Self-assembled monolayers(SAM) of microspheres such as silica and polystyrene(PS) beads have found widespread application in photonic crystals, sensors, and lithographic masks or templates. From a practical viewpoint, setting up a highthroughput process to form a SAM over large areas in a controllable manner is a key challenging issue. Various methods have been suggested including drop casting, spin coating, Langmuir Blodgett, and convective self-assembly(CSA) techniques. Among these, the CSA method has recently attracted attention due to its potential scalability to an automated high-throughput process. By controlling various parameters, this process can be precisely tuned to achieve well-ordered arrays of microspheres. In this study, using a restricted meniscus CSA method, we systematically investigate the effect of the processing parameters on the formation of large area self-assembled monolayers of PS beads. A way to provide hydrophilicity, a prerequisite for a CSA, to the surface of a hydrophobic photoresist layer, is presented in order to apply the SAM of the PS beads as a mask for photonic nanojet lithography.

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) used in the antireflection layer and current spreading layer of heterojunction solar cells should have excellent optical and electrical properties. Furthermore, TCOs need a high work function over 5.2 eV to prevent the effect of emitter band-bending caused by the difference in work function between emitter and TCOs. Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) film is a highly promising material as a TCO due to its excellent optical and electrical properties. However, ITO films have a low work function of about 4.8 eV. This low work function of ITO films leads to deterioration of the conversion efficiency of solar cells. In this work, ITO films with various Zn contents of 0, 6.9, 12.7, 28.8, and 36.6 at.% were fabricated by a co-sputtering method using ITO and AZO targets at room temperature. The optical and electrical properties of Zn-doped ITO thin films were analyzed. Then, silicon heterojunction solar cells with these films were fabricated. The 12.7 at% Zn-doped ITO films show the highest hall mobility of 35.71 cm2/Vsec. With increasing Zn content over 12.7, the hall mobility decreases. Although a small addition of Zn content increased the work function, further addition of Zn content over 12.7 at.% led to decreasing electrical properties because of the decrease in the carrier concentration and hall mobility. Silicon heterojunction solar cells with 12.7 at% Zn-doped ITO thin films showed the highest conversion efficiency of 15.8%.

In this study we investigated the effect of the multi-step texturing process on the electrical and optical properties of hydrogenated Al-doped zinc oxide (HAZO) thin films deposited by rf magnetron sputtering. AZO films on glass were prepared by changing the H2/(Ar+H2) ratio at a low temperature of 150˚C. The prepared HAZO films showed lower resistivity and higher carrier concentration and mobility than those of non-hydrogenated AZO films. After deposition, the surface of the HAZO films was multi-step textured in diluted HCl (0.5%) for the investigation of the change in the optical properties and the surface morphology due to etching. As a result, the HAZO film fabricated under the type III condition showed excellent optical properties with a haze value of 52.3%.

This study examined the effect of growth temperature on the electrical and optical properties ofhydrogenated Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO:H) thin films deposited by rf magnetron sputtering using a ceramictarget (98wt.% ZnO, 2wt.% Al2O3). Various AZO films on glass were prepared by changing the substratetemperature from room temperature to 200oC. It was shown that intentionally incorporated hydrogen plays animportant role on the electrical properties of AZO:H films by increasing free carrier concentration. As a result,in the 2% H2 addition at the growth temperature of 150oC, resistivity of 3.21×10-4Ω·cm, mobility of 21.9cm2/V−s, electric charge carrier concentration of 9.35×1020cm-3 was obtained. The AZO:H films show a hexagonalwurtzite structure preferentially oriented in the (002) crystallographic direction.