Statistics of Grain Boundaries in Polysilicon

A nanometer-scale variation of grain boundary locations in gate polysilicon is investigated in detail based on the assumption that the arrangement of grain boundaries obeys Poisson distribution. The statistics of grain boundaries described here reveals a relation between nanoscopic location and the arrangement of grain boundaries, which implies fluctuation in transistor characteristics of 45-nm and beyond MOSFETs     

The Trapped Charges at Grain Boundaries in Perovskite Solar Cells

The performance of perovskite solar cells is greatly affected by the crystallization of the perovskite active layer. Perovskite crystal grains should neatly arrange and penetrate the entire active layer for an ideal perovskite crystallization. These kinds of crystallized perovskite films exhibit fewer defects and longer carrier lifetime, which is beneficial to enhance the performance of perovskite solar cells. Here, by testing the residual charge of perovskite solar cells with different crystallization conditions, it is demonstrated that the residual charge exists widely at the grain boundary, which is parallel to the device, and the residual charge is related to the performance of the perovskite solar cells. Single crystal grains neatly arranged and penetrate the entire active layer can generate less residual charge and improve device performance of the perovskite solar cells. The results also show that the long decay time of open-circuit voltage comes from the detrapping of trapped carriers. The residual charge testing technology provides a new idea for the investigation of carrier trap and detrap characteristics in photovoltaic devices.     

Ionic Additive Engineering Toward High‐Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells with Reduced Grain Boundaries and Trap Density

Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells have emerged as one of the promising photovoltaic candidates to generate renewable energy. However, the large amounts of grain boundaries and trap states that exist in the bulk or interfacial regions of perovskite films limit further enhancement of device efficiency. Herein, an additive engineering strategy is introduced employing trimethylammonium chloride in the methylammonium iodide precursor solution to prepare methylammonium lead iodide perovskite films with reduced grain boundaries and trap densities. This leads to an increased charge carrier diffusion coefficient and diffusion length, as evaluated by impedance and voltage decay measurements, intensity‐modulated photovoltage, and photocurrent spectroscopies. The proportion of nonradiative recombination processes is significantly reduced, consequently increasing device efficiency from 19.1% to 20.9% in these perovskite solar cells.     

纳米Ag-Cu粉在多晶硅太阳能电池银浆中的应用

采用稻米中淀粉作为稳定剂,氢氧化钠作为还原剂的方法制备了银铜纳米颗粒。利用扫描电子显微镜在高倍数下观察Ag-Cu纳米颗粒表面形貌;通过透射电镜定性分析了银铜纳米颗粒的空间结构;通过X线光电子能谱分析得到粉末中元素成分及其相对含量;通过热重分析定量地确定了太阳能电池的烧结工艺;通过太阳能模拟器分别对正电极浆料中加入纳米Ag-Cu颗粒(质量分数为10%)前、后的多晶硅电池片进行光电性能测量。结果显示,在银浆中加入了质量分数为10%的纳米Ag-Cu后,电池片的各参数都有提高,其光电转化效率提高了5.65%。实验表明,利用Cu纳米颗粒取代部分Ag纳米颗粒,可提高电池的光电转化效率。     

Understanding the Beneficial Role of Grain Boundaries in Polycrystalline Solar Cells from Single‐Grain‐Boundary Scanning Probe Microscopy

The superior performance of certain polycrystalline (PX) solar cells compared to that of corresponding single‐crystal ones has been an enigma until recently. Conventional knowledge predicted that grain boundaries serve as traps and recombination centers for the photogenerated carriers, which should decrease cell performance. To understand if cell performance is limited by grain bulk, grain surface, and/or grain boundaries (GBs), we performed high‐resolution mapping of electronic properties of single GBs and grain surfaces in PX p‐CdTe/n‐CdS solar cells. Combining results from scanning electron and scanning probe microscopies, viz., capacitance, Kelvin probe, and conductive probe atomic force microscopies, and comparing images taken under varying conditions, allowed elimination of topography‐related artifacts and verification of the measured properties. Our experimental results led to several interesting conclusions: 1) current is depleted near GBs, while photocurrents are enhanced along the GB cores; 2) GB cores are inverted, which explains GB core conduction. Conclusions (1) and (2) imply that the regions around the GBs function as an extension of the carrier‐collection volume, i.e., they participate actively in the photovoltaic conversion process, while conclusion (2) implies minimal recombination at the GB cores; 3) the surface potential is diminished near the GBs; and 4) the photovoltaic and metallurgical junction in the n‐CdS/p‐CdTe devices coincide. These conclusions, taken together with gettering of defects and impurities from the bulk into the GBs, explain the good photovoltaic performance of these PX cells (at the expense of some voltage loss, as is indeed observed). We show that these CdTe GB features are induced by the CdCl₂ heat treatment used to optimize these cells in the production process.     

Humidity‐Induced Degradation via Grain Boundaries of HC(NH2)2PbI3 Planar Perovskite Solar Cells

The sensitivity of organic–inorganic perovskites to environmental factors remains a major barrier for these materials to become commercially viable for photovoltaic applications. In this work, the degradation of formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI₃) perovskite in a moist environment is systematically investigated. It is shown that the level of relative humidity (RH) is important for the onset of degradation processes. Below 30% RH, the black phase of the FAPbI₃ perovskite shows excellent phase stability over 90 d. Once the RH reaches 50%, degradation of the FAPbI₃ perovskite occurs rapidly. Results from a Kelvin probe force microscopy study reveal that the formation of nonperovskite phases initiates at the grain boundaries and the phase transition proceeds toward the grain interiors. Also, ion migration along the grain boundaries is greatly enhanced upon degradation. A post‐thermal treatment (PTT) that removes chemical residues at the grain boundaries which effectively slows the degradation process is developed. Finally, it is demonstrated that the PTT process improves the performance and stability of the final device.     

Impact of Metal Contamination in Silicon Solar Cells

The impact of the transition metals iron, chromium, nickel, titanium and copper on solar‐cell performance is investigated. Each impurity is intentionally added to the silicon feedstock used to grow p‐type, directionally solidified, multicrystalline silicon ingots. A state‐of‐the‐art screen‐print solar‐cell process is applied to this material. Impurities like iron, chromium and titanium cause a reduction in the diffusion length. Nickel does not reduce the diffusion length significantly, but strongly affects the emitter recombination, reducing the solar‐cell performance significantly. Copper has the peculiarity of impacting both base‐bulk recombination as well as emitter recombination. Two models based on the Scheil distribution of impurities are derived to fit the degradation along the ingot. Solar‐cell performances are modelled as a function of base‐bulk recombination and emitter‐bulk recombination. The model fits the experimental data very well and is also successfully validated. Unexpectedly, the distribution of impurities along the ingot, due to segregation phenomena (Scheil distribution), leaves its finger‐print even at the end of the solar‐cell process. A measure of impurity impact is defined as the level of impurity that causes a degradation in cell performance of less than 2% up to 90% of the ingot height. The advantage of this impurity‐impact metric is that it comprises the different impurities’ physical characters in one single parameter, which is easy to compare.     

Unraveling the Sinuous Grain Boundaries in Graphene

Grain boundaries (GBs) in graphene are stable strings of pentagon‐heptagon dislocations. The GBs have been believed to favor an alignment of dislocations, but increasing number of experiments reveal diversely sinuous GB structures whose origins have long been elusive. Based on dislocation theory and first‐principles calculations, an extensive analysis of the graphene GBs is conducted and it is revealed that the sinuous GB structures, albeit being longer than the straight forms, can be energetically optimal once the global GB line cannot bisect the tilt angle. The unusually favorable sinuous GBs can actually decompose into a series of well‐defined bisector segments that effectively relieve the in‐plane stress of edge dislocations, and the established atomic structures closely resemble recent experimental images of typical GBs. In contrast to previously used models, the sinuous GBs show improved mechanical properties and are distinguished by a sizable electronic transport gap, which may open potential applications of polycrystalline graphene in functional devices.     

光照强度对太阳能电池性能影响实验研究

文章利用太阳能电池基本特性实验仪,研究光照强度对太阳能电池输出特性影响,实验结果表明：太阳能电池的开路电压和短路电流随光照强度变大而增大,光照强度变小,最大输出功率变小,而最佳负载电阻变大。     

多晶硅薄膜晶体管中的晶粒间界电荷分享效应

通过对晶粒间界两侧耗尽区建立准二维模型,研究晶粒间界电荷分享效应对多晶硅薄膜晶体管阈值电压的影响.研究表明,考虑了晶粒间界电荷分享效应的阈值电压将变小,其中晶粒尺寸对阈值电压的影响最大.在此基础上,建立了多晶硅薄膜晶体管的阈值电压解析模型.     

Impact of a Short-Pulse High-Intense Proton Irradiation on High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells

This work investigates the radiation resistance of high-performance multi-component perovskite solar cells (PSCs) for the first time under extreme short-pulse proton irradiation conditions. The devices are subjected to high-intensity 170 keV pulsed (150 ns) proton irradiation, with a fluence of up to 10¹³ p cm^−2, corresponding to ≈30 years of operation at low Earth orbit. A complex material characterization of the perovskite active layer and device physics analysis of the PSCs before and after short-pulse proton irradiation is conducted. The obtained results indicate that the photovoltaic performance of the solar cells experiences a slight deterioration up to 20 % and 50 % following the low 2 × 10¹² p cm⁻² and high 1 × 10¹³ p cm⁻² proton fluences, respectively, due to increased non-radiative recombination losses. The findings reveal that multi-component PSCs are immune even to extreme high-intense short-pulse proton irradiation, which exceeds harsh space conditions, including intense coronal ejection events usually associated with solar flares.     

Interconnection between Trait,Structure, and Composition of Grain Boundaries in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Thin‐Film Solar Cells

Grain boundaries (GBs) are crucial for solar cells incorporating polycrystalline absorbers and particularly for those characterized by small grain sizes (≈2 µm). For example, random GBs in Si solar cells are found to have a detrimental effect on the cell performance being characterized by an increased recombination activity relative to grains. Yet, their role in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) solar cells still remains controversial. The recent electron‐beam‐induced current (EBIC) study shows that 58% of the GBs in CIGS exhibit enhanced electrical properties considered to be benign (for the device performance). Yet, they coexist with 16% detrimental GBs (reduced electrical properties) and 27% neutral ones (no change in electrical property when compared with the bulk). In the present study, these different GBs are investigated by combining EBIC with electron backscattered diffraction and atom probe tomography techniques on identical GBs. For the first time, a successful correlation is shown (for any device) that interconnects the GB characteristics to its composition. Sufficient statistics demonstrate that the collective fluctuations of all elements at GBs determine its trait. In general, benign (detrimental) GBs are characterized by Cu depletion (enrichment) that favored the formation of donor (acceptor) defects.     

Alq3作为激子阻挡层对有机太阳能电池的影响

选用CuPc(酞菁酮)为供电子的材料,Alq3(8-羟基喹啉铝)为激子阻挡层,研究了结构为ITO/CuPc(20 nm)/C60(40 nm)/Alq3(x)/Ag(100 nm)的有机太阳能电池(OPV),考察了OPV性能同阻挡层Alq3厚度之间的关系.通过分析发现,OPV效率同有机功能层厚度密切相关,在标准太阳光照条件下,结构为ITO/CuPc(20 nm)/C60(40 nm)/Alq3(x)/Ag(100 nm)的器件效率随着Alq3厚度的增加先增大后变小,当厚度为0 nm时,效率为0.285%;当厚度为2.5 nm时,效率为1.13%;而当厚度为5 nm时,效率为0.569%;当厚度为10 nm时,效率则为0%.     

Impact of Blend Morphology on Interface State Recombination in Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells

This work is a reinvestigation of the impact of blend morphology and thermal annealing on the electrical performance of regioregular‐P3HT:PC₆₀BM bulk heterojunction organic solar cells. The morphological, structural, and electrical properties of the blend are experimentally investigated with atomic force microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and time‐of‐flight measurements. Current–voltage characteristics of photodiode devices are measured in the dark and under illumination. Finally, the existence of exponential electronic band tails due to gap states is experimentally confirmed by measuring the device spectral response in the subband gap regime. This method reveals the existence of a large density of gap states, which is partially and systematically reduced by thermal annealing. When the band tails are properly accounted for in the drift and diffusion simulations, experimentally measured charge transport characteristics, under both dark and illuminated conditions and as a function of annealing time, can be satisfactorily reproduced. This work further confirms the critical impact of tails states on the performance of solar cells.     

太阳能级多晶硅中痕量金属杂质含量的ICP-MS测定

研究了电感耦合等离子体质谱法(ICP-MS),测定太阳能级电池用硅材料中Al,Fe,Ca,Mg,Cu,Zn,Cr,Ni和Mn等痕量元素的分析方法。考察测量过程中的质谱干扰及基体元素产生的基体效应,讨论了可能的消除方法,考察了内标元素Sc,Y,Rh等对基体抑制效应的补偿。采用Sc和Rh做内标元素补偿基体效应和灵敏度漂移,在测定中取得良好的效果。样品的加标回收率为90.0%～107.1%,相对标准偏差(RSD)0.9～3.4%,检出限为0.030～0.500 μg/L。     

Conjugated Polymer–Assisted Grain Boundary Passivation for Efficient Inverted Planar Perovskite Solar Cells

Grain boundaries in lead halide perovskite films lead to increased recombination losses and decreased device stability under illumination due to defect‐mediated ion migration. The effect of a conjugated polymer additive, poly(bithiophene imide) (PBTI), is investigated in the antisolvent treatment step in the perovskite film deposition by comprehensive characterization of perovskite film properties and the performance of inverted planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs). PBTI is found to be incorporated within grain boundaries, which results in an improvement in perovskite film crystallinity and reduced defects. The successful defect passivation by PBTI yields reduces recombination losses and consequently increases power conversion efficiency (PCE). In addition, it gives rise to improved photoluminescence stability and improved PSC stability under illumination which can be attributed to reduced ion migration. The optimal devices exhibit a PCE of 20.67% compared to 18.89% of control devices without PBTI, while they retain over 70% of the initial efficiency after 600 h under 1 sun illumination compared to 56% for the control devices.     

Oxygen Surface Exchange at Grain Boundaries of Oxide Ion Conductors

The role of grain boundaries on oxygen surface exchange in an oxide ion conductor is reported. Atomic‐scale characterization of the microstructure and chemical composition near the grain boundaries of gadolinia‐doped ceria (GDC) thin films show the segregation of dopants and oxygen vacancies along the grain boundaries using the energy dispersive spectroscopy in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM‐EDS). Kelvin probe microscopy is employed to verify the charge distribution near grain boundaries and shows that the grain boundary is positively charged, indicating a high concentration of oxygen vacancies. AC impedance spectroscopy on polycrystalline GDC membranes with thin interfacial layers with different grain boundary densities at the cathodes demonstrated that the cells with higher grain boundary density result in lower electrode impedance and higher exchange current density. These experimental evidences clearly show that grain boundaries on the surface provide preferential reaction sites for facilitated oxygen incorporation into the GDC electrolyte.     

工作温度对硅基太阳电池转换效率的影响

基于wxAMPS软件建立硅基太阳电池一维物理模型,在温控条件下分别模拟计算了单晶硅电池和非晶硅电池的输出特性,并利用太阳能综合测试平台在温控条件下测试了单晶硅和非晶硅电池的输出特性.模拟结果表明非晶硅电池在温度升高过程中的光电转换效率下降幅度显著降低,与实验结果吻合.