Yoshihiro Hamakawa

Thin-Film Solar Cells: Next Generation Photovoltaics and Its Applications - Springer Series in Photonics Yoshihiro Hamakawa Softcover reprint of hardcover 1st ed. 2004 edition

Marc Notes: This is the first comprehensive book on thin-film solar cells, potentially a key technology for solving the energy production problem in the 21st century in an environmentally friendly way. Table of Contents: 1. Background and Motivation for Thin-Film Solar-cell Development / Yoshihiro Hamakawa -- 1.1. Development of Modern Civilizaiton via Energy Revolutions -- 1.2. 3E-Trilemma and New Energy Strategy -- 1.3. Key Issues for PV Technology Developments -- 1.4. Future Prospect and Roadmap for Solar Photovoltaics -- References -- 2. Recent Advances and Future Opportunities for Thin-Film Solar Cell / Satyen K. Deb -- 2.1. Introduction -- 2.2. First-Generation Thin-Film Solar Cells -- 2.3. Amorphous Silicon Alloy Solar Cells -- 2.3.1. Multijunction Cells -- 2.3.2. Single- and Double-Junction Cells -- 2.3.4. Growth of a-Si: H Alloy -- 2.3.5. Photodegradation of a-Si Solar Cells -- 2.3.6. Technology Development -- 2.3.7. Research Issues in a-Si: H-Based Materials and Devices -- 2.4. CdTe-Based Thin-Film Solar Cells -- 2.4.1. Device Fabrication Process -- 2.4.2. Cell and Module Efficiency -- 2.4.3. Technology Development -- 2.4.4. Key Issues for Future R&D -- 2.5. CuInSe2(CIS)-Based Thin-Film Solar Cells -- 2.5.1. Device Fabrication -- 2.5.2. Technology Development -- 2.5.3. Key Research Issues -- 2.6. Next Generation of Thin-Film Solar Cells -- 2.6.1. Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells -- 2.6.2. Microcrystalline-Silicon Thin Film (c-Si) -- 2.6.3. Thin-Film GaAs Solar Cells -- 2.6.4. Dye-Sensitized TiO2 Thin-Film Solar Cells -- 2.6.5. Novel Ternary and Multinary Compounds -- 2.6.6. Organic Solar Cells -- 2.6.7. Novel Approaches to High-Efficiency Thin-Film Solar Cells -- References -- 3. Electrical and Optical Properties of Amorphous Silicon and Its Alloys / Hiroaki Okamoto -- 3.1. Simplistic Model for Band-Edge Electronic Properties -- 3.1.1. Fundamental Aspects Near the Mobility Edge -- 3.1.2. Optical Absorption Spectrum -- 3.1.3. Electronic Conduction -- 3.2. Mobility and Band-Edge Parameters in Amorphous Silicon Alloys -- 3.2.1. Evaluation Procedure -- 3.2.2. Carrier Mobility in Amorphous Silicon Alloys -- 3.3. Photoinduced Structural Change -- 3.3.1. Photoinduced Changes in Electronic Properties -- 3.3.2. Photoinduced Structural Change and Its Physical Implications -- 3.4. Concluding Remarks -- References -- 4. Preparation and Properties of Nanocrystalline Silicon / Michio Kondo, Akihisa Matsuda -- 4.1. History of Nanocrystalline Silicon -- 4.2. Preparation of Nanocrystalline Silicon -- 4.3. Understanding Nanocrystalline Silicon Growth -- 4.4. High-Rate Growth of Nanocrystalline Silicon -- 4.5. Structural Properties of Nanocrystalline Silicon -- 4.6. Optical and Electrical Properties of Nanocrystalline Silicon -- References -- 5. Key Issues for the Efficiency Improvement of Silicon-Based Stacked Solar Cells / Yoshihiro Hamakawa -- 5.1. Principle of the Stacked Solar Cell -- 5.2. An Optimum Design of the a-Si Top Cell -- 5.3. Poly-Si and c-Si Bottom-Cell Technology -- References -- 6. Development of Amorphous-Silicon Single-Junction Solar Cells and Their Application Systems / Katsuhiko Nomoto, Takashi Tomita -- 6.1. Introduction -- 6.2. Key Technologies and Approaches Towards Large-Scale, High-Efficiency, a-Si: H Single-Junction Solar Cells -- 6.2.1. Basic Cell Structure and Process -- 6.2.2. Key Manufacturing Technology and Device Design -- 6.2.3. Module Performance of a-Si: H Single-Junction Solar Cells -- 6.3. Applications of Large-Scale a-Si: H Solar Modules and Systems -- 6.3.1. Application to the Construction Material, ALC Panel Integrating a-Si: H PV Modules -- 6.3.2. See-Through-Type a-Si: H Solar Modules -- 6.4. Conclusion -- References -- 7. The Production of a-Si: H/a-SiGe: H/a-SiGe: H Stacked Solar-Cell Modules and Their Applications / Keishi Saito, Tomonori Nishimoto, Ryo Hayashi, Kimitoshi Fukae, Kyosuke Ogawa -- 7.1. R&D Work with Small-Area Cells -- 7.2. Low-Pressure Microwave PCVD Method -- 7.3. Graded-Bandgap Profiling in a-SiGe: H -- 7.4. Suppression of Light-Induced Degradation and Improved Performance -- 7.5. Mass Production of a-Si: H/a-SiGe: H/a-SiGe: H Stacked Solar Cells and the Product Outlines -- 7.6. The Roll-to-Roll CVD Method -- 7.7. Characteristics of Slab Cells and Modules -- 7.8. Light-Soaking Testing -- 7.9. Summary -- References -- 8. Low-Temperature Fabrication of Nanocrystalline-Silicon Solar Cells / Michio Kondo, Akihisa Matsuda -- 8.1. Why Nanocrystalline-Silicon Solar Cells? -- 8.2. Low-Temperature Process for Nanocrystalline-Silicon Solar Cells -- 8.3. Substrate Technology -- 8.4. Future Prospect of Nanocrystalline-Silicon Solar Cells -- References -- 9. Mass Production of Large-Area Integrated Thin-Film Silicon Solar-Cell Module / Yoshihisa Tawada, H. Yamagishi, K. Yamamoto -- 9.1. Introduction -- 9.2. Performance and Production of a-Si Modules -- 9.3. Performances and Production of a-Si/Thin-Film c-Si Hybrid Solar Module -- 9.4. Future Business Plan -- References -- 10. Properties of Chalcopyrite-Based Materials and Film Deposition for Thin-Film Solar Cells / Hans-Werner Schock -- 10.1. Cu-Chalcopyrite Compounds -- 10.1.1. Material Properties -- 10.1.2. Phase Diagram -- 10.1.3. Defects and Impurities -- 10.2. Alloys -- 10.2.1. Growth Methods for Thin Films -- 10.2.2. Vacuum Evaporation Methods -- 10.2.3. Reactive Film Formation -- 10.2.4. Annealing of Stacked Elemental Layers -- 10.2.5. Epitaxy, Chemical Vapor Deposition, and Vapor Transport Processes -- 10.2.6. Other Techniques -- References -- 11. Development of Cu(InGa) Se2 Thin-Film Solar Cells / Makoto Konagai, Katsumi Kushiya -- 11.1. High-Efficiency Techniques -- 11.1.1. Efficiencies of Small-Area CIGS Thin-Film Solar Cells -- 11.1.2. In-situ Monitoring of Composition Ratio -- 11.1.3. Buffer Layers -- 11.1.4. Conduction Band Offset -- 11.1.5. Flexible Substrates -- 11.2. Fabrication Technologies of Large-Area CIGS-based Modules -- 11.2.1. Introduction -- 11.2.2. Fabrication Technologies -- 11.2.3. Durability -- References -- 12. Expanding Thin-Film Solar PV System Applications / Hirosato Yagi, Makoto Tanaka, Shoichi Nakano -- 12.1. Introduction -- 12.2. Comparison Between Crystalline Solar Cells and Thin-Film Solar Cells with Respect to Applications -- 12.3. Applications to Electrical Devices -- 12.4. Applications to Standalone Systems -- 12.5. See-Through a-Si Solar Cells -- 12.6. Flexible a-Si Solar Cells -- 12.7. Applications for Residential Housing (Building Integrated PV Modules) -- 12.7.1. Present Market for PV Housing -- 12.7.2. Development BIPV Modules -- 12.7.3. Industrialization of BIPV Modules -- 12.8. Application to Semi-Large-Scale Photovoltaic Systems -- 12.9. Future Prospects -- 12.9.1. Applications of Flexible and Lightweight Modules -- 12.9.2. Applications of BIPV Modules -- 12.9.3. Applications of Power-Generating Use - GENESIS Project -- References -- 13. Future Prospects for Photovoltaic Technologies in Japan / Nobuaki Mori, Toshihisa Masuda -- 13.1. Current Status of Photovoltaic Industrialization -- 13.2. Recent Achievements of the PV R&D in the New Sunshine Project -- 13.3. New Strategy and Future Prospects for PV Industry in Japan -- References -- Index. Publisher Marketing: The development of clean energy resources as alternatives to oiI has become one of the most important challenges for modern science and technology. The obvious motivation for these efforts is to reduce the air polIution resulting from the mass consumption of fossil fuels and to protect the ecological cycles of the biosystems on Earth. Analyses of future energy usage envision that the energy structure in the 21st century will be characterized as a "Best Mix Age" involving different renewable energy forms. Among the wide variety of renewable energy projects in progress, photo voltaics is the most promising as a future energy technology. It is pollution free and abundantly available everywhere in the world, even in space, and can also operate with diffuse light. However, a major barrier impeding the devel opment of large-scale bulk power applications of photovoltaic systems is the high price of solar cell modules. Therefore, reduction of the costs of solar celIs is of prime importance. To achieve this objective, tremendous R&D efforts have been made over the past two decades in a wide variety of technical fields ranging from solar-cell materials, cell structure, and mass production pro cesses to the photovoltaic systems themselves. As the result, about an order of magnitude cost reduction has been achieved in the past 10 years."