This book is the Francesco Biccari's PhD thesis in physics, defended at the Sapienza - University of Rome in February 2010. The thesis deals with the study of the defects and doping of cuprous oxide (Cu2O) a very long studied semiconductor. The interest in Cu2O is due to its optical properties, its low cost and low toxicity which make it a perfect candidate for low cost photovoltaic cells.

This book highlights the optical properties of metal oxides at both the fundamental and applied level and their use in various applications. The book offers a basic understanding of the optical properties and related spectroscopic techniques essential for anyone interested in learning about metal oxide nanostructures. This is partly due to the fact that optical properties are closely associated with other properties and functionalities (e.g., electronic, magnetic, and thermal), which are of essential significance to many technological applications, such as optical data communications, imaging, lighting, and displays, life sciences, health care, security, and safety. The book also highlights the fundamentals and systematic developments in various optical techniques to achieve better characterization, cost-effective, user-friendly approaches, and most importantly, state-of-the-art developing methodologies for various scientific and technological applications. It provides an adequate understanding of the imposed limitations and highlights the prospects and challenges associated with optical analytical methods to achieve the desired performance in targeted applications.

Issues in Applied Physics / 2011 Edition is a ScholarlyEditions™ eBook that delivers timely, authoritative, and comprehensive information about Applied Physics. The editors have built Issues in Applied Physics: 2011 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Applied Physics 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 Issues in Applied Physics: 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 handbook comprehensively covers the field of inorganic photochemistry from the fundamentals to the main applications. The first section of the book describes the historical development of inorganic photochemistry, along with the fundamentals related to this multidisciplinary scientific field. The main experimental techniques employed in state-of-art studies are described in detail in the second section followed by a third section including theoretical investigations in the field. In the next three sections, the photophysical and photochemical properties of coordination compounds, supramolecular systems and inorganic semiconductors are summarized by experts on these materials. Finally, the application of photoactive inorganic compounds in key sectors of our society is highlighted. The sections cover applications in bioimaging and sensing, drug delivery and cancer therapy, solar energy conversion to electricity and fuels, organic synthesis, environmental remediation and optoelectronics among others. The chapters provide a concise overview of the main achievements in the recent years and highlight the challenges for future research. This handbook offers a unique compilation for practitioners of inorganic photochemistry in both industry and academia.

Functional oxides have a wide variety of applications in the electronic industry. The discovery of new metal oxides with interesting and useful properties continues to drive much research in chemistry, physics, and materials science. In Functional Oxides five topical areas have been selected to illustrate the importance of metal oxides in modern materials chemistry: Noncentrosymmetric Inorganic Oxide Materials Geometrically Frustrated Magnetic Materials Lithium Ion Conduction in Oxides Thermoelectric Oxides Transition Metal Oxides - Magnetoresistance and Half-Metallicity The contents highlight structural chemistry, magnetic and electronic properties, ionic conduction and other emerging areas of importance, such as thermoelectricity and spintronics. Functional Oxides covers these complex concepts in a clear and accessible manner providing an excellent introduction to this broad subject area.

The low cost and low temperature electrochemical deposition technique was employed to grow Cu2O thin films and ZnO:Al thin films were deposited by d.c. magnetron sputtering in order to fabricate solar cells. The potentiostatic and galvanostatic electrodeposition modes were used to deposit the Cu2O thin films. Raman spectra of thin films have shown characteristic frequencies of crystalline Cu2O. The contact between Cu2O and Au is found to be an Ohmic contact. The devices grown by a potentiostatic mode have higher efficiency than those grown by a galvanostatic mode. The optimum thickness of Cu2O thin films as an absorber layer in solar cells. was found to be around 3 µm respect to a high efficiency. Flexible and light weight solar cell was fabricated on plastic substrate.

Solution Processed Metal Oxide Thin Films for Electronic Applications discusses the fundamentals of solution processing materials chemistry techniques as they are applied to metal oxide materials systems for key device applications. The book introduces basic information (materials properties, materials synthesis, barriers), discusses ink formulation and solution processing methods, including sol-gel processing, surface functionalization aspects, and presents a comprehensive accounting on the electronic applications of solution processed metal oxide films, including thin film transistors, photovoltaic cells and other electronics devices and circuits. This is an important reference for those interested in oxide electronics, printed electronics, flexible electronics and large-area electronics. - Provides in-depth information on solution processing fundamentals, techniques, considerations and barriers combined with key device applications - Reviews important device applications, including transistors, light-emitting diodes, and photovoltaic cells - Includes an overview of metal oxide materials systems (semiconductors, nanomaterials and thin films), addressing materials synthesis, properties, limitations and surface aspects