• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Corporate News
  • Generation
  • Oil & Gas
  • Regulation
  • Renewable
    • Climate
    • Solar
    • Wind
  • Storage
  • Tech
  • T & D
Energy News Desk Logo

Energy News Desk

Energy News and Data

A clear semiconductor based on tin could improve solar power generation

April 22, 2020 by Science Daily

Mobility is a key parameter for semiconductor performance and relates to how quickly and easily electrons can move inside a substance. Researchers have achieved the highest mobility among thin films of tin dioxide ever reported. This high mobility could allow engineers to create thin and even transparent tin dioxide semiconductors for use in next-generation LED lights, photovoltaic solar panels or touch-sensitive display technologies.

Tin and oxygen are very familiar elements, and when combined in a certain way to become tin dioxide, the material can be made into a semiconductor. Semiconductors are fundamental to most of our technology and are the basis of computer chips, solar panels and more. Since the 1960s, tin dioxide specifically has found use in industrial applications like gas sensors and transparent electrodes for solar devices. The material is effective for these things because of its high mobility. For most applications, higher is better. However, the high mobility of tin oxide only existed in large bulk crystals, until now.

“We demonstrated the highest mobility in a thin film of tin oxide ever achieved. Improved mobility not only enhances the conductivity but also the transparency of the material,” said Shoichiro Nakao, a researcher from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Tokyo. “Generally, transparency and conductivity cannot coexist in a material. Typical transparent materials such as glass or plastic are insulating, whereas conducting materials like metals are opaque. Few materials exhibit transparent conductivity — it’s very interesting!”

The more transparent a semiconductor can be, the more light it can let through. Nakao and his team have made a tin oxide thin film that allows visible light and near-infrared light to pass. This is a great benefit to the power conversion efficiency of photovoltaic solar panels, but other uses could include enhanced touch-screen displays with even better accuracy and responsiveness, or more efficient LED lights.

“Our method of production was key to creating a substance with these properties. We used a highly focused laser to evaporate pellets of pure tin dioxide and deposit or grow material exactly how we wanted it,” said Nakao. “Such a process allows us to explore different growth conditions as well as how to incorporate additional substances. This means we can endow tin dioxide semiconductors with high mobility and useful functionality.”

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Tokyo. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Original source: Science Daily

Filed Under: Solar

Primary Sidebar

Join The Daily Charge

This week's top 5 stories in your inbox. No spam ever.

Trending

  • Offshore Wind Industry Needs 77,000 Trained Workers by 2024
  • NV Energy Receives PUCN Approval for Solar+Storage Projects
  • GE Researchers Granted Access to the Summit Supercomputer
  • Solar Support Launches Predictive, Corrective Inverter Program
  • Vestas Unveils 15 MW Offshore Wind Turbine
  • Firestone Walker Brewing Taps Solar to Power Operations
  • CPS Energy Issues RFP Seeking Solar, Energy Storage
  • ENGIE Touts Strong 2020 Renewable Additions
  • ArcVera’s Wind Energy Team Adds New Member
  • Vineyard Wind Appoints Oytan as Deputy CEO

Footer

Trending

  • Offshore Wind Industry Needs 77,000 Trained Workers by 2024
  • NV Energy Receives PUCN Approval for Solar+Storage Projects
  • GE Researchers Granted Access to the Summit Supercomputer
  • Solar Support Launches Predictive, Corrective Inverter Program
  • Vestas Unveils 15 MW Offshore Wind Turbine

Recent

  • Quick Tips To A Sustainable Future
  • Stem Provides Smart Energy Storage Solutions to Today’s Power
  • EIA's AEO2021 shows U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions rising after the mid-2030s
  • Homeowners associations still a barrier for some would-be solar customers
  • Commentary: With open standards, U.S. can build EV charging infrastructure faster

Search

Contact Us

Write For Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 · EnergyNewsDesk.com