Efficiency improvement of CIGS solar cells using RF sputtered TCO/Ag/TCO thin-film as prospective buffer layer

In this paper, TCO (Transparent Conductive Oxide) incorporating ultrathin Ag intermediate film is proposed as a new buffer layer to enhance the efficiency of CIGS thin-film solar cells (TFSCs). In this regard, versatile multilayer thin-films based on ZnO/Ag/ZnO and ITO/Ag/ITO structures were deposited on glass using RF magnetron sputtering technique to determine the optoelectronic parameters of the multilayer structures. The elaborated samples were then characterized using SEM, EDS, XRD, and UV–Visible absorption spectroscopy techniques to investigate the structure morphological, optical, and electronic properties. The deposited multilayer thin-films showed amorphous-like structure and exhibited a broadband absorbance over the visible and even NIR spectrum ranges, indicating its potential application as alternative buffer layers for thin-film solar cells. In this context, TCO/Ag/TCO/CIGS solar cells have been numerically investigated using the deposited multilayer optoelectronic properties. It was revealed that the estimated efficiency of the ZnO/Ag/ZnO/CIGS-based solar cell could reach 18.5% with an open circuit voltage of 0.7 V and a short-circuit current density of 34.8 mA/cm². The performances exhibited by the investigated solar cell demonstrated that ZnO/Ag/ZnO multilayer can be used as an alternative to the conventional CdS buffer layer for developing high-performance non-toxic CIGS solar cells.     

Modeling and design of 3-D MPPT for ultra low power RF energy harvesters

Radio-Frequency (RF) energy harvesting must cope with the limited availability and high variability of the energy source. In this paper, the modeling of an RF harvester for ultra low power environments is presented. A mathematical model based on theoretical analysis is developed. The model demonstrates that the maximum transferred power point is located in a three-dimensional space defined by the input capacitance, the output voltage, and the load resistance of the rectifier circuit. Moreover, the mathematical model returns results in substantial agreement with the SPICE simulation results, while guaranteeing a remarkable reduction of the required computation time. Furthermore, the paper reports the implementation of a mixed signal system for the 3-D MPPT, to be embedded in an RF harvester, in a 65 nm CMOS technology. The circuit exhibits a simulated power consumption lower than 100 nW, making this solution suitable for ultra low power harvesting.     

ZnO thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering: Effects of the annealing and atmosphere conditions on the photocatalytic hydrogen production

This work studied the effect of different annealing conditions of ZnO thin films grown by RF magnetron sputtering and their application as photocatalysts for hydrogen production without any sacrificial agent or co-catalyst. ZnO films were annealed in air, nitrogen, and argon atmospheres to study the effect of their physical properties in the photocatalytic activity. ZnO films showed high crystallinity and optical transparence of around 75–90% after annealing. Changes in composition and optical properties of the ZnO films were studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ellipsometry spectroscopy (SE), and results were correlated with the photocatalytic performance in hydrogen production. The highest photocatalytic hydrogen production was obtained with the ZnO thin film annealed in an air atmosphere with a result of 76 μmol.     

Compiler compatible 5.66 Mb/mm2 8T 1R1W register file in 14 nm FinFET technology

1-read/1-write (1R1W) register file (RF) is a popular memory configuration in modern feature rich SoCs requiring significant amount of embedded memory. A memory compiler is constructed using the 8T RF bitcell spanning a range of instances from 32 b to 72 Kb. An 8T low-leakage bitcell of 0.106 μm² is used in a 14 nm FinFET technology with a 70 nm contacted gate pitch for high-density (HD) two-port (TP) RF memory compiler which achieves 5.66 Mb/mm² array density for a 72 Kb array which is the highest reported density in 14 nm FinFET technology. The density improvement is achieved by using techniques such as leaf-cell optimization (eliminating transistors), better architectural planning, top level connectivity through leaf-cell abutment and minimizing the number of unique leaf-cells. These techniques are fully compatible with memory compiler usage over the required span. Leakage power is minimized by using power-switches without degrading the density mentioned above. Self-induced supply voltage collapse technique is applied for write and a four stack static keeper is used for read Vmin improvement. Fabricated test chips using 14 nm process have demonstrated 2.33 GHz performance at 1.1 V/25 °C operation. Overall V_min of 550 mV is achieved with this design at 25 °C. The inbuilt power-switch improves leakage power by 12x in simulation. Approximately 8% die area of a leading 14 nm SoC in commercialization is occupied by these compiled RF instances.     

Influence of the target power on the microstructure and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO thin films deposited at room temperature

The columnar structure and its formation process have a significant effect on the electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin film in-situ deposited at room temperature by magnetron sputtering method. The influences of RF power on the formation of the columnar structure and its regular pattern were systematically investigated. The RF power varied from 120 W to 240 W. The best quality AZO sample with the sheet resistance of 6.07 Ω/sq and average transmittance of 83.2% was obtained at 210 W (for 30 min). The analysis of crosses section images indicated that the columnar structure appeared earlier at higher RF power. The thickness at which the columnar structure began to appear didn't fluctuate at a fixed value. Furthermore, high RF power relatively contributed to reduce the thickness. The Drude's model was used for examining the correlation between optical and electrical behaviors, and the theoretical results of electrical properties were well matched with the experimental data. According to the XRD results and XPS analysis, the appearance of Al₂O₃ may exert a significant influence on the deterioration in electrical properties of the sample deposited at 240 W.     

一种轻小型四极杆质谱仪射频电源的研制

四极杆结构是四极杆质谱仪的核心结构，由射频电源分别施加两组高压高频信号进行驱动，利用电场的变化和输入离子的质荷比差异对离子进行筛选。针对四极杆质谱仪小型化的研制需求，以信号调制模块、放大模块、反馈电路和直流模块为基本构型，设计了一种应用于轻小型四极杆质谱仪的射频驱动电源。经实际测试，该电源可以在谐振频率1.33 MHz、扫描频率10 Hz的输入条件下，输出峰 峰值电压最高可达3.33 kV的调幅射频高压信号并驱动四极杆结构，扫描切换时间不高于1 ms。射频电源输出信号稳定、波动小、交直比的波动为0.1%。该射频电源相较于常规的四极杆射频电源具有更高的扫描范围，体积小巧，功耗仅30 W，接口简单，有较高的实用价值。     

无人机天线在雷电效应中的响应研究及性能检测

机载天线安装在无人机表面,容易成为雷电附着点,对无人机的飞行安全会产生严重威胁。 为开展相关设计,并验证设 计的有效性,针对 UHF 机载天线为研究对象,设计了片段式导流条和端口射频雷电抑制器的防护方案。 先后进行了初始先导 附着试验、外部部件瞬态感应试验、电性能测试和系统评估计算。 试验结果表明,天线损伤程度降低,片段式导流条对天线的电 性能影响不超过 0. 3 dB,射频雷电抑制器不影响驻波比、增益。 最终链路余量满足大于 3 dB 的要求,证明了设计的有效性。     

Study of the performance of dry methane reforming in a microchannel reactor using sputtered Ni/Al2O3 coating on stainless steel

In this study, a microchannel reactor was designed, its catalytic performance in dry methane reforming (DRM) was assessed, and the results were compared with those observed in a conventional fixed bed reactor. The catalyst was prepared in two forms, including catalyst pellets and catalyst-coated plate. The microchannel reactor had thin films of Ni/Al₂O₃ coated on stainless steel substrate via radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering method in various sputtering times. The fall-off rate of the catalyst-coated plates can be neglected after putting the plates under the high-temperature DRM reaction, due to the formation of firm active catalyst coatings. The performance of the samples was evaluated at different temperatures from 700 to 800 °C, at P = 1 atm, with a CH₄:CO₂ ratio of 1. The results of XRD showed that with increasing the sputtering time, there was an increase in crystallinity. As observed in FESEM images, the sample prepared with 5 min of sputtering was dense and uniform. The results of EDX not only proved the dispersion of the samples observed in XRD and FESEM analysis, but also verified the presence of the utilized elements. The temperature of 800 °C and the sample with 5 min sputtering time were selected as the optimum condition that provided the best performance. Catalytic performance was investigated in fixed bed reactor at the same GHSV; based on the results there were no significant conversions in the fixed bed reactor. The results of the stability test in the microchannel reactor showed a good performance during 30 h on stream. Therefore, Ni/Al₂O₃ thin films had a satisfactory performance in the designed microchannel. Our study shows that this type of reactor has many advantages in terms of performance, compactness, and economic concerns.