A hybrid vapor phase-solution phase CZT(S,Se) growth technique is provided. In one aspect, a method of forming a kesterite absorber material on a substrate includes the steps of: depositing a layer of a first kesterite material on the substrate using a vapor phase deposition process, wherein the first kesterite material includes Cu, Zn, Sn, and at least one of S and Se; annealing the first kesterite material to crystallize the first kesterite material; and depositing a layer of a second kesterite material on a side of the first kesterite material opposite the substrate using a solution phase deposition process, wherein the second kesterite material includes Cu, Zn, Sn, and at least one of S and Se, wherein the first kesterite material and the second kesterite material form a multi-layer stack of the absorber material on the substrate. A photovoltaic device and method of formation thereof are also provided.

Here we present an apparatus comprising a photoelectrochemical cell connected a photovoltaic device, comprised of a layer with a thick n-type absorber and a layer comprising a thin p-type hole emitter. The photoelectrochemical cell has binary, metal-oxide semiconductors with wide bandgaps comprising high electron affinities relative to other semiconductor materials allowing for n-type doping.

A present novel and non-trivial semiconductor device, switch device and method performed by the switch device is disclosed. A semiconductor device for conducting current may be comprised of an SI substrate and a plurality of electrodes deposited upon the substrate, where at least one electrode may be comprised of a transparent conductive material (TCM). A switching device may be comprised of a plurality of electromagnetic radiation sources and a plurality of the semiconductor devices. The method performed by the switching device may be comprised of receiving a plurality of cycles. During a first cycle, a first semiconductor device may be irradiated, and in response, current may flow through the first semiconductor device and provided to a user circuit. During the second cycle, a second semiconductor device may be irradiated, and in response, current from a user circuit may be received and flow through the first semiconductor device.

A photoelectric conversion device including a transparent substrate, a first electrode, at least a photoelectric conversion layer and a second electrode is provided. The first electrode is located on the transparent substrate. The transparent substrate means that at least some parts of the substrate area are transparent. At least a photoelectric conversion layer is located on the first electrode, wherein the optical light transmittance of the photoelectric conversion layer in at least a portion of the visible spectrum is higher than 20%. The second electrode is located on the photoelectric conversion layer.

The present disclosure relates to modifications to nanostructure based transparent conductors to achieve increased haze/light-scattering with different and tunable degrees of scattering, different materials, and different microstructures and nanostructures.

A method for producing a plurality of semiconductor components (1) is provided, comprising the following steps: a) providing a semiconductor layer sequence (2) having a first semiconductor layer (21), a second semiconductor layer (22) and an active region (25), said active region being arranged between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer for generating and/or receiving radiation; b) forming a first connection layer (31) on the side of the second connection layer facing away from the first semiconductor layer; c) forming a plurality of cut-outs (29) through the semiconductor layer sequence; d) forming a conducting layer (4) in the cut-outs for establishing an electrically conductive connection between the first semiconductor layer and the first connection layer; and e) separating into the plurality of semiconductor components, wherein a semiconductor body (20) having at least one of the plurality of cut-outs arises from the semiconductor layer sequence for each semiconductor component and the at least one cut-out is completely surrounded by the semiconductor body in a top view of the semiconductor body. Furthermore, a semiconductor component is provided.

Methods of fabricating graphene for device application are described herein. The method comprises growing a graphene film on a copper substrate using chemical vapor deposition (CVD), transferring the graphene film from the copper substrate to a device substrate, doping the graphene film with gold(III) chloride (AuCl3); and patterning the graphene film. The graphene film has a transmittance of at least 97% in visible to infrared range and a sheet resistance of less than 200 Ohms per square. The graphene film can be used as a transparent conductive electrode in, among others, a microshutter array on a space telescope.

Techniques for mechanically stabilizing metallic nanowire meshes using encapsulation are provided. In one aspect, a method for forming a mechanically-stabilized metallic nanowire mesh is provided which includes the steps of: forming the metallic nanowire mesh on a substrate; and coating the metallic nanowire mesh with a metal oxide that encapsulates the metallic nanowire mesh to mechanically-stabilize the metallic nanowire mesh which permits the metallic nanowire mesh to remain conductive at temperatures greater than or equal to about 600 C. A mechanically-stabilized metallic nanowire mesh is also provided.

A method of forming a stacked image sensor comprises providing a first substrate and a second substrate. The first substrate comprises a first matrix comprising first quantum dots, a first dielectric layer adjacent to the first matrix, and first bond pads disposed in the first dielectric layer. The second substrate comprises a second matrix comprising second quantum dots, a second dielectric layer adjacent to the second matrix, and second bond pads disposed in the second dielectric layer. The method includes hybrid bonding the first substrate to the second substrate without use of an intervening adhesive to form the stacked image sensor, where the hybrid bonding connects the first bond pads to the second bond pads.

The present disclosure provides a back-contact solar cell, a fabrication method, and a solar-cell assembly. In one aspect, a back-contact solar cell includes a solar-cell body and an isolating groove. The solar-cell body includes a silicon substrate, a first semiconductor layer in a first region of a back surface of the silicon substrate, a second semiconductor layer having a portion in a second region of the back surface, and a transparent conductive film layer stacked on the first and second semiconductor layers. The isolating groove extends through the second semiconductor layer and the transparent conductive film layer. An area of a cross section of the isolating groove decreases towards the silicon substrate, and the cross section is parallel to the silicon substrate.