Photovoltaic technology has now developed to the extent that it is close to fulfilling the vision of a "solar-energy world," as devices based on this technology are becoming efficient, low-cost and durable. This book provides a comprehensive treatment of thin-film silicon, a prevalent PV material, in terms of its semiconductor nature, startin

The world of today must face up to two contradictory energy problems: on the one hand, there is the sharply growing consumer demand in countries such as China and India. On the other hand, natural resources are dwindling. Moreover, many of those countries which still possess substantial gas and oil supplies are politically unstable. As a result, renewable natural energy sources have received great attention. Among these, solar-cell technology is one of the most promising candidates. However, there still remains the problem of the manufacturing costs of such cells. Many attempts have been made to reduce the production costs of “conventional” solar cells (manufactured from monocrystalline silicon using diffusion methods) by instead using cheaper grades of silicon, and simpler pn-junction fabrication. That is the ‘hero’ of this book; the heterojunction solar cell.

Energy experts predict that wholesale electricity prices could easily rise 35 to 65 percent by 2015. Add to this the growing need for energy independence and the need to reduce carbon emissions and it is very clear that the development of low-cost renewable energy, such as solar energy, is essential for our economy and our national security. With t

ISTC/CSTIC is an annual semiconductor technology conference covering all the aspects of semiconductor technology and manufacturing, including devices, design, lithography, integration, materials, processes, manufacturing as well as emerging semiconductor technologies and silicon material applications. ISTC/CSTIC 2009 was merged by ISTC (International Semiconductor Technology Conference) and CSTIC (China Semiconductor Technology International Conference), the two industry leading technical conferences in China, and consisted of one plenary session and nine technical symposia. This issue of ECS Transactions contains 159 papers from the conference.

Gallium Oxide: Technology, Devices and Applications discusses the wide bandgap semiconductor and its promising applications in power electronics, solar blind UV detectors, and in extreme environment electronics. It also covers the fundamental science of gallium oxide, providing an in-depth look at the most relevant properties of this materials system. High quality bulk Ga2O3 is now commercially available from several sources and n-type epi structures are also coming onto the market. As researchers are focused on creating new complex structures, the book addresses the latest processing and synthesis methods. Chapters are designed to give readers a complete picture of the Ga2O3 field and the area of devices based on Ga2O3, from their theoretical simulation, to fabrication and application. Provides an overview of the advantages of the gallium oxide materials system, the advances in in bulk and epitaxial crystal growth, device design and processing Reviews the most relevant applications, including photodetectors, FETs, FINFETs, MOSFETs, sensors, catalytic applications, and more Addresses materials properties, including structural, mechanical, electrical, optical, surface and contact