Low sheet resistance (high mobility) with high transmittance in all wavelength is required for front TCO. High haze value is also required for effective light trapping. For this purpose, we have combined F-doped SnO2 (FTO) with high mobility deposited by LPCVD and reactive ion etching (RIE) processed glass substrate. However, two problems have been found. (1) The mobility of FTO on RIE substrate dropped from that on flat glass (75 to 36 cm2/Vs). To avoid this drop, thicker film is needed. (2) To keep high transmittance with thicker film, lower carrier concentration is needed. But the mobility dropped with lower carrier concentration. In order to solve these constrains, we have adopted a stacked structure using thick non-doped layer of 2700 nm and thin F-doped layer of 500 nm. With this novel approach, we have successfully achieved the high mobility (80 cm2/Vs), low carrier concentration (2.2x1019 /cm3) and high haze value (77% at wavelength of 1000 nm) at the same time. This new developed high-haze SnO2 is a new promising TCO for thin-film Si solar cells.

In the current study an elasto-plastic phase field (PF) model, based on the PF microelasticity theory proposed by A.G. Khachaturyan, is used to investigate the effects of external stresses on the evolution of martensitic microstructure in a Fe-0.3%C polycrystalline alloy. The current model is improved to include the effects of grain boundaries in a polycrystalline material. The evolution of plastic deformation is governed by using a time dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation, solving for the minimization of the shear strain energy. PF simulations are performed in 2D and 3D to study the effects of tension, compression and shear on the martensitic transformation. It has been found that external stresses cause an increase in the volume fraction of the martensitic phase if they add to the net effect of the transformation strains, and cause a decrease otherwise. It has been concluded that the stress distribution and the evolution of martensitic microstructure can be predicted with the current model in a polycrystalline material under applied stresses.

Synthesis of anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) with both controllable size and high energy facets is technologically important for its application in photocatalysis, photoelectrochemical cell, and solar cells. Herein, we report a simple and fluorine free hydrothermal method to synthesize hierarchically nanostructured mesoporous anatase TiO2 spheres (MATS) with controllable size, which covered with nearly 100% {001} facet. Mild H2SO4 was used as both a phase-inducer formation of anatase phase and a capping agent to promote oriented growth and formation of {001} facet. PVP acted as morphology control agent to prevent growing larger of the mesoporous anatase TiO2 spheres (MATS) with ∼600 nm in size. Detailed XRD and SEM studies suggested that formation of MTAS is a typical nucleation and growth process. The refining or reconstruction of TiO2 crystal structure during growth resulted in mesoporous crystalline framework that exhibits enhanced photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B.

The thermal transport in amorphous/crystalline silicon superlattices with means of molecular dynamics is presented in the current study. The procedure used to build such structures is discussed. Then, thermal conductivity of various samples is studied as a function of the periodicity of regular superlattices and of the applied temperature. Preliminarily results show that for regular amorphous/crystalline superlattices, the amorphous regions control the heat transfer within the structures. Secondly, in the studied cases thermal conductivity weakly varies with the temperature. This, points out the presence of a majority of non-propagating vibrational modes in such systems.

In this study, we have developed a constant current method for fabrication of AAO membranes with a large interpore distance in order to avoid the burning phenomenon. From our preliminary results, the average growth rate of AAO membranes could increase up to 6 μm/hr with an applied current density of 6 mA/cm2 and the burning phenomenon could be totally avoided at a relatively high anodizing voltage of 175 V. The effect of current density on the growth rate and burning phenomenon was also investigated.

A versatile and powerful new lithographic fabrication method has been used to fabricate a number of nano-architectured ordered 2-D indium tin oxide (ITO) and silver (Ag) electrodes. By careful tuning of the dimensions of the nanofeatures in the electrodes, the surface area can be enhanced as desired, in-turn changing resistivity and free carrier concentrations accordingly. Absorption spectra of the samples show the existence of a new optical bandgap, in addition to the bulk bandgap, that is smaller. Nanostructured electrodes show enhanced transparency compared to their planar counterparts and demonstrate typical surface plasmon characteristics. The resonance frequency can be tuned as well by changing the dimensions of the nanofeatures in the electrodes.

Nanotechnology and nanoscience have a strong potential to impact society and the commercial sector. It is critical to introduce this area to high school classrooms as a teaching tool. Here, we report the development of ferrofluid-based experimental modules in a team effort including a high school student and a high school teacher. The basic experimental modules were developed as follows: A) Electric motor-based patterning of magnetic nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes on a silicon wafer. Electromagnetically activated or ‘spiked’-ferrofluid was utilized here. B) Basic concepts of wettability, hydrophobicity, and oleophilicity were demonstrated by combining hydrophobic CNTs, water, and ferrofluids. C) Finally, the utility of ferrofluid-based environmental remediation was demonstrated for oil removal from oil-water mixture and organic dye separation from water-dye mixture. It is envisioned that the integration of the developed experimental modules into high school curriculum will motivate high school students to pursue degrees in science, engineering, and nanotechnology. Thus, this will assist in the development of future workforce in the area of nanotechnology and materials science.

Due to its outstanding properties, diamond is considered as an ideal material for mechanical and electric applications at high temperatures, voltages, radiation, etc. It is known that femtosecond lasers exhibit extremely high precision and minimized thermal effect in material processing. In this study, a seed-free diamond pattern growth method was developed by patterning silicon substrates using a femtosecond laser before diamond deposition through laser-assisted combustion flame synthesis. The resolution of the diamond patterns reaches micro scales. Peak position, full width at half maximum (FWHM), and diamond quality parameter were calculated from Raman spectra. The mechanism of the seed-free diamond growth based on the femtosecond laser patterning was discussed. The influence of substrates surface roughness on the diamond nucleation and subsequent growth was studied, indicating that the nucleation density is proportional to the surface roughness.

We investigated AlAs0.56Sb0.44 epitaxial layers lattice-matched to InP grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Silicon (Si) and tellurium (Te) were studied as n-type dopants in AlAs0.56Sb0.44 material. Similar to most Sb-based materials, AlAs0.56Sb0.44 demonstrates a maximum active carrier concentration around low-1018 cm-3 when using Te as a dopant. We propose the use of a heavily Si-doped InAlAs layer embedded in the AlAsSb barrier as a modulation-doped layer. The In0.53Ga0.47As/AlAs0.56Sb0.44 double heterostructures with a 10 nm InGaAs well show an electron mobility of about 9400 cm2/V・s at 295 K and 32000 cm2/V・s at 46 K. A thinner 5 nm InGaAs well has an electron mobility of about 4300 cm2/V・s at 295 K. This study demonstrates that AlAs0.56Sb0.44 is a promising barrier material for highly scaled InGaAs MOSFETs and HEMTs.

Nitric oxide (NO) release can promote healthy tissue regeneration. A PEG-fibrinogen adhesive hydrogel that would allow for inducible NO release was created with mechanical properties that could be tailored to specific applications and tissue types. PEG (4-arm)-fibrinogen hydrogels of varying ratios were derivatized with S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D, L-penicillamine (SNAP)-thiolactone to create an active NO donor material. Controlled release from gels was established using light as the activating source, although temperature, pH, and external mechanical loading are also means to induce active NO release. Gels with varying ratios of fibrinogen to PEG were made, derivatized, and tested. Gels below a ratio of 1.5:1 (fibrinogen:PEG) did not gel, while at ratio of 1.5:1 gelation occurs and NO release can be induced. Interestingly, the release from 1.5:1 gels was significantly lower compared to 2:1 and 3:1 gel formulations. Rheometric data show that lower ratio gels are more elastic than viscous. Derivatized gels exhibited linear elastic moduli, behaving more like other more synthetic hydrogels. Swelling data indicates that as the ratio of fibrinogen to PEG increases the swelling ratio decreases, likely due to the hydrophobic nature of the NO donor. Cells remain viable on both derivatized and non-derivatized gels.

Nanophosphors are a promising new class of inorganic labels for bio-imaging applications, possessing a narrow emission bandwidth, good photostability and low toxicity. The effect of crystallinity of the host matrix on the phosphorescence of Tb-doped (1-5 at% Tb) Y2O3 nanophosphors is explored. Nanophosphors with different crystal phase (cubic and monoclinic) and morphology (uncoated and SiO2-coated) but with similar sizes were prepared by flame spray synthesis. That allowed the direct comparison of their phosphorescence performance excluding any observed size effect. The as prepared nanophosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction, high resolution electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The meta-stable monoclinic crystal structure of Y2O3:Tb3+ nanophosphors favors their green phosphorescence.

CIGS solar cells were irradiated with 250 keV electrons, which can create only Cu-related defects in the cell, to reveal the radiation defect. The EL image of CIGS solar cells before electron irradiation at 120 K described small grains, thought to be those of the CIGS. After 250 keV electron irradiation of the CIGS cell, the cell was uniformly illuminated compared to before the electron irradiation and the observed grains were unclear. In addition, the EL intensity rose with increasing electron fluence, meaning the change in EL efficiency may be attributable to the decreased likelihood of non-irradiative recombination in intrinsic defects due to electron-induced defects. Since the light soaking effect for CIGS solar cells is reported the same phenomena, the 250 keV electron radiation effects for CIGS solar cells might be equivalent to the effect.

Dislocation density based modeling of crystal plasticity remains one of the central challenges in multi scale materials modeling. A dislocation based theory requires sufficiently rich dislocation density measures which are capable of predicting their own evolution. Continuum dislocation dynamics is based on a higher dimensional dislocation density tensor comprised of two distribution functions on the space of local orientations, which are the density of dislocations per orientation and the density of dislocation curvature per orientation. We propose to expand these functions into series of symmetric tensors (alignment tensors), to be used in dislocation based theories without extra dimensions. The first two terms in the expansion of the density define the total dislocation density and the Kröner-Nye tensor. The first term in the expansion of the curvature density, the scalar total curvature density, turns out to be a conserved quantity; the integral of which corresponds to the total number of dislocations. The content of the next higher order tensors is discussed.

Polymorphic transitions in nanocrystalline metal oxides leads to structural transformations resulting in differing properties at varying operating temperatures. Nanocrystalline MoO3 transforms from a metastable monoclinic phase to stable orthorhombic phase when heat treated in the temperature range of 420C to 500C. Gas sensing results have shown that at 420C MoO3 is sensitive to Isoprene, a 450C it shows sensitivity to CO2 and to ammonia at 500C. DSC data has proved that MoO3 changes crystal structure to monoclinic at 420C and to orthorhombic at about485C. This confirms a correlation between structure and gas sensing properties of MoO3. Using this knowledge a hand-held diagnostic tool is developed to monitor specific breath gases which can be biomarkers for diseases. The device consists of three sensors, the read-out gives a real time resistance value for each resistive sensor which is stored in a microprocessor. This is a one of a kind handheld tool for disease detection using ceramic sensors as detectors for gases which are known to be biomarkers for diseases.

The PECVD intrinsic, n +, and p + a-Si:H thin film deposition processes have been studied by the optical emission spectroscope to monitor the plasma phase chemistry. Process parameters, such as the plasma power, pressure, and gas flow rate, were correlated to SiH*, Hα*, and Hβ* optical intensities. For all films, the deposition rate increases with the increase of the SiH* intensity. For the doped films, the Hα*/SiH* ratio is a critical factor affecting the resistivity. The existence of PH3 or B2H6 in the feed stream enhances the deposition rate. Changes of the free radicals intensities can be used to explain variation of film characteristics under different deposition conditions.

Deformation behaviors of two TRIP-type multiphase steels with different carbon contents were studied by in situ neutron diffraction measurement during tensile deformation at RT. The tensile test was conducted in a step-load controlling manner during the elastic region, and in a continuous manner with a constant crosshead speed by an initial strain rate of 1.8×10-5 s-1 during the plastic region. Austenite grains were observed to bear higher phase stresses than ferrite grains in both steels. Austenite peak intensities started to decrease at the onsets of plastic deformation in both steels, showing the occurrence of stress induced martensitic transformations. Martensite peaks were carefully analyzed to estimate phase strains, and as the results martensite grains were found to bear largest phase stresses during plastic deformation.

Semiconductor materials have shown promise as ionizing radiation detection devices; however, to be used as a neutron detector, these materials require the addition of a nucleus with a large neutron absorption cross section (such as 10B or 6Li) to capture thermal neutrons and convert them into directly detectable particles. A semiconducting material that contains the neutron absorber within its regular stoichiometry has the potential to be more efficient than a layered or heterogeneous device at transferring the kinetic energy of the charged particle into the semiconducting material. One class of materials that has shown promise is Li-containing AIBIIIXVI 2 compounds such as LiGaTe2, LiGaSe2, and LiInSe2. These materials have band gaps (2-3.5 eV) appropriate for room-temperature detection of thermal neutrons and would be the first detection material that is simultaneously, exquisitely sensitive to thermal neutrons; is insensitive to gammas; and acts as a direct conversion device. A vacuum distillation process provided high-purity lithium metal for AIBIIIXVI 2 synthesis. Single crystals of sufficient bulk resistivity (grown for LiGaSe2 and LiInSe2LiInSe2) showed a distinct photo response as well as a clear response to alpha particles. Additional radiation measurements indicated that a 6 mm x 7 mm x 1.33 mm crystal of LiInSe2 detected gamma rays, and despite being composed of natural abundance lithium, responded to thermal neutrons as well.

The objective of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) current three-year CdTe plan under the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative is to identify primary mechanisms that limit the open-circuit voltage and fill factor of polycrystalline CdTe photovoltaic (PV) devices, and develop CdTe synthesis processes and/or device designs that avoid these limitations. Part of this project relies on analysis of crystalline materials and pseudocrystalline CdTe layers where point and extended defects can be introduced sequentially without the complications of extensive impurities and grain boundaries that are typical of present polycrystalline films. The ultimate goals of the project include producing CdTe PV devices that demonstrate ≥20% conversion efficiency, while significantly improving our understanding of processes and materials capable of attaining cost goals of <$0.50 per watt. While NREL is investigating several options for the routine fabrication of high-quality CdTe layers, one pathway involves CdTe molecular beam heteroepitaxy (MBE) on Si in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Chicago. Although CdTe/Si heteroepitaxy is relatively unfamiliar to researchers in the PV community, it has been used successfully for more than 20 years to produce high-quality CdTe surfaces required for commercial production of large-area single-crystal HgCdTe infrared detectors and focal-plane arrays. The process involves chemical and thermal preparation of Si (211) wafers, followed by deposition of As-passivation and ZnTeaccommodation layers. MBE-grown CdTe layers deposited on top of this “template” have been shown to demonstrate low etch-pit density (EPD, preferably ≤ ∼5x105 cm-2) and high structural quality (full width at half maximum ∼ 60 arcs). These initial studies indicate that 10-μm-thick CdTe layers on Si are indeed epitaxial with cathodoluminescence-determined dislocation density consistent with historic EPD measurements, and that recombination rates are distinct from either as-deposited polycrystalline or crystalline materials.

Additive-abrasive interactions in chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) slurries are investigated using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). The FCS technique provides quantitative determinations of the interaction between additives and abrasive particles by characterizing the competitive adsorption of the additive and a fluorescent probe molecule by an abrasive particle. Adsorption of the CMP additives glycine and benzotriazole (BTA) on precipitated and sol-gel colloidal silica abrasives are characterized. Significant differences in the fluorescent probe’s adsorption to the different silica abrasives in the presence of the additives suggest surface chemistry differences between the different types of silica. Extensions of the analysis of FCS data are proposed for improving the quantitative determination of the competitive adsorption of fluorescent probe dyes and CMP additives on abrasive particles.