Shingled solar cells based on electrically conductive adhesive (ECA) interconnection have emerged as a commercially viable option for photovoltaic (PV) modules with attractive attributes including no soldering process (lead-free), tight packing with no gap between cells, and resulting efficiency gains. Reliability of such modules is, however, less certain due to the lack of long-term outdoor performance data. Here we report numerical simulation of thermo-mechanical stress in shingled solar cells using finite element modelling, and identify stress concentration in silicon in the interconnect region not anticipated from simpler analytical models. We also present design and fabrication of samples using ECA interconnection with geometry and characteristics that closely match production modules for realistic fatigue testing under cyclic loading. The setup is combined with real-time electrical measurements that permit monitoring of fatigue-induced changes in the electrical resistance of ECA joint. Detailed measurements are presented using samples with different types ECA and varying patterns of the glue-line aimed at evaluating reduced material usage for cost-reduction. This study demonstrates that the sample structure and experimental setup presented here can be effectively used to evaluate electrical and mechanical degradation of shingled PV modules to guide their design process.

Electron structure of bulk and two-dimensional SrTiO3 (2D-SrTiO3) were calculated using the first-principle approach based on the density functional theory (DFT) with GGA + U methods. An accurate direct band gap of bulk SrTiO3 of 3.52 eV and indirect band gap of 3.06 eV were obtained with the optimum UTi-3d = 6.0 eV and USr-3d = 3.0 eV. It is found that the electronic structure of 2D-SrTiO3 is strongly affected by the surface atoms. Most interestingly, the band gap of 2D-SrTiO3 is much smaller than that of the bulk material and is nearly independent of thickness. The origin of this behavior is traced to the nature of the conduction band in 2D-SrTiO3.

Much recent attention has been focused on the development of field-effect transistors based on low-dimensional nanostructures for the detection and manipulation of molecules. Because of their extraordinarily high charge sensitivity, InAs nanowires present an excellent material system in which to probe and study the behavior of molecules on their surfaces and elucidate the underlying mechanisms dictating the sensor response. So far, chemical sensors have relied on slow, activated processes restricting their applicability to high temperatures and macroscopic adsorbate coverages. Here, we identify the transition into a highly sensitive regime of chemical sensing at ultralow concentrations (<1 ppm) via physisorption at room temperature using field-effect transistors with channels composed of several thousand InAs nanowires and ethanol as a simple analyte molecule. In this regime, the nanowire conductivity is dictated by a local gating effect from individual dipoles, leading to a nonlinear enhancement of the sensitivity. At higher concentrations (>1 ppm), the nanowire channel is globally gated by a uniform dipole layer at the nanowire surface. The former leads to a dramatic increase in sensitivity due to weakened screening and the one-dimensional geometry of the nanowire. In this regime, we detect concentrations of ethanol vapor as low as 10 ppb, 100 times below the lowest concentrations previously reported. Furthermore, we demonstrate electrostatic control of the sensitivity and dynamic range of the InAs nanowire-based sensor and construct a unified model that accurately describes and predicts the sensor response over the tested concentration range (10 ppb to 10 ppm).

We present an approach to calculate the biexciton ground state including the electron-longitudinal-optical-phonon coupling and an accurate variational function to describe the Coulomb correlations in the biexciton. We apply this method to the long-standing problem of biexciton binding energy in CuCl and obtain a binding energy of 32.6 meV. We also discuss the effect of electron-hole (e-h) exchange interaction on the biexciton binding energy. Including correction due to e-h exchange, the theoretical binding energy is 28.8 meV, in good agreement with the experimental value of 32 meV. Details of the biexciton wavefunction are presented in the form of correlation functions with respect to two-particle separations, which show how the particles in the biexciton are distributed.

We present an accurate variational approach for calculating the ground and excited exciton states in CuCl, and provide detailed comparison with measured polariton energies of excited exciton states. Computed exciton energies and oscillator strengths allow us to reproduce the polariton dispersion of up to four exciton states with unprecedented accuracy. A reinterpretation of the observed $1s$-exciton binding energy shows that the actual Coulomb energy in the exciton ground state is more than 50% larger than the observed binding energy, with important consequences for calculation of exciton complexes such as the biexciton.

W doped SnO2 anodes are shown to exhibit a super-high oxygen evolution potential (OEP) of 2.5 V (vs SHE) based on Density Functional Theory (DFT). Calculation of the free energy of oxygen evolution reactions (OER) provided a deep understanding of the mechanism for such high OEP. Typical four-step associative process was used to investigate the OER on (110) surface of W doped SnO2. The analysis of OER indicated that the free energy difference Delta G(4) of the third proton-transfer on the (110) W SnO2 with W on the surface layer contributed to the super-high oxygen evolution potential. Cyclic voltammetric measurements on W doped SnO2 prepared on Ti substrates showed an OEP of 2.6 V (vs SHE) in good agreement with the calculations.

Polymer encapsulants are an essential component in photovoltaic (PV) devices, providing mechanical support, optical coupling, and electrical and physical isolation. However, moisture ingress into the module can degrade these polymers and subsequently the performance of the device. In this paper, we report experimental measurements of the temporal evolution of moisture content in ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) encapsulant in a double-glass PV module. Using physical properties of EVA as determined by water vapour transmission rate measurements, we simulate diffusion of water into the module using a finite element model. The model accounts for realistic geometry of our module and is used to simulate accelerated test conditions and outdoor operation in geographic locations. Using the calculated results, we propose two schemes using the accelerated test results to understand the behaviour of modules operating in humid climates. Finally, we show that the time needed to reach the saturation water concentration can be increased by as much as a factor of two by reducing the initial water content in EVA films.

Because of their high aspect ratio, nanostructures are particularly susceptible to effects from surfaces such as slow electron trapping by surface states. However, nonequilibrium trapping dynamics have been largely overlooked when considering transport in nanoelectronic devices. In this study, we demonstrate the profound influence of dynamic trapping processes on transport in InAs nanowires through an investigation of the hysteretic and time-dependent behavior of the transconductance. We observe large densities (similar to 10(13) cm(-2)) of slow surface traps and demonstrate the ability to control and permanently fix their occupation and charge through electrostatic manipulation by the gate potential followed by thermal deactivation by cryogenic cooling. Furthermore, we observe a transition from enhancement- to depletion-mode and a 400% change in field-effect mobility within the same device when the initial gate voltage and sweep rate are varied, revealing the severe impact of electrostatic history and dynamics on InAs nanowire field-effect transistors. A time-dependent model for nanowire transconductance based on nonequilibrium carrier population dynamics with thermally activated capture and emission was constructed and showed excellent agreement with experiments, confirming the effects to be a direct result of the dynamics of slow surface traps characterized by large thermal activation barriers (similar to 700 meV). This work reveals a clear and direct link between the electrical conductivity and the microscopic interactions of charged species with nanowire surfaces and highlights the necessity for considering dynamic properties of surface states in nanoelectronic devices.

The conductance of semiconductor nanowires is strongly dependent on their electrostatic history because of the overwhelming influence of charged surface and interface states on electron confinement and scattering. We show that InAs nanowire field-effect transistor devices can be conditioned to suppress resonances that obscure quantized conduction thereby revealing as many as six sub-bands in the conductance spectra as the Fermi-level is swept across the sub-band energies. The energy level spectra extracted from conductance, coupled with detailed modeling shows the significance of the interface state charge distribution revealing the Coulomb landscape of the nanowire device. Inclusion of self-consistent Coulomb potentials, the measured geometrical shape of the nanowire, the gate geometry and nonparabolicity of the conduction band provide a quantitative and accurate description of the confinement potential and resulting energy level structure. Surfaces of the nanowire terminated by HfO2 are shown to have their interface donor density reduced by a factor of 30 signifying the passivating role played by HfO2.

To directly access the dynamics of electron distribution near the Fermi-surface after plasmon excitation, pump-probe spectroscopy was performed by pumping plasmons on noble-metal films and probing the interband transition. Spectral change in the interband transitions is sensitive to the electron distribution near the Fermi-surface, because it involves the d valence-band to the conduction band transitions and should reflect the k-space distribution dynamics of electrons. For the continuous-wave pump and probe experiment, the plasmon modulation spectra are found to differ from both the current modulation and temperature difference spectra, possibly reflecting signatures of the plasmon wave function. For the femtosecond-pulse pump and probe experiment, the transient spectra agree well with the known spectra upon the excitation of the respective electrons resulting from plasmon relaxation, probably because the lifetime of plasmons is shorter than the pulse duration.

Surface plasmon polariton (SPP) resonance spectra for noble metals (Au, Ag, and Cu) were comprehensively studied in the Kretschmann attenuated total reflection (ATR) geometry, in the wavelength (λ)...

Because of the continued scaling of transistor dimensions and incorporation of nanostructured materials into modern electronic and optoelectronic devices, surfaces and interfaces have become a dominant factor dictating material properties and device performance. In this study, we investigate the temperature-dependent electronic transport properties of InAs nanowire field-effect transistors. A point where the nanowire conductance becomes independent of temperature is observed, known as the zero-temperature-coefficient. The distribution of surface states is determined by a spectral analysis of the conductance activation energy and used to develop a carrier transport model that explains the existence and gate voltage dependence of this point. We determine that the position of this point in gate voltage is directly related to the fixed oxide charge on the nanowire surface and demonstrate the utility of this method for studying surface passivations in nanoscale systems by characterizing (NH4)2Sx and H2 plasma surface treatments on InAs nanowires.

On account of their large surface-to-volume ratio, nanowires contain an extremely high density of surface states which can lead to significantly enhanced photocarrier lifetimes resulting in persistent photoconductivity. There are reports that attribute the high photoconductive gain of ZnO nanowire-based photodetectors to hole trapping and de-trapping following oxygen adsorption and desorption from the nanowire surface. Through this work we provide experimental evidence of the role of surface and defects in carrier dynamics, resulting in enhanced photoresponse. ZnO nanowires with an average length of about 20 μm and diameters in the range of 60–80 nm were used in this experiment. Using intensity and temperature dependence of the rise and decay rate of photocurrent, we present a detailed analysis that provides an estimate of the activation energies of carrier trapping mechanisms. The high gain ZnO nanowire photodetector was sensitive to photoexcitation at or below 370 nm corresponding to the band-edge absorption profile of ZnO. At an incident wavelength of 370 nm and at a bias field of 5 kV/cm, it was found that the maximum responsivity is over 10 5 A/W corresponding to an extremely high photoconductive gain of the order of 10 6 . This corresponds to a normalized photoconductive gain of 4 × 10 −3 m 2 V −1 .

A high gain ZnO nanowire (NW) based photodetector was fabricated, which was sensitive to photoexcitation at or below 370 nm corresponding to the band-edge of ZnO. At an incident wavelength of 370 nm and a bias field of 5 kV/cm, the maximum responsivity was over 105 A/W corresponding to an extremely high photoconductive gain of the order of 106. Through this work we provide experimental evidence of the role of surface and defects in carrier dynamics, resulting in enhanced photoresponse. Using intensity and temperature dependence of the rise and decay rates of photocurrent, we present a detailed analysis that provides an estimate of the activation energies of carrier trapping mechanisms.

In this work, the electronic structures of quantum dots (QDs) of nine direct band gap semiconductor materials belonging to the group II-VI and III-V families are investigated, within the empirical tight-binding framework, in the effective bond orbital model. This methodology is shown to accurately describe these systems, yielding, at the same time, qualitative insights into their electronic properties. Various features of the bulk band structure such as band-gaps, band curvature, and band widths around symmetry points affect the quantum confinement of electrons and holes. These effects are identified and quantified. A comparison with experimental data yields good agreement with the calculations. These theoretical results would help quantify the optical response of QDs of these materials and provide useful input for applications.

The size effect of the optical absorption in one of the most typical organic nanocrystals, α-perylene, was studied. The true absorption spectra of nanocrystals suspended in water were measured within an integrating sphere by collecting the whole scattered light. It was experimentally confirmed that the absorption spectra show blueshift as the crystal size is decreased. This was reproduced by the size-dependent absorption spectra calculated for spherical nanocrystals with isotropic and anisotropic dielectric constants to elucidate three mechanisms of the blueshift: size-dependent change in the shape anisotropy of the crystals, longitudinal–transverse mixing, and light propagation effects including scattering on absorption.

We report on ordered nanoporous films exhibiting a unique magneto-plasmon based response, fabricated by nanosphere-assisted physical deposition. This work focuses on multi-layer Ag/CoFeB/Ag films as examples of such structures. Their microstructure dependent magnetic properties, localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and magneto-optical Kerr effect were investigated. The observed effects of nanopores and Ag layers on the magnetic properties indicate the synergistic interaction between nanopores and Ag layers leading to an enhancement of the ferromagnetic character of the CoFeB film. LSPR spectra reveal that the introduction of Ag layers enhances the light transmission in the nanoporous CoFeB films (having pore sizes exceeding the wavelength of light) due to an enhanced interaction of light with surface plasmons. Periodic nanoporous Ag/CoFeB/Ag films covered by Ag capped nanospheres show a much larger extinction than uncovered nanoporous Ag/CoFeB/Ag films. The correlation between the magneto-optical Kerr effect and the nanostructures suggests a field-tunable Kerr effect owing to the magneto-electric coupling between the magnetic layer and the Ag layers, which is enhanced by the nanopores. These hybrid nanostructures are expected to offer potential applications in photovoltaic cells and for magneto-optic sensors.

A pulsed laser scenario, designed to prepare a variety of self-assembled quantum dots with nearly 100% population in a biexciton state, is proposed. We use realistic parameters for typical self-assembled quantum dots and show that two-colour sequential as well as concurrent excitation of the biexciton state can virtually eliminate unwanted exciton population and prepare a quantum dot in the biexciton state with near-deterministic accuracy. The ensuing radiative emission would be a prerequisite for a high rate, on-demand, source of entangled photons.

We analyze a novel antenna effect that resonantly enhances the photocurrent response of end-contacted P–i–N junction nanowire gratings, due to coupling of incident radiation into the grating's multiple-scattering electromagnetic modes. Quantitative characterization of these resonances was performed by spectral and polarization-resolved photocurrent measurements on gratings with N = 500, 200 and 100 nanowires, aided by electron beam-induced current measurements, and in excellent agreement with electromagnetic scattering theory. Despite the small scattering cross-section of each nanowire, with triangular cross-section (height 8 nm, width 6 nm), the measured quality factor of the resonances Q ≈ 10 exceeds that of the empty SiO2 cavity without degradation for gratings of as few as 100 nanowires. Photoresponse retains sinusoidal polarization anisotropy characteristic of single nanowires. We discuss strategies for improving Q and present a grating design tailoring resonant field enhancement at red, green or blue wavelengths, for three different grating periods of ℓ = 460, 400 and 320 nm.

A pulsed laser scenario, designed to prepare an appropriately chosen self-assembled quantum dot with 100 proposed. The ensuing radiative emission would provide a near perfect (99.5 high rate, on-demand, source of entangled photons.