENDING OF THIN FILM ON VISCOUS LAYER

Effects of deposition layer position film are systematically investigated. Because the and number/density on local bending of a thin deposition layer interacts with the thin film at the interface and there is an offset between the thin film neutral surface and the interface, the deposition layer generates not only axial stress but also bending moment. The bending moment induces an instant out-of-plane deflection of the thin film, which may or may not cause the socalled local bending. The deposition layer is modeled as a local stressor, whose location and density are demonstrated to be vital to the occurrence of local bending. The thin film rests on a viscous layer, which is governed by the Navier-Stokes equation and behaves like an elastic foundation to exert transverse forces on the thin film. The unknown feature of the axial constraint force makes the governing equation highly nonlinear even for the small deflection chse. The constraint force and film transverse deflection are solved iteratively through the governing equation and the displacement constraint equation of immovable edges. This research shows that in some special cases, the deposition density increase does not necessarily reduce the local bending. By comparing the thin film deflections of different deposition numbers and positions, we also present the guideline of strengthening or suppressing the local bending.

Deposition of Cu seed layer film by supercritical fluid deposition for advanced interconnects

The deposition of a Cu seed layer film is investigated by supercritical fluid deposition （SCFD） using H2 as a reducing agent for Bis（2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5- heptanedionato） copper in supercritical CO2 （scCO2）. The effects of deposition temperature, precursor, and H2 concentration are investigated to optimize Cu deposition. Continuous metallic Cu films are deposited on Ru substrates at 190 ℃ when a 0.002 mol/L Cu precursor is introduced with 0.75 mol/L H2. A Cu precursor concentration higher than 0.002 mol/L is found to have negative effects on the surface qualities of Cu films. For a H2 concentration above 0.56 mol/L, the root-mean-square （RMS） roughness of a Cu film decreases as the H2 concentration increases. Finally, a 20-nm thick Cu film with a smooth surface, which is required as a seed layer in advanced interconnects, is successfully deposited at a high H2 concentration （0.75 tool/L）.

Preparation of MgO Films as Buffer Layers by Laser-ablation at Various Substrate Temperatures

MgO thin films were deposited on Si（100） substrates by laser ablation under various substrate temperatures （Tsub）,expecting to provide a candidate buffer layer for the textured growth of functional perovskite oxide films on Si substrates.The effect of Tsub on the preferred orientation,crystallinity and surface morphology of the films was investigated.MgO films in single-phase were obtained at 473-973 K.With increasing Tsub,the preferred orientation of the films changed from （200） to （111）.The crystallinity and surface morphology was different too,depending on Tsub.At Tsub=673 K,the MgO film became uniform and smooth,exhibiting high crystallinity and a dense texture.

Hydrogen storage properties of preferentially orientated Mg-Ni multilayer film prepared by magnetron sputtering

Mg-Ni multi-layer thin film was deposited on (001) Si wafer by magnetron sputtering with dual-target. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis reveal that the microstructure of the Mg-Ni multilayer thin film is composed of fine-crystalline Ni layer and crystalline [001] Mg layer. Hydrogenation process of the films were carried out by using the automatic gas reaction controller. The films undergone hydrogenation for different time were analyzed by XRD. The results show that hydrogenation properties of Mg with different preferential orientations are different. (002) diffraction peak of Mg disappears in compensating the appearing of the peaks of Mg2NiH4 and MgH2 in hydrogenation at 533 K, while the (101) peak still remains. The result reveals that the Mg film with (001) preferential orientation absorbs hydrogen at certain temperature easier than that of the Mg film with (101) orientation. This phenomenon can be explained in the view point of the energy change for the nucleation and growth of hydride in different crystal plane.

CEMS AND COUPLING EFFECT OF INTERLAYERS IN MULTILAYERED FeSi/Si AMORPHOUS FILMS

Multilayered FeSi/Si amorphous films with fixed FeSi layer thickness and different Si layer thicknesses have been studied by conversion electron Mossbauer spectroscopy at room temperature. The results showed that with decreasing the Si layer thickness, the hyperfine field of samples increased and the thickness of interface dead layers arisen from the atomic interdiffusion effect decreased. These are due to the coupling effect between the magnetic layers. When the Si layers are thinner than 0.88 nm, the direction of the magnetization is out of the film plane.