| AVS 60th International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Energy Frontiers Focus Topic | Wednesday Sessions |
| Session EN+SE+SS+TF-WeM |
| Session: | Thin Films for Energy |
| Presenter: | W.M.M. Kessels, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is well known for its ability to deposit ultrathin films with sub-nanometer growth control and with an excellent conformality over demanding 3D surface topologies. These films can be deposited in regular cycles in an ABAB-like fashion but also more complex cycles can be employed such as (AB)nC(AB)nC (n ≥ 1) etc. In addition to binary thin film materials, such more complex (super)cycles also allow for the preparation of complex compound films and doped films with a high level of control of the film properties. Moreover, besides thin films, ALD can also be used to deposit nanoparticles by exploiting the poor wettability of several thin film materials, in particularly metals, on certain substrate materials. By carrying out only a limited number of cycles in the initial growth phase of the films nanoparticles can be deposited with accurate size control and a relatively narrow size distribution. These features make ALD a very attractive method to synthesize nanomaterials for clean energy technologies such as solar cells, batteries, and fuel cells. In this presentation, I will build on our previous work with respect to the deposition of nanolayers for surface passivation of silicon solar cells [1], the preparation of active films for Li-ion batteries [2], and the synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles for catalysis applications [3]. More particularly, I will report on Al2O3/ZnO:Al stacks for passivating (tunnel) contacts in silicon solar cells, LiCoO2 as cathode material in all-solid state Li-ion batteries, and Pt nanoparticles as counter-electrode in flexible dye-sensitized solar cells. Most ALD processes employed in this work go beyond the regularly employed ABAB-like cycles and this will be used to demonstrate the unique features of ALD.
[1] Status and prospects of Al2O3-based surface passivation schemes for silicon solar cells, G. Dingemans and W.M.M. Kessels, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 30, 040802 (2012).
[2] Atomic layer deposition for nanostructured Li-ion batteries, H.C.M. Knoops et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 30, 010801-1 (2012).
[3] Supported Core/Shell Bimetallic Nanoparticles Synthesis by Atomic Layer Deposition, M.J. Weber et al., Chem. Mater. 24, 2973 (2012).