A modern challenge is for solar cell materials to enable the highest solar energy conversion efficiencies, at costs as low as possible, and at an energy balance as sustainable as necessary in the future. This textbook explains the principles, concepts and materials used in solar cells. It combines basic knowledge about solar cells and the demanded criteria for the materials with a comprehensive introduction into each of the four classes of materials for solar cells, i.e. solar cells based on crystalline silicon, epitaxial layer systems of III-V semiconductors, thin-film absorbers on foreign substrates, and nano-composite absorbers. In this sense, it bridges a gap between basic literature on the physics of solar cells and books specialized on certain types of solar cells.The last five years had several breakthroughs in photovoltaics and in the research on solar cells and solar cell materials. We consider them in this second edition. For example, the high potential of crystalline silicon with charge-selective hetero-junctions and alkaline treatments of thin-film absorbers, based on chalcopyrite, enabled new records. Research activities were boosted by the class of hybrid organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites, a promising newcomer in the field.This is essential reading for students interested in solar cells and materials for solar cells. It encourages students to solve tasks at the end of each chapter. It has been well applied for postgraduate students with background in materials science, engineering, chemistry or physics.

III-V semiconductors have attracted considerable attention due to their applications in the fabrication of electronic and optoelectronic devices as light emitting diodes and solar cells. The electrical properties of these semiconductors can also be tuned by adding impurity atoms. Because of their wide application in various devices, the search for new semiconductor materials and the improvement of existing materials is an important field of study. Doping with impurities is a common method of modifying and diversifying the properties of physical and chemical semiconductors. This book covers all known information about phase relations in quaternary systems based on III-V semiconductors, providing he first systematic account of phase equilibria in quaternary systems based on III-V semiconductors and making research originally published in Russian accessible to the wider scientific community. Features: Contains up-to-date experimental and theoretical information Allows readers to synthesize semiconducting materials with predetermined properties Delivers a critical evaluation of many industrially important systems presented in the form of two-dimensional sections for the condensed phases

Multilevel Inverters: Conventional and Emerging Topologies and Their Control is written with two primary objectives: (a) explanation of fundamentals of multilevel inverters (MLIs) with reference to the general philosophy of power electronics; and (b) enabling the reader to systematically analyze a given topology with the possibility of contributing towards the ongoing evolution of topologies. The authors also present an updated status of current research in the field of MLIs with an emphasis on the evolution of newer topologies. In addition, the work includes a universal control scheme, with which any given topology can be modulated. Extensive qualitative and quantitative evaluations of emerging topologies give researchers and industry professionals suitable solutions for specific applications with a systematic presentation of software-based modeling and simulation, and an exploration of key issues. Topics covered also include power distribution among sources, voltage balancing, optimization switching frequency and asymmetric source configuration. This valuable reference further provides tools to model and simulate conventional and emerging topologies using MATLAB (R)/Simulink (R) and discusses execution of experimental set-up using popular interfacing tools. The book includes a Foreword by Dr. Frede Blaabjerg, Fellow IEEE, Professor and VILLUM Investigator, Aalborg University, Denmark.

This book serves as a quick guide on the latest material systems including their synthesis, fabrication and characterization techniques. It discusses recent developments in different material systems and discusses their novel applications in various branches of science and engineering. The book briefs latest computational tools and techniques that are used to discover new material systems. The book also briefs applications of new emerging materials in various fields including, healthcare, sensors, opto-electronics, high power devices and nano-electronics. This book helps to create a synergy between computational and experimental research methods to better understand a particular material system.

This thesis addresses the problem of improving the alignment of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in transistor applications, taking a unique approach using iptycenes acting as molecular tweezers in combination with a liquid crystal solvent. As part of a project to test the effectiveness of a multi-step method, the so-called Alignment Relay Technique (ART), this work contributed evidence for the selectivity and stability of ART, as well as providing the first proof-of-concept that ART can be used to create CNT field-effect transistors (FETs). The thesis effectively explains and illustrates the chemical synthesis of the tweezers, the concept and actualization of the technique, the various factors observed to influence deposition and selectivity, along with material fabrication using both photolithography and electron beam lithography. This research advances knowledge of transistors and expands the applications of small organic molecules in the field of materials science. Particular highlights of this thesis include: an extensive review of ART, its advantages, and limitations; development of new material chemistry methods for the optimization of semiconducting CNT selectivity; and a comprehensive exploration of fabrication and characterization of CNTFETs for future applications.

This book summarizes the current knowledge of two-dimensional oxide materials. The fundamental properties of 2-D oxide systems are explored in terms of atomic structure, electronic behavior and surface chemistry. The concept of polarity in determining the stability of 2-D oxide layers is examined, charge transfer effects in ultrathin oxide films are reviewed as well as the role of defects in 2-D oxide films. The novel structure concepts that apply in oxide systems of low dimensionality are addressed, and a chapter giving an overview of state-of-the-art theoretical methods for electronic structure determination of nanostructured oxides is included. Special emphasis is given to a balanced view from the experimental and the theoretical side. Two-dimensional materials, and 2-D oxides in particular, have outstanding behavior due to dimensionality and proximity effects. Several chapters treat prototypical model systems as illustrative examples to discuss the peculiar physical and chemical properties of 2-D oxide systems. The chapters are written by renowned experts in the field.

Nitride Semiconductor Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs): Materials, Technologies, and Applications, Second Edition reviews the fabrication, performance and applications of the technology, encompassing the state-of-the-art material and device development, along with considerations regarding nitride-based LED design. This updated edition is based on the latest research and advances, including two new chapters on LEDs for large displays and laser lighting. Chapters cover molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth of nitride semiconductors, modern metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) techniques, the growth of nitride-based materials, and gallium nitride (GaN)-on-sapphire and GaN-on-silicon technologies for LEDs. Nanostructured, non-polar and semi-polar nitride-based LEDs, as well as phosphor-coated nitride LEDs, are also discussed. The book also addresses the performance of nitride LEDs, including photonic crystal LEDs, surface plasmon enhanced LEDs, color tuneable LEDs, and LEDs based on quantum wells and quantum dots. Further chapters discuss the development of LED encapsulation technology and fundamental efficiency droop issues in gallium indium nitride (GaInN) LEDs. It is a technical resource for academics, physicists, materials scientists, electrical engineers, and those working in the lighting, consumer electronics, automotive, aviation, and communications sectors.

Throughout their college career, most engineering students have done problems and studies that are basically situated in the classical world. Some may have taken quantum mechanics as their chosen field of study. This book moves beyond the basics to highlight the full quantum mechanical nature of the transport of carriers through nanoelectronic structures. The book is unique in that addresses quantum transport only in the materials that are of interest to microelectronics-semiconductors, with their variable densities and effective masses. The author develops Green's functions starting from equilibrium Green's functions and going through modern time-dependent approaches to non-equilibrium Green's functions, introduces relativistic bands for graphene and topological insulators and discusses the quantum transport changes that these bands induce, and discusses applications such as weak localization and phase breaking processes, resonant tunneling diodes, single-electron tunneling, and entanglement. Furthermore, he also explains modern ensemble Monte Carlo approaches to simulation of various approaches to quantum transport and the hydrodynamic approaches to quantum transport. All in all, the book describes all approaches to quantum transport in semiconductors, thus becoming an essential textbook for advanced graduate students in electrical engineering or physics.

Semiconductors for Photocatalysis, Volume 97 covers the latest breakthrough research and exciting developments in semiconductor photocatalysts and electrodes for water splitting and CO2 reduction. It includes a broad range of materials such as metal-oxides, metal-nitrides, silicon, III-V semiconductors, and the emerging layered compounds. New to this volume are chapters covering the Fundamentals of Semiconductor Photoelectrodes, Charge Carrier Dynamics in Metal Oxide Photoelectrodes for Water Oxidation, Photophysics and Photochemistry at the Semiconductor/Electrolyte Interface for Solar Water Splitting, V Semiconductor Photoelectrodes, III-Nitride Semiconductor Photoelectrodes, and Rare Earth Containing Materials for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Applications. In addition, the design and modeling of photocatalysts and photoelectrodes and the fundamental mechanisms of water splitting and CO2 reduction is also discussed.

Nanoscale memories are used everywhere. From your iPhone to a supercomputer, every electronic device contains at least one such type. With coverage of current and prototypical technologies, Nanoscale Semiconductor Memories: Technology and Applications presents the latest research in the field of nanoscale memories technology in one place. It also covers a myriad of applications that nanoscale memories technology has enabled. The book begins with coverage of SRAM, addressing the design challenges as the technology scales, then provides design strategies to mitigate radiation induced upsets in SRAM. It discusses the current state-of-the-art DRAM technology and the need to develop high performance sense amplifier circuitry. The text then covers the novel concept of capacitorless 1T DRAM, termed as Advanced-RAM or A-RAM, and presents a discussion on quantum dot (QD) based flash memory. Building on this foundation, the coverage turns to STT-RAM, emphasizing scalable embedded STT-RAM, and the physics and engineering of magnetic domain wall "racetrack" memory. The book also discusses state-of-the-art modeling applied to phase change memory devices and includes an extensive review of RRAM, highlighting the physics of operation and analyzing different materials systems currently under investigation. The hunt is still on for universal memory that fits all the requirements of an "ideal memory" capable of high-density storage, low-power operation, unparalleled speed, high endurance, and low cost. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this book bridges technological and application issues to provide the groundwork for developing custom designed memory systems.

Principles and Applications of Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)explores the ways in which the development of organic semiconductor materials is opening up new applications in electronic and optoelectronic luminescent devices. The book begins by covering the principles of luminescence and the luminescent properties of organic semiconductors. It then covers the development of luminescent materials for OLEDs, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of organic versus inorganic luminescent materials. The fabrication and characterization of OLEDs is also covered in detail, including information on, and comparisons of, vacuum deposition and solution techniques. Finally, applications of OLEDs are explored, including OLEDs in solid-state lighting, colored lighting, displays and potential future applications, such as ultra-thin and flexible technologies. This book is an excellent resource both for experts and newcomers to the field of organic optoelectronics and OLEDs. It is ideal for scientists working on optical devices, lighting, display and imaging technologies, and for all those engaged in research in photonics, luminescence and optical materials.

This book provides in-depth coverage of smart materials, including electroactive polymers (EAPs), synthetic muscle, pneumatic artificial muscle, soft pneumatics, hydro-muscle, and other cutting-edge transformational smart material technologies. It looks at ways smart materials respond to stimuli, such as electricity, pressure, temperature, magnetism, or light. State-of-the-art developments in EAP based actuation and pneumatics are covered, including nanotechnology, soft robotics, EAP considerations for NASA applications and thermal control of satellites, control of mirrors using dielectric elastomeric actuators, and biomimetic design and function in robotics and prosthetics. A detailed analysis of the challenges of smart materials on Earth and in space is included, with an interview about considerations and training for Missions to Moon and Mars. This book is a must-read within the smart material and space communities, from tech savvy students to industry professionals.

This book is an introduction to quantum states and of their scattering in semiconductor nanostructures. Written with exercises and detailed solutions, it is designed to enable readers to start modelling actual electron states and scattering in nanostructures. It first looks at practical aspects of quantum states and emphasises the variational and perturbation approaches. Following this there is analysis of quasi two-dimensional materials, including discussion of the eigenstates of nanostructures, scattering mechanisms and their numerical results.Focussing on practical applications, this book moves away from standard discourse on theory and provides students of physics, nanotechnology and materials science with the opportunity to fully understand the electronic properties of nanostructures.

This book is an introduction to quantum states and of their scattering in semiconductor nanostructures. Written with exercises and detailed solutions, it is designed to enable readers to start modelling actual electron states and scattering in nanostructures. It first looks at practical aspects of quantum states and emphasises the variational and perturbation approaches. Following this there is analysis of quasi two-dimensional materials, including discussion of the eigenstates of nanostructures, scattering mechanisms and their numerical results.Focussing on practical applications, this book moves away from standard discourse on theory and provides students of physics, nanotechnology and materials science with the opportunity to fully understand the electronic properties of nanostructures.

This edited book designs the Cognitive Computing in Human Cognition to analyze to improve the efficiency of decision making by cognitive intelligence. The book is also intended to attract the audience who work in brain computing, deep learning, transportation, and solar cell energy. Due to this in the recent era, smart methods with human touch called as human cognition is adopted by many researchers in the field of information technology with the Cognitive Computing.

This book presents an overview of the science of superconducting materials. It covers the fundamentals and theories of superconductivity. Subjects of special interest involving mechanisms of high temperature superconductors, tunneling, transport properties, magnetic properties, critical states, vortex dynamics, etc. are present in the book. It assists as a fundamental resource on the developed methodologies and techniques involved in the synthesis, processing, and characterization of superconducting materials. The book covers numerous classes of superconducting materials including fullerenes, borides, pnictides or iron-based chalcogen superconductors ides, alloys and cuprate oxides. Their crystal structures and properties are described. Thereafter, the book focuses on the progress of the applications of superconducting materials into superconducting magnets, fusion reactors, and accelerators and other superconducting magnets. The applications also cover recent progress in superconducting wires, power generators, powerful energy storage devices, sensitive magnetometers, RF and microwave filters, fast fault current limiters, fast digital circuits, transport vehicles, and medical applications.

This book is an up-to-date survey of the major optical characterization techniques for thin solid films. Emphasis is placed on practicability of the various approaches. Relevant fundamentals are briefly reviewed before demonstrating the application of these techniques to practically relevant research and development topics. The book is written by international top experts, all of whom are involved in industrial research and development projects.

In recent years, there has been a considerable amount of effort, both in industry and academia, focusing on the design, implementation, performance analysis, evaluation and prediction of silicon photonic interconnects for inter- and intra-chip communication, paving the way for the design and dimensioning of the next and future generation of high-performance computing systems. Photonic Interconnects for Computing Systems provides a comprehensive overview of the current state-of-the-art technology and research achievements in employing silicon photonics for interconnection networks and high-performance computing, summarizing main opportunities and some challenges. The majority of the chapters were collected from presentations made at the International Workshop on Optical/Photonic Interconnects for Computing Systems (OPTICS) held over the past two years. The workshop invites internationally recognized speakers on the range of topics relevant to silicon photonics and computing systems. Technical topics discussed in the book include: Design and Implementation of Chip-Scale Photonic Interconnects; Developing Design Automation Solutions for Chip-Scale Photonic Interconnects; Design Space Exploration in Chip-Scale Photonic Interconnects; Thermal Analysis and Modeling in Photonic Interconnects; Design for Reliability; Fabrication Non-Uniformity in Photonic Interconnects; Photonic Interconnects for Computing Systems presents a compilation of outstanding contributions from leading research groups in the field. It presents a comprehensive overview of the design, advantages, challenges, and requirements of photonic interconnects for computing systems. The selected contributions present important discussions and approaches related to the design and development of novel photonic interconnect architectures, as well as various design solutions to improve the performance of such systems while considering different challenges. The book is ideal for personnel in computer/photonic industries as well as academic staff and master/graduate students in computer science and engineering, electronic engineering, electrical engineering and photonics.

The transistor is the key enabler of modern electronics. Progress in transistor scaling has pushed channel lengths to the nanometer regime where traditional approaches to device physics are less and less suitable. These lectures describe a way of understanding MOSFETs and other transistors that is much more suitable than traditional approaches when the critical dimensions are measured in nanometers. It uses a novel, "bottom-up approach" that agrees with traditional methods when devices are large, but that also works for nano-devices. Surprisingly, the final result looks much like the traditional, textbook, transistor models, but the parameters in the equations have simple, clear interpretations at the nanoscale. The objective is to provide readers with an understanding of the essential physics of nanoscale transistors as well as some of the practical technological considerations and fundamental limits. This book is written in a way that is broadly accessible to students with only a very basic knowledge of semiconductor physics and electronic circuits.

The transistor is the key enabler of modern electronics. Progress in transistor scaling has pushed channel lengths to the nanometer regime where traditional approaches to device physics are less and less suitable. These lectures describe a way of understanding MOSFETs and other transistors that is much more suitable than traditional approaches when the critical dimensions are measured in nanometers. It uses a novel, "bottom-up approach" that agrees with traditional methods when devices are large, but that also works for nano-devices. Surprisingly, the final result looks much like the traditional, textbook, transistor models, but the parameters in the equations have simple, clear interpretations at the nanoscale. The objective is to provide readers with an understanding of the essential physics of nanoscale transistors as well as some of the practical technological considerations and fundamental limits. This book is written in a way that is broadly accessible to students with only a very basic knowledge of semiconductor physics and electronic circuits.

This book provides an overview of compound semiconductor materials and their technology. After presenting a theoretical background, it describes the relevant material preparation technologies for bulk and thin-layer epitaxial growth. It then briefly discusses the electrical, optical, and structural properties of semiconductors, complemented by a description of the most popular characterization tools, before more complex hetero- and low-dimensional structures are discussed. A special chapter is devoted to GaN and related materials, owing to their huge importance in modern optoelectronic and electronic devices, on the one hand, and their particular properties compared to other compound semiconductors, on the other. In the last part of the book, the physics and functionality of optoelectronic and electronic device structures (LEDs, laser diodes, solar cells, field-effect and heterojunction bipolar transistors) are discussed on the basis of the specific properties of compound semiconductors presented in the preceding chapters of the book. Compound semiconductors form the back-bone of all opto-electronic and electronic devices besides the classical Si electronics. Currently the most important field is solid state lighting with highly efficient LEDs emitting visible light. Also laser diodes of all wavelength ranges between mid-infrared and near ultraviolet have been the enabler for a huge number of unprecedented applications like CDs and DVDs for entertainment and data storage, not to speak about the internet, which would be impossible without optical data communications with infrared laser diodes as key elements. This book provides a concise overview over this class of materials, including the most important technological aspects for their fabrication and characterisation, also covering the most relevant devices based on compound semiconductors. It presents therefore an excellent introduction into this subject not only for students, but also for engineers and scientist who intend to put their focus on this field of science.

The Future of Semiconductor Oxides in Next-Generation Solar Cells begins with several chapters covering the synthesis of semiconductor oxides for NGSCs. Part II goes on to cover the types and applications of NGSCs currently under development, while Part III brings the two together, covering specific processing techniques for NGSC construction. Finally, Part IV discusses the stability of SO solar cells compared to organic solar cells, and the possibilities offered by hybrid technologies. This comprehensive book is an essential reference for all those academics and professionals who require thorough knowledge of recent and future developments in the role of semiconductor oxides in next generation solar cells.

This volume contains most of the invited talks of the 2001 meeting of the Solid State Physics Section of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft held from March 26 to 30 in Hamburg, Germany. The topics covered reflect the present activities in this lively domain of modern physics and are thus supposed to flashlight the state-of-the-art in condensed matter physics in Germany in the year 2001.

Explains the circuit design of silicon optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs), which are central to advances in wireless and wired telecommunications. The essential features of optical absorption are summarized, as is the device physics of photodetectors and their integration in modern bipolar, CMOS, and BiCMOS technologies. This information provides the basis for understanding the underlying mechanisms of the OEICs described in the main part of the book. In order to cover the topic comprehensively, Silicon Optoelectronic Integrated Circuits presents detailed descriptions of many OEICs for a wide variety of applications from various optical sensors, smart sensors, 3D-cameras, and optical storage systems (DVD) to fiber receivers in deep-sub-m CMOS. Numerous detailed illustrations help to elucidate the material.