We study polarization independent improved light trapping in commercial thin film hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar photovoltaic cells using a three-dimensional silver array of multi-resonant nano-disk structures embedded in a silicon nit
ride anti-reflection coating (ARC) to enhance optical absorption in the intrinsic layer (i-a-Si:H) for the visible spectrum for any polarization angle. Predicted total optical enhancement (OE) in absorption in the i-a-Si:H for AM-1.5 solar spectrum is 18.51% as compared to the reference, and producing a 19.65% improvement in short-circuit current density (JSC) over 11.7 mA/cm2 for a reference cell. The JSC in the nano-disk patterned solar cell (NDPSC) was found to be higher than the commercial reference structure for any incident angle. The NDPSC has a multi-resonant optical response for the visible spectrum and the associated mechanism for OE in i-a-Si:H layer is excitation of Fabry-Perot resonance facilitated by surface plasmon resonances. The detrimental Staebler-Wronski effect (SWE) in a-Si:H solar cell can be minimized by the additional OE in the NDPSC and self-annealing of defect states by additional heat generation, thus likely improving the overall stabilized characteristics of a-Si:H solar cells.
This paper first reviews non-traditional heat exchanger geometry, laser welding, practical issues with microchannel heat exchangers, and high effectiveness heat exchangers. Existing microchannel heat exchangers have low material costs, but high manuf
acturing costs. This paper presents a new expanded microchannel heat exchanger design and accompanying continuous manufacturing technique for potential low-cost production. Polymer heat exchangers have the potential for high effectiveness. The paper discusses one possible joining method - a new type of laser welding named forward conduction welding, used to fabricate the prototype. The expanded heat exchanger has the potential to have counter-flow, cross-flow, or parallel-flow configurations, be used for all types of fluids, and be made of polymers, metals, or polymer-ceramic precursors. The cost and ineffectiveness reduction may be an order of magnitude or more, saving a large fraction of primary energy. The measured effectiveness of the prototype with 28 micron thick black low density polyethylene walls and counterflow, water-to-water heat transfer in 2 mm channels was 72%, but multiple low-cost stages could realize the potential of higher effectiveness.
This paper presents the preliminary results of optical characterization using spectroscopic ellipsometry of wurtzite indium gallium nitride (InxGa1-xN) thin films with medium indium content (0.38<x<0.68) that were deposited on silicon dioxide using p
lasma-enhanced evaporation. A Kramers-Kronig consistent parametric analytical model using Gaussian oscillators to describe the absorption spectra has been developed to extract the real and imaginary components of the dielectric function ({epsilon}1, {epsilon}2) of InxGa1-xN films. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images are presented to examine film microstructure and verify film thicknesses determined from ellipsometry modelling. This fitting procedure, model, and parameters can be employed in the future to extract physical parameters from ellipsometric data from other InxGa1-xN films.
The Stockholm Educational Air Shower Array (SEASA) project has established a network of GPS time-synchronised scintillator detector stations at high-schools in the Stockholm region. The primary aim of this project is outreach. A part of the network c
omprises a dense cluster of detector stations located at AlbaNova University Centre. This cluster is being used to study the cosmic ray anisotropy around the knee. Each station consists of three scintillator detectors in a triangular geometry which allows multiple timing measurements as the shower front sweeps over the station. The timing resolution of the system has been determined and the angular resolution has been studied using Monte Carlo simulations and is compared to data. The potential of this system to study small and large scale cosmic ray anisotropies is discussed.
This paper studies the set of $ntimes n$ matrices for which all row and column sums equal zero. By representing these matrices in a lower dimensional space, it is shown that this set is closed under addition and multiplication, and furthermore is iso
morphic to the set of arbitrary $(n-1)times (n-1)$ matrices. The Moore-Penrose pseudoinverse corresponds with the true inverse, (when it exists), in this lower dimension and an explicit representation of this pseudoinverse in terms of the lower dimensional space is given. This analysis is then extended to non-square matrices with all row or all column sums equal to zero.
