Search results for "thin film"

Plasmonic and diffractive nanostructures for light trapping—an experimental comparison

2015

Metal nanoparticles and diffractive nanostructures are widely studied for enhancing light trapping efficiency in thin-film solar cells. Both have achieved high performance enhancements, but there are very few direct comparisons between the two. Also, it is difficult to accurately determine the parasitic absorption of metal nanoparticles. Here, we assess the light trapping efficiencies of both approaches in an identical absorber configuration. We use a 240 nm thick amorphous silicon slab as the absorber layer and either a quasi-random supercell diffractive nanostructure or a layer of self-assembled metal nanoparticles for light trapping. Both the plasmonic and diffractive structures strongly…

Processing of amorphous Si by pulsed laser irradiation at different wavelengths

2012

Amorphous Si thin films deposited on thermally oxidized Si wafers have been processed by the 2 nd and 3 rd harmonics of Nd:YAG laser. Surface modification of amorphous silicon layers have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy before and after chemical etching of processed silicon films. The super-lateral crystal growth regime was achieved with laser fluence of 280 mJ/cm 2 for the 2 nd harmonics and 155 mJ/cm 2 for the 3 rd harmonics. The grain size in polycrystalline Si samples prepared by successive crystallization in the lateral growth regime is about 0.5 - 1 μm.

Plasmonic modes in molybdenum ultra-thin films suitable for hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin film solar cells

2014

We have recently demonstrated that molybdenum ultra-thin films interposed between hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and SnO2:F transparent conductive oxide (TCO) in thin film solar cells show light trapping effects which enhance the solar cells performances. The effect of this improvement may be attributed to surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes excited at the molybdenum interface by the solar radiation. In this paper we show direct evidence of such SPP modes in the case of the molybdenum/air interface by using the attenuated total reflection (ATR) technique, pioneered by Kretschmann, and we evaluate the dielectric constant of molybdenum at 660 nm. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by …

Influence of the electro-optical properties of an a-Si:H single layer on the performances of a pin solar cell

2012

We analyze the results of an extensive characterization study involving electrical and optical measurements carried out on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (α-Si:H) thin film materials fabricated under a wide range of deposition conditions. By adjusting the synthesis parameters, we evidenced how conductivity, activation energy, electrical transport and optical absorption of an α-Si:H layer can be modified and optimized. We analyzed the activation energy and the pre-exponential factor of the dark conductivity by varying the dopant-to-silane gas flow ratio. Optical measurements allowed to extract the absorption spectra and the optical bandgap. Additionally, we report on the temperature dependen…

Optical and amplified spontaneous emission of neat films containing 2-cyanoacetic derivatives

2018

During the last two decades, small organic molecules have been widely studied for potential applications in organic solid-state lasers due to low-cost production, simple processing possibility and physical property tuning ability through chemical structure synthetic modifications. One of the most investigated and applied compound in dye lasers is 4- (dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(4-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran (DCM). It has shown remarkable properties as a dye in solid-state lasers. One of the drawbacks of this compound is high intermolecular interactions which reduce emission efficiency. Therefore it can be applied only in doped systems in low concentration (around 2 wt%). Recently we hav…

Amplified Spontaneous Emission Properties of Solution Processed CsPbBr3 Perovskite Thin Films

2017

Metal halide perovskites are currently emerging as highly promising optoelectronic materials. It has been recently demonstrated that fully inorganic solution processed CsPbBr3 perovskite thin films show good electroluminescence properties combined with high thermal stability. In this work, we investigate in details the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) properties of CsPbBr3 perovskite thin films, as a function of the temperature and the trap density, modified by changing the CsBr-PbBr2 precursor concentration. ASE is observed in samples from both CsBr-rich solution (low trap density) and equimolar solution (higher trap density), up to about 150 K, with a minimum threshold of 26 and 29 mu…

Mechanisms of Spontaneous and Amplified Spontaneous Emission in CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Thin Films Integrated in an Optical Waveguide

2020

In this paper, the physical mechanisms responsible for optical gain in ${\mathrm{CH}}_{3}{\mathrm{NH}}_{3}{\mathrm{Pb}\mathrm{I}}_{3}$ (MAPI) polycrystalline thin films are investigated experimentally and theoretically. Waveguide structures composed by a MAPI film embedded in between PMMA and silica layers are used as an efficient geometry to confine emitted light in MAPI films and minimize the energy threshold for amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). We show that photogenerated exciton density at the ASE threshold is as low as $(2.4\ensuremath{-}12)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{16}\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$, which is below the Mott transition den…

Temperature dependence of Photoluminescence and Amplified Spontaneous Emission in thin films of quasi-2D BA3MA3Pb5Br16 perovskites

2021

Single-Exciton Amplified Spontaneous Emission in Thin Films of CsPbX3 (X = Br, I) Perovskite Nanocrystals

2019

CsPbX3 perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) have emerged as an excellent material for stimulated emission purposes, with even more prospective applications than conventional colloidal quantum dots. However, a better understanding of the physical mechanisms responsible for amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is required to achieve more ambitious targets (lasing under continuous wave optical or electrical excitation). Here, we establish the intrinsic mechanisms underlying ASE in PNCs of three different band gaps (CsPbBr3, CsPbBr1.5I1.5, and CsPbI3). Our characterization at cryogenic temperatures does not reveal any evidence of the biexciton mechanism in the formation of ASE. Instead, the measured …

Amplified Spontaneous Emission in Thin Films of CsPbX3 Perovskite Nanocrystals

2019

During the last years, Metal Halide Perovskites (MHPs) have attracted special attention as an efficient conversion films for photovoltaics, or excellent gain media to construct optical sources. In spite of the fact that most of the works have been focussed on CH 3 NH 3 PbX 3 (X=Cl, Br, I) polycrystalline thin films, MHP can be also synthesized as colloidal nanocrystals. In particular, caesium lead halide perovskite CsPbX 3 nanocrystals (NCs) revealed extraordinary properties for optoelectronics. With a high quantum yield of emission (>90%) at room temperature and linewidths less than 100 meV, CsPbX 3 NCs have demonstrated favourable characteristics for active photonics. Indeed, thin films o…