There has been considerable progress in the development of thin-film photovoltaic devices with new efficiency records and enhanced durability. These achievements are the result of significant advances in the fundamental understanding of the materials, interfaces and devices. With 18 countries represented, this truly international volume brings together engineers and researchers from academic, industrial and national laboratories worldwide to review different materials systems and address common issues and problems. A wide variety of topics related to the development of thin-film photovoltaic and related devices, including thick-film transistors and materials for flat-panel displays, are addressed. Areas of emphasis include materials synthesis, device fabrication and characterization, and modelling. Topics include: thin-film amorphous silicon devices; thin-film silicon devices; thin-film devices based on copper-indium diselenide; cadmium-telluride devices; transparent conductive oxides and related materials for thin-film devices; and novel concepts for thin-film photovoltaics.

Interest in the mechanical properties of thin films remains high throughout the world, as evidenced by the large international contingent represented in this book. With regard to stresses, techniques for sorting out residual stress and strain states are becoming more varied and sophisticated. Discussions include Raman scattering, nonlinear acoustic responses and back-scattered electron imaging microscopies, as well as the more standard wafer-bending and X-ray techniques. Spectroscopy, indenting and the burgeoning field of nanoprobe imaging for the characterization of mechanical properties of thin films are also highlighted. Topics include: mechanical properties of films and multilayers; fracture and adhesion; nanoindentation of films and surfaces; mechanical property methods and modelling; tribological properties of thin films; properties of polymer films; stress effects in thin films and interconnects; epitaxy and strain relief mechanisms, measurements.

Interest in the mechanical properties of thin films remains high throughout the world, as evidenced by the large international contingent represented in this book. With regard to stresses, techniques for sorting out residual stress and strain states are becoming more varied and sophisticated. Discussions include Raman scattering, nonlinear acoustic responses and back-scattered electron imaging microscopies, as well as the more standard wafer-bending and X-ray techniques. Spectroscopy, indenting and the burgeoning field of nanoprobe imaging for the characterization of mechanical properties of thin films are also highlighted. Topics include: mechanical properties of films and multilayers; fracture and adhesion; nanoindentation of films and surfaces; mechanical property methods and modelling; tribological properties of thin films; properties of polymer films; stress effects in thin films and interconnects; epitaxy and strain relief mechanisms, measurements.

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.

Two-dimensional materials created ab initio by the process of condensation of atoms, molecules, or ions, called thin films, have unique properties significantly different from the corresponding bulk materials as a result of their physical dimensions, geometry, nonequilibrium microstructure, and metallurgy. Further, these characteristic features of thin films can be drasti cally modified and tailored to obtain the desired and required physical characteristics. These features form the basis of development of a host of extraordinary active and passive thin film device applications in the last two decades. On the one extreme, these applications are in the submicron dimensions in such areas as very large scale integration (VLSI), Josephson junction quantum interference devices, magnetic bubbles, and integrated optics. On the other extreme, large-area thin films are being used as selective coatings for solar thermal conversion, solar cells for photovoltaic conver sion, and protection and passivating layers. Indeed, one would be hard pressed to find many sophisticated modern optical and electronic devices which do not use thin films in one way or the other. With the impetus provided by industrial applications, the science and technology of thin films have undergone revolutionary development and even today continue to be recognized globally as frontier areas of RID work. Major technical developments in any field of science and technology are invariably accompanied by an explosion of published literature in the form of scientific publications, reviews, and books.

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.

This book provides a basic understanding of spectroscopic ellipsometry, with a focus on characterization methods of a broad range of solar cell materials/devices, from traditional solar cell materials (Si, CuInGaSe2, and CdTe) to more advanced emerging materials (Cu2ZnSnSe4, organics, and hybrid perovskites), fulfilling a critical need in the photovoltaic community. The book describes optical constants of a variety of semiconductor light absorbers, transparent conductive oxides and metals that are vital for the interpretation of solar cell characteristics and device simulations. It is divided into four parts: fundamental principles of ellipsometry; characterization of solar cell materials/structures; ellipsometry applications including optical simulations of solar cell devices and online monitoring of film processing; and the optical constants of solar cell component layers.