Browsing by Subject "Atomic layer deposition (ALD)"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

Open Access
Development of AZO TCOs with ALD for HEMT and HJSC solar cell applications
(Gazi univ, 2021-02-11) Tugrul, D.; Cakmak, H.; Özbay, Ekmel; Imer, B.
Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) films are widely used in optoelectronic devices, such as solar cells, LEDs, and Lasers. Utilization of these contacts directly affects the device efficiencies. Purpose of this study is to produce and optimize properties of Aluminum doped Zinc Oxide (AZO) using a vapor phase technique, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) for (n+) a-Si:H surface of silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells (HJSCs) and High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) applications. This study is focused on the effect of the deposition temperature and aluminum atomic concentration on structural, electrical and optical properties of ALD grown AZO ohmic contact films. The results show that as-deposited films have 80-90% transmittance in the visible spectra, low resistance (2.04x10(-3) ohm.cm) and mobility value of 5.25 cm(2)/V.s.
Open Access
Development of photoanodes for performance enhanced dye sensitized solar cells
(2015-08) Ulusoy, Türkan Gamze
With a raising demand for clean and renewable energy sources in recent decades, dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC), as an efficient and low-cost solar cell technology, have attracted considerable attention and several efforts have been directed for the optimization of all components of DSSCs including photoanode, sensitizer dye, hole transport layer and counter electrode. The objective of this thesis is to provide a better understanding on the function of photoanode in overall performance of DSSC device by highlighting problems and limitations and offering proper solutions to tackle these deficiencies. Based on this understanding, this thesis reports, fabrication, characterization and analysis of designed three different cells to boost device photovoltaic performance which includes: 1) angstrom thick ZnO-sheathed TiO2 nanowires as photoanodes, 2) multifunctional omnidirectional antireflective coating, 3) peptide nanofiber network templated ALD-grown TiO2 nanostructures as photoanodes in DSSC. Since photoanode-dye interface engineering is of utmost importance, the first of our proposals in this thesis relies on a systematic approach to understand the impact of atomic layer deposited (ALD) angstrom-thick ZnO sheath on hydrothermally grown TiO2 nanowires (NWs) core utilized as photoanodes in DSSC. The results show that this ultrathin layer will contribute at device efficiency enhancement almost three times via reducing recombination rate of injected electrons, enhancement in collection efficiency of electrons via reducing density of surface trap states without hampering injection efficiency and increased dye uptake on TiO2 nanowires’ surface which in turn leads to increased light absorption. On the other work, we also utilized multifunctional organically modified silica (ORMOSIL) as antireflection coating layer on DSSC to improve conversion efficiency of the device via reduction in the light reflection. ORMOSIL coated DSSC surfaces show a low-reflective omnidirectional response in a wide range of wavelengths (400-800 nm). At normal incidence (𝜃=0°), the short circuit current density (JSC) is improved to an amount of 23% as a result of ORMOSIL coating. In addition, JSC meets even higher amounts of enhancement where 84% increase is recorded at 𝜃=30°. Moreover, this coating exhibits superhydrophobicity representing a contact angle of 155º. Finally, we proposed and implemented, self-assembled peptide amphiphiles nanofiber 3D networks in order to obtain TiO2 nanotube structures as a template in DSSC. These self-assembled peptide amphiphiles are resistant to high temperature and more durable than other kinds of peptide amphiphiles. The advantage of this 3D fiber composed template is its high surface area and interconnected solid support providing an effective template for formation of TiO2 network using ALD. On the other hand, since ALD offers uniform and conformal coating of high aspect ratio features, it ensures an ideal thin film coating method on high surface area nano-template materials such as the peptide nanofiber templates proposed in this study.
Open Access
Electrical conduction and dielectric relaxation properties of AlN thin films grown by hollow-cathode plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition
(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2016) Altuntas, H.; Bayrak, T.; Kizir, S.; Haider, A.; Bıyıklı, Necmi
In this study, aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films were deposited at 200 ï¿½C, on p-type silicon substrates utilizing a capacitively coupled hollow-cathode plasma source integrated atomic layer deposition (ALD) reactor. The structural properties of AlN were characterized by grazing incidence x-ray diffraction, by which we confirmed the hexagonal wurtzite single-phase crystalline structure. The films exhibited an optical band edge around ∼5.7 eV. The refractive index and extinction coefficient of the AlN films were measured via a spectroscopic ellipsometer. In addition, to investigate the electrical conduction mechanisms and dielectric properties, Al/AlN/p-Si metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitor structures were fabricated, and current density-voltage and frequency dependent (7 kHz-5 MHz) dielectric constant measurements (within the strong accumulation region) were performed. A peak of dielectric loss was observed at a frequency of 3 MHz and the Cole-Davidson empirical formula was used to determine the relaxation time. It was concluded that the native point defects such as nitrogen vacancies and DX centers formed with the involvement of Si atoms into the AlN layers might have influenced the electrical conduction and dielectric relaxation properties of the plasma-assisted ALD grown AlN films.
Open Access
Immobilized Pd-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles on polymeric nanofibers as an effective catalyst: Effective loading of Ag with bimetallic functionality through Pd nucleated nanofibers
(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2018) Ranjith, K. S.; Celebioglu A.; Uyar, Tamer
Here, we present a precise process for synthesizing Pd-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) onto polymeric nanofibers by decorating Pd-NPs through atomic layer deposition followed by a chemical reduction process for tagging Ag nanostructures with bimetallic functionality. The results show that Pd-NPs act as a nucleation platform for tagging Ag and form Pd-Ag bimetallic NPs with a monodisperse nature with significant catalytic enhancement to the reaction rate over the bimetallic nature of the Pd-Ag ratio. A Pd-NP decorated polymeric nanofibrous web acts as an excellent platform for the encapsulation or interaction of Ag, which prevents agglomeration and promotes the interaction of Ag ions only on the surface of the Pd-NPs. We observed an effective reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) by sodium borohydride (NaBH4) to access the catalytic activity of Pd-Ag bimetallic NPs on a free-standing flexible polymeric nanofibrous web as a support. The captive formation of the polymeric nanofibrous web with Pd-Ag bimetallic functionality exhibited superior and stable catalytic performance with reduction rates of 0.0719, 0.1520, and 0.0871 min-1 for different loadings of Ag on Pd decorated nanofibrous webs such as Pd/Ag(0.01), Pd/Ag(0.03), and Pd/Ag(0.05), respectively. The highly faceted Pd-Ag NPs with an immobilized nature improves the catalytic functionality by enhancing the binding energy of the 4-NP adsorbate to the surface of the NPs. With the aid of bimetallic functionality, the nanofibrous web was demonstrated as a hybrid heterogeneous photocatalyst with a 3.16-fold enhancement in the reaction rate as compared with the monometallic decorative nature of NaBH4 as a reducing agent. The effective role of the monodisperse nature of Pd ions with an ultralow content as low as 3 wt% and the tunable ratio of Ag on the nanofibrous web induced effective catalytic activity over multiple cycles.
Open Access
Low-temperature hollow cathode plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition of crystalline III-nitride thin films and nanostructures
(Wiley - V C H Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 2015) Ozgit Akgun, C.; Goldenberg, E.; Bolat, S.; Tekcan, B.; Kayaci, F.; Uyar, Tamer; Okyay, Ali Kemal; Bıyıklı, Necmi
Hollow cathode plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (HCPA-ALD) is a promising technique for obtaining III-nitride thin films with low impurity concentrations at low temperatures. Here we report our previous and current efforts on the development of HCPA-ALD processes for III-nitrides together with the properties of resulting thin films and nanostructures. The content further includes nylon 6,6-GaN core-shell nanofibers, proof-of-concept thin film transistors and UV photodetectors fabricated using HCPA-ALD-grown GaN layers, as well as InN thin films deposited by HCPA-ALD using cyclopentadienyl indium and trimethylindium precursors. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Open Access
Thin-film ZnO charge-trapping memory cell grown in a single ALD step
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2012-10-26) Oruc, F. B.; Cimen, F.; Rizk, A.; Ghaffari, M.; Nayfeh, A.; Okyay, Ali Kemal
A thin-film ZnO-based single-transistor memory cell with a gate stack deposited in a single atomic layer deposition step is demonstrated. Thin-film ZnO is used as channel material and charge-trapping layer for the first time. The extracted mobility and subthreshold slope of the thin-film device are 23 cm2/V · s and 720 mV/dec, respectively. The memory effect is verified by a 2.35-V hysteresis in the $I\rm drain- $V\rm gate curve. Physics-based TCAD simulations show very good agreement with the experimental results providing insight to the charge-trapping physics.