Z. Alexieva

Bio: Z. Alexieva is an academic researcher from Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The author has contributed to research in topics: Spin coating & Dielectric. The author has an hindex of 5, co-authored 8 publications receiving 507 citations.

Antireflection coatings for GaAs solar cell applications

Abstract: A double-layer structure of Al2O3 over ZrO2 film is studied. Minimization of the average weighted reflectance is carried out to optimize the thickness of the two layers in the antireflection coating. An optimal value of 2.17% for the weighted average reflection is estimated. The optimal thicknesses of the layers are 49 nm for the bottom and 45 nm for the top layer. Low temperature spin coating technique is used to deposit ZrO2 and Al2O3 films from sol gel solutions on polished silicon wafers, GaAs multilayer heterostructures and AlGaAs/GaAs solar cells. The density of the short-circuit photocurrent increases from 25 mA.cm−2 for solar cells without an antireflection coating to 36 mA.cm−2 for those with a double layer coating.

Deposition and properties of the pseudobinary alloy (Al2O3)x(TiO2)1-x and its application for silicon surface passivation

Abstract: The electrical properties of (Al2O3)x(TiO2)1-x thin films, obtained from sol solution by spin coating on Si substrates (c-Si or mc-Si), have been studied. By varying the ratios between Al2O3 and TiO2 components, the optical and dielectric characteristics can be changed. This deposition method can be used for effective engineering of physical properties of the dielectric layer. Surface recombination velocities as low as 150 cm/s have been obtained using (Al2O3)x(TiO2)1-x layers on 1 Ωcm Czochralski (CZ) silicon wafers. Low surface recombination is achieved by field induced surface passivation due to a high density of negative fixed charges.

25th Anniversary Article: Semiconductor Nanowires – Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications

Abstract: Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) have been studied extensively for over two decades for their novel electronic, photonic, thermal, electrochemical and mechanical properties. This comprehensive review article summarizes major advances in the synthesis, characterization, and application of these materials in the past decade. Developments in the understanding of the fundamental principles of "bottom-up" growth mechanisms are presented, with an emphasis on rational control of the morphology, stoichiometry, and crystal structure of the materials. This is followed by a discussion of the application of nanowires in i) electronic, ii) sensor, iii) photonic, iv) thermoelectric, v) photovoltaic, vi) photoelectrochemical, vii) battery, viii) mechanical, and ix) biological applications. Throughout the discussion, a detailed explanation of the unique properties associated with the one-dimensional nanowire geometry will be presented, and the benefits of these properties for the various applications will be highlighted. The review concludes with a brief perspective on future research directions, and remaining barriers which must be overcome for the successful commercial application of these technologies.

High-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells: status and perspectives

Abstract: With a global market share of about 90%, crystalline silicon is by far the most important photovoltaic technology today. This article reviews the dynamic field of crystalline silicon photovoltaics from a device-engineering perspective. First, it discusses key factors responsible for the success of the classic dopant-diffused silicon homojunction solar cell. Next it analyzes two archetypal high-efficiency device architectures – the interdigitated back-contact silicon cell and the silicon heterojunction cell – both of which have demonstrated power conversion efficiencies greater than 25%. Last, it gives an up-to-date summary of promising recent pathways for further efficiency improvements and cost reduction employing novel carrier-selective passivating contact schemes, as well as tandem multi-junction architectures, in particular those that combine silicon absorbers with organic–inorganic perovskite materials.

Status and prospects of Al2O3-based surface passivation schemes for silicon solar cells

Abstract: The reduction in electronic recombination losses by the passivation of silicon surfaces is a critical enabler for high-efficiency solar cells. In 2006, aluminum oxide (Al2O3) nanolayers synthesized by atomic layer deposition (ALD) emerged as a novel solution for the passivation of p- and n-type crystalline Si (c-Si) surfaces. Today, high efficiencies have been realized by the implementation of ultrathin Al2O3 films in laboratory-type and industrial solar cells. This article reviews and summarizes recent work concerning Al2O3 thin films in the context of Si photovoltaics. Topics range from fundamental aspects related to material, interface, and passivation properties to synthesis methods and the implementation of the films in solar cells. Al2O3 uniquely features a combination of field-effect passivation by negative fixed charges, a low interface defect density, an adequate stability during processing, and the ability to use ultrathin films down to a few nanometers in thickness. Although various methods can be used to synthesize Al2O3, this review focuses on ALD—a new technology in the field of c-Si photovoltaics. The authors discuss how the unique features of ALD can be exploited for interface engineering and tailoring the properties of nanolayer surface passivation schemes while also addressing its compatibility with high-throughput manufacturing. The recent progress achieved in the field of surface passivation allows for higher efficiencies of industrial solar cells, which is critical for realizing lower-cost solar electricity in the near future.

On the c-Si surface passivation mechanism by the negative-charge-dielectric Al2O3

Abstract: Al2O3 is a versatile high-κ dielectric that has excellent surface passivation properties on crystalline Si (c-Si), which are of vital importance for devices such as light emitting diodes and high-efficiency solar cells. We demonstrate both experimentally and by simulations that the surface passivation can be related to a satisfactory low interface defect density in combination with a strong field-effect passivation induced by a negative fixed charge density Qf of up to 1013 cm−2 present in the Al2O3 film at the interface with the underlying Si substrate. The negative polarity of Qf in Al2O3 is especially beneficial for the passivation of p-type c-Si as the bulk minority carriers are shielded from the c-Si surface. As the level of field-effect passivation is shown to scale with Qf2, the high Qf in Al2O3 tolerates a higher interface defect density on c-Si compared to alternative surface passivation schemes.

Silicon surface passivation by atomic layer deposited Al2O3

Abstract: Thin Al2O3 films with a thickness of 7–30 nm synthesized by plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (ALD) were used for surface passivation of crystalline silicon (c-Si) of different doping concentrations. The level of surface passivation in this study was determined by techniques based on photoconductance, photoluminescence, and infrared emission. Effective surface recombination velocities of 2 and 6 cm/s were obtained on 1.9 Ω cm n-type and 2.0 Ω cm p-type c-Si, respectively. An effective surface recombination velocity below 1 cm/s was unambiguously obtained for nearly intrinsic c-Si passivated by Al2O3. A high density of negative fixed charges was detected in the Al2O3 films and its impact on the level of surface passivation was demonstrated experimentally. The negative fixed charge density results in a flat injection level dependence of the effective lifetime on p-type c-Si and explains the excellent passivation of highly B-doped c-Si by Al2O3. Furthermore, a brief comparison is presented between the ...