Physics of Thin Films is one of the longest running continuing series in thin film science, consisting of 25 volumes since 1963. The series contains quality studies of the properties of various thin films materials and systems. In order to be able to reflect the development of today's science and to cover all modern aspects of thin films, the series, starting with Volume 20, has moved beyond the basic physics of thin films. It now addresses the most important aspects of both inorganic and organic thin films, in both their theoretical and their technological aspects. Starting with Volume 30, the title of the series, Thin Films, is being changed to Thin Films and Nanostructures. We feel that this new titlereflects more accurately the rapidly growing inclusion of research anddevelopment efforts on nanostructures, especially in relation to novel solid-state device formats

Volume 32 of the series addresses one of the most rapidly developing research fields in physics: microcavities. Microcavities form a base for fabrication of opto-electronic devices of XXI century, in particular polariton lasers based on a new physical principle with respect to conventional lasers proposed by Einstein in 1917. This book overviews a theory of all major phenomena linked microcavities and exciton-polaritons and is oriented to the reader having no background in solid state theory as well as to the advanced readers interested in theory of exciton-polaritons in microcavities. All major experimental discoveries in the field are addressed as well.·The book is oriented to a general reader and is easy to read for a non-specialist.·Contains an overview of the most essential effects in physics of microcavities experimentally observed and theoretically predicted during the recent decade such as:. ·Bose-Einstein condensation at room temperature.·Lasers without inversion of population.·Microcavity boom: optics of the XXI century!·Frequently asked questions on microcavities and responses without formulas. ·Half-light-half-matter quasi-particles: base for the future optoelectronic devices

The book is devoted to the consideration of the different processes taking place in thin films and at surfaces. Since the most important physico-chemical phenomena in such media are accompanied by the rearrangement of an intra- and intermolecular coordinates and consequently a surrounding molecular ensemble, the theory of radiationless multi-vibrational transitions is used for its description. The second part of the book considers the numerous surface phenomena. And in the third part is described the preparation methods and characteristics of different types of thin films. Both experimental and theoretical descriptions are represented. Media rearrangement coupled with the reagent transformation largely determines the absolute value and temperature dependence of the rate constants and other characteristics of the considered processes. These effects are described at the atomic or molecular level based on the multi-phonon theory, starting from the first pioneering studies through to contemporary studies.A number of questions are included at the end of many chapters to further reinforce the material presented.· Unified approach to the description of numerous physico-chemical phenomena in different materials· Based on the pioneering research work of the authors· Explantion of a variety of experimental observations· Material is presented at two levels of complexity for specialists and non-specialists · Identifies existing and potential applications of the processes and phenomena · Includes questions at the end of some chapters to further reinforce the material discussed

Advances in Nanotechnology Research and Application: 2011 Edition is a ScholarlyEditions™ eBook that delivers timely, authoritative, and comprehensive information about Nanotechnology. The editors have built Advances in Nanotechnology Research and Application: 2011 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Nanotechnology in this eBook to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Advances in Nanotechnology Research and Application: 2011 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

The structural properties of materials play a fundamental role in the determination of their suitability for a specific application. This book is intended as a contribution to the efforts to increase the knowledge of the influence exerted on the properties of materials by their crystalline or amorphous structure. To this aim, some of the materials that are most promising for their use in different technological fields have been studied, namely graphene, titanium oxide, several types of functional metal oxides, porphyrinic crystalline solids, plasma deposited polymers, amorphous silicon, as well as hydrogenated amorphous carbon. These materials have been presented by the authors for their use in different applications, including microelectronics, photonics, and biomedicine.

Cu(In1-xGax)Se2 Based Thin Film Solar Cells provides valuable contents about the fabrication and characterization of chalcopyrite Cu(In1-xGax)Se2 based thin film solar cells and modules. The growth of chalcopyrite Cu(In1-xGax)(S1-ySey)2 absorbers, buffers, window layers, antireflection coatings, and finally metallic grids, which are the sole components of solar cells, is clearly illustrated. The absorber, which contains multiple elements, segregates secondary phases if the growth conditions are not well optimized i.e., the main drawback in the fabrication of solar cells. More importantly the solutions for the growth of thin films are given in detail. The properties of all the individual layers and single crystals including solar cells analyzed by different characterization techniques such as SEM, AFM, XPS, AES, TEM, XRD, optical, photoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy are explicitly demonstrated. The electrical analyses such as conductivities, Hall mobilities, deep level transient spectroscopy measurements etc., provide a broad picture to understand thin films or single crystals and their solar cells. The book clearly explains the working principle of energy conversion from solar to electrical with basic sciences for the chalcopyrite based thin film solar cells. Also, it demonstrates important criteria on how to enhance efficiency of the solar cells and modules. The effect of environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, aging etc., on the devices is mentioned by citing several examples. - Illustrates a number of growth techniques to prepare thin film layers for solar cells - Discusses characterization techniques such as XRD, TEM, XPS, AFM, SEM, PL, CL, Optical measurements, and Electrical measurements - Includes I-V, C-V measurements illustrations - Provides analysis of solar cell efficiency - Presents current trends in thin film solar cells research and marketing

The first book devoted to a systematic consideration of electronic excitations and electronic energy transfer in organic crystalline multilayers and organics based nanostructures(quantum wells, quantum wires, quantum dots, microcavities). The ingenious combination of organic with inorganic materials in one and the same hybrid structure is shown to give qualitatively new opto-electronic phenomena, potentially important for applications in nonlinear optics, light emitting devices, photovoltaic cells, lasers and so on. The book will be useful not only for physicists but also for chemists and biologists.To help the nonspecialist reader, three Chapters which contain a tutorial and updated introduction to the physics of electronic excitations in organic and inorganic solids have been included.* hybrid Frenkel-Wannier-Mott excitons* microcavities with crystalline and disordered organics * electronic excitation at donor-acceptor interfaces * cold photoconductivity at donor-acceptor interface* cummulative photovoltage* Feorster transfer energy in microcavity* New concepts for LEDs