Low-Cost Inorganic Solar Cells: From Ink To Printed Device

This study reviews NiO film deposition using the Spray Pyrolysis Technique (SPT). Physical and chemical methods can be used to deposit NiO film. This review looks at different precursors and their characterization methods for spray deposition of NiO thin film. The usefulness of SPT emanates from this method being simple, low cost, and viable for mass production. It gives high product purity for metallic and non-metallic material deposition. Nickel chloride, nickel acetate, nickel nitrate, nickel hydroxide, nickel sulfate, and nickel formate are the major precursors for NiO thin film deposition. Nickel chloride and nickel acetate are the most used and highly available precursors. Unlike nickel acetate, nickel chloride precursors corrode the deposition equipment (spray gun). These precursors are relatively cheap compared to current materials used for solar panels (cells). SPT equipment consumes negligible power during deposition and none after usage. Various authors have investigated the physical, chemical, optical, structural characterization and properties of nanostructured NiO thin film. NiO films are p-type semiconductors and as such possesses direct band gap suitable for various applications. The film has been categorized as an excellent material for optoelectronic applications because of its tune-ability for optimization. The wide band gap is in the range of 3.25–4.0 eV. This review will be useful to researchers exploring solar photovoltaic potentials for solving electricity problems of developing countries.

Review of nanostructured NiO thin film deposition using the spray pyrolysis technique

Sn doping effects on the electro-optical properties of sol gel derived transparent ZnO films

Engineering effective electronic parameters is a major focus in condensed matter physics. Their dynamical modulation opens the possibility of creating and controlling physical properties in systems driven out of equilibrium. In this Letter, we demonstrate that the Hubbard $U$, the widely used on-site Coulomb repulsion in strongly correlated materials, can be modified on femtosecond timescales by a strong nonresonant laser pulse excitation in the prototypical charge-transfer insulator NiO. Using our recently developed time-dependent density-functional theory plus self-consistent $U$ method, we demonstrate the importance of a dynamically modulated $U$ in the description of the high-harmonic generation of NiO. Our study opens the door to novel ways of modifying effective interactions in strongly correlated materials via laser driving, which may lead to new control paradigms for field-induced phase transitions and perhaps laser-induced Mott insulation in charge-transfer materials.

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Ultrafast Modification of Hubbard U in a Strongly Correlated Material: Ab initio High-Harmonic Generation in NiO.

Multifunctional CZTS thin films: Structural, optoelectrical, electrical and photovoltaic properties

Aluminum doped zinc oxide (Al-doped ZnO) thin films were deposited by the spray pyrolysis technique onto the glass substrates at 450 °C using anhydrous zinc chloride (ZnCl 2 ) and aluminum chloride (AlCl 3 ) as sources of zinc and aluminum ions, respectively. The effect of [Al]/[Zn] ratio in the solution on the structural, optical, electrical and cathodoluminescence properties of these films were investigated. XRD study revealed that both undoped and Al-doped ZnO films were polycrystalline with hexagonal structure and exhibited (0 0 2) preferential orientation. The optical and electrical studies showed that the film deposited with the [Al]/[Zn] ratio equal to 0.05 had high transmittance (of about 80% and 95% in the visible and near infra-red regions, respectively) and minimum resistivity of 1.4×10 −3  Ω cm, respectively. This resistivity value decreased with increase in temperature indicating the semiconducting nature of Al-doped ZnO films. The chemical composition analysis (EPMA) showed that this film was nearly stochiometric with a slight oxygen deficiency.

H. Erguig

Papers

The effect of Al-doping on the structural, optical, electrical and cathodoluminescence properties of ZnO thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Comparison of structural, morphological, linear and nonlinear optical properties of NiO thin films elaborated by Spin-Coating and Spray Pyrolysis

Effect of (Co, Fe, Ni) doping on structural, optical and electrical properties of sprayed SnO2 thin film

Spin-coated nickel doped cadmium sulfide thin films for third harmonic generation applications

Spin-coated Tin-doped NiO thin films for third order nonlinear optical applications