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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Development Of Metal Matrix Composite Gridlines For Space Photovoltaics, Omar K. Abudayyeh Nov 2016

Development Of Metal Matrix Composite Gridlines For Space Photovoltaics, Omar K. Abudayyeh

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Space vehicles today are primarily powered by multi-junction photovoltaic cells due to their high efficiency and high radiation hardness in the space environment. While multi-junction solar cells provide high efficiency, microcracks develop in the crystalline semiconductor due to a variety of reasons, including: growth defects, film stress due to lattice constant mismatch, and external mechanical stresses introduced during shipping, installation, and operation. These microcracks have the tendency to propagate through the different layers of the semiconductor reaching the metal gridlines of the cell, resulting in electrically isolated areas from the busbar region, ultimately lowering the power output of the cell …


Magnetoresistance Of A Low-K Dielectric, Brian Thomas Mcgowan Jan 2016

Magnetoresistance Of A Low-K Dielectric, Brian Thomas Mcgowan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Low-k dielectrics have been incorporated into advanced computer chip technologies as a part of the continuous effort to improve computer chip performance. One drawback associated with the implementation of low-k dielectrics is the large leakage current which conducts through the material, relative to silica. Another drawback is that the breakdown voltage of low-k dielectrics is low, relative to silica [1]. This low breakdown voltage makes accurate reliability assessment of the failure mode time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) in low-k dielectrics critical for the successful implementation of these materials. The accuracy with which one can assess this reliability is currently a …


Development Of Enhanced Window Layers For Cigs Photovoltaic Devices, James Nicholas Alexander Jan 2016

Development Of Enhanced Window Layers For Cigs Photovoltaic Devices, James Nicholas Alexander

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Photovoltaic devices are among the promising options for sustainable future energy generation. Thin film solar cells have demonstrated the ability to be a low-cost solution to clean renewable energy and are cost competitive with current silicon based photovoltaic devices. One of the most promising thin film devices right now is the Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) solar cell with maximum reported power conversion efficiency of 22.3%. The Transparent Conducting Oxide (TCO) which is the top layer of the CIGS device also known as the window layer, is responsible for collecting the electrons generated in the CIGS device and conducting them …