Neil Beattie

Optical properties of high quality Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin films

Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin films, fabricated on bare or molybdenum coated glass substrates by magnetron sputtering and selenisation, were studied by a range of techniques. Photoluminescence spectra reveal an excitonic peak and two phonon replicas of a donor-acceptor pair (DAP) recombination. Its acceptor and donor ionisation energies are 27 and 7 meV, respectively. This demonstrates that high-quality Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin films can be fabricated. An experimental value for the longitudinal optical phonon energy of 28 meV was estimated. The band gap energy of 1.01 eV at room temperature was determined using optical absorption spectra.

The natural history of primary anterior dislocation of the glenohumeral joint in adolescence

The natural history of primary anterior dislocation of the glenohumeral joint in adolescent patients remains unclear and there is no consensus for management of these patients. The objectives of this study were to report the natural history of primary anterior dislocation of the glenohumeral joint in adolescent patients and to identify the risk factors for recurrent dislocation. We reviewed prospectively-collected clinical and radiological data on 133 adolescent patients diagnosed with a primary anterior dislocation of the glenohumeral joint who had been managed non-operatively at our hospital between 1996 and 2008. There were 115 male (86.5%) and 18 female patients (13.5%) with a mean age of 16.3 years (13 to 18) and a mean follow-up of 95.2 months (1 to 215). During follow-up, 102 (absolute incidence of 76.7%) patients had a recurrent dislocation. The median interval between primary and recurrent dislocation was ten months (95% CI 7.4 to 12.6). Applying survival analysis the likelihood of having a stable shoulder one year after the initial injury was 59% (95% CI 51.2 to 66.8), 38% (95% CI 30.2 to 45.8%) after two years, 21% (95% CI 13.2 to 28.8) after five years, and 7% (95% CI 1.1 to 12.9) after ten years. Neither age nor gender significantly predicted recurrent dislocation during follow-up. We conclude that adolescent patients with a primary anterior dislocation of the glenohumeral joint have a high rate of recurrent dislocation, which usually occurs within two years of their initial injury: these patients should be considered for early operative stabilisation.

Influence of reaction conditions on the properties of solution-processed Cu2ZnSnS4 nanocrystals

Cu2ZnSnS4 nanocrystals were fabricated by hot injection of sulphur into a solution of metallic precursors. By careful control of the reaction conditions it was possible to control the elemental composition of the nanocrystals such that they are suitable for earth abundant photovoltaic absorbers. When the reaction temperature increased from 195 °C to 240 °C the energy band gap of the nanocrystals decreased from 1.65 eV to 1.39 eV. This variation is explained by the identification of a mixed wurtzite–kesterite phase at lower reaction temperatures and secondary phase Cu2SnS3 at higher temperatures. Moreover, the existence of wurtzite structure depends critically on the reaction cooling rate. The reaction time was also found to have a strong effect on the nanocrystals which became increasingly copper poor and zinc rich as the reaction evolved. As the reaction time increase from 15 min to 60 min, the energy band gap increased from 1.42 eV to 1.84 eV. This variation is discussed in terms of the sample doping. The results demonstrate the importance of optimizing the reaction conditions to produce high quality Cu2ZnSnS4 nanocrystals.

Reducing series resistance in Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 nanoparticle ink solar cells on flexible molybdenum foil substrates

Earth abundant Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoparticle inks were deposited on molybdenum foil substrates and subsequently converted to high quality thin film Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 photovoltaic absorbers. Integration of these absorbers within a thin film solar cell device structure yields a solar energy conversion efficiency which is comparable to identical devices processed on rigid glass substrates. Importantly, this is only achieved when a thin layer of molybdenum is first applied directly to the foil. The layer limits the formation of a thick Mo(S,Se)x layer resulting in a substantially reduced series resistance.

Sodium Induced Microstructural Changes in MOCVD-Grown CdTe Thin Films

The properties of CdTe thin films deposited by metal-organic vapour deposition (MOCVD) on Mo-coated glass substrates are studied with particular interest in the effect of Na. It is shown that for radio frequency sputtered Mo layers on soda-lime glass substrates the Na content in the metal layer is regulated by the deposition pressure of the Mo layer itself due to increased porosity of the metal layer. Na diffusion from the glass into the CdTe layer results in grain enlargements to such extend that film continuity is broken following CdCl2 treatment for both low and high Na content. When Na is added post-Mo deposition on quartz substrates, the growth of large faceted grains is observed in the as-deposited stage, increasing by an order of magnitude compared with Na-free layers. However, following the CdCl2 activation step the average grain size is reduced but still observed to be larger than in the Na-free case. The CdTe crystal structure is analysed for the different sample combinations and initial device data suggest a small improvement in open circuit voltage when Na is present.