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Thin film solar cells
Materials Science and Engineering, 66 (1984) 239-240
239
Book Reviews
A Source Book of Titanium Alloy Superconductivity by E. W. Collings;published by Plenum, N e w York, 1983; 512 pp.; price, U.S. $69.50
At the beginning the author states that this b o o k is intended to be a magnet designer's h a n d b o o k and a source b o o k for engineers and scientists who are currently engaged in the research and development of superconducting materials and their applications. I believe that he has done a great job in accomplishing his objective and, moreover, this is a very good reference b o o k on the subject for those who are new in this field. The author has n o t only compiled and expertly condensed an extensive amount of literature which has been published on this subject but also summarized the various findings such that they are easily understood. The format and organization of this b o o k also make it very easy to use as a reference book. In Chap. 1 all the references are compiled which are used in this b o o k by the alloy groups. With each reference, short comments and remarks on the article such as sample preparation, properties, procedures etc. are listed such that the reader can easily find the reference he needs. Also, at the end of each chapter the pertinent results for the chapter are summarized in tables with references. Another nice aspect of the present b o o k is that the figures are large enough for the readers to read conveniently. This is in contrast with some other books in which the figures are hardly readable. The author has included the introductory materials on superconductivity as a part of early chapters on alloy systems. Although these sections are well written, this reviewer would prefer to have a whole chapter on superconductivity separated from discussions of the alloy systems. Another item which the reviewer would have liked to see in this b o o k is the inclusion of other b u t very similar alloy systems such as Nb-Zr, Nb-Hf, Ta-Zr and
Ta-Hf. These are outside the titanium alloy sytems, but zirconium and hafnium behave very much like titanium. In particular the N b - Z r alloy system has been studied very extensively as a possible practical alloy. These additions would have made this b o o k a more complete reference on alloy superconductors. in summary, this is a very good reference b o o k and is r e c o m m e n d e d highly for those who are involved in the practical aspects of superconducting materials and their applications. Furthermore, publication of this b o o k is very timely because of a recent very significant surge in "commercial" users of N b - T i alloy wires for nuclear magnetic resonance tomography imaging applications. I believe that there will be more scientists and engineers requiring a b o o k such as this to familiarize themselves with the properties and the use of Nb-Ti wires. Finally, the author should be congratulated for his effort in condensing and organizing the enormous amounts of literature in such a way that it is easy for b o t h newcomers and experts to find. M. S U E N A G A
Metallurgy and Materials Science Division Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton Long Island N Y 11973 U.S.A.
Thin Film Solar Cells by K. L. Chopra and S. R. Das; published by Plenum, New York, 1983; 607 pp.; price, U.S.
$75.OO It is no small achievement for the senior author of this b o o k to publish in the sam~ year another major b o o k on Thin Film Device Applications. Clearly an expert in the general area of thin films, Dr. Chopra together with Dr. Das have provided here an essentially
240 encyclopedic treatment of thin film solar cells. Packed into the 505 pages of text, six appendixes and 39 pages of about 1300 references, plus index, the authors provide a rich resource of information on many aspects relevant to this growing field. Following an introductory first chapter on the rationale and need for research and development in the area of thin film solar cells, the authors treat in successive chapters the basic solid state physics underlying solar cells and semiconductor junctions, methods of analysis and materials characterization, and a summary of 13 different methods for thin film deposition. General structural, optical and electrical properties of 15 different materials useful for thin film solar cells are reviewed in a single chapter with 271 references. In the next three chapters the authors treat the CuxS/CdS thin film solar cell, polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cells and nine different possible solar cell systems with a variety of inorganic and organic materials. In Chap. 10 the important topic of amorphous silicon as a thin film solar cell material is treated, and this is followed by chapters on photoelectrochemical cells, various techniques for obtaining higher efficiency through cell design, and cascade or tandem use of several solar cells with different band gaps matched to the solar spectrum for most efficient use. In the appendixes the spectral distribution of
solar radiation, antireflection coatings, grid design, solar cell arrays, concentrators, and degradation and encapsulation of solar cells are dealt with. The earlier portions of the book will serve as a good review for readers who already have had training in solid state physics and semic o n d u c t o r junctions but would be difficult going as a first text. This aspect of the book is intensified in the later portions where often the encyclopedic completeness of the treatment makes one desire a little less inclusive detail and a little more editorial discrimination on thp Dart of the authors to help the readers through the morass of often conflicting data in the literature. This book should prove very valuable as a reference treatise on the subject of thin film solar cells and related subjects. As the authors are well aware, this field is moving so rapidly that it is difficult for a b o o k to stay up to date with rapid changes in materials and device research and development.
R I C H A R D H. B U B E
Department of Materials Science and Engineering Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 U.S.A.
239
Book Reviews
A Source Book of Titanium Alloy Superconductivity by E. W. Collings;published by Plenum, N e w York, 1983; 512 pp.; price, U.S. $69.50
At the beginning the author states that this b o o k is intended to be a magnet designer's h a n d b o o k and a source b o o k for engineers and scientists who are currently engaged in the research and development of superconducting materials and their applications. I believe that he has done a great job in accomplishing his objective and, moreover, this is a very good reference b o o k on the subject for those who are new in this field. The author has n o t only compiled and expertly condensed an extensive amount of literature which has been published on this subject but also summarized the various findings such that they are easily understood. The format and organization of this b o o k also make it very easy to use as a reference book. In Chap. 1 all the references are compiled which are used in this b o o k by the alloy groups. With each reference, short comments and remarks on the article such as sample preparation, properties, procedures etc. are listed such that the reader can easily find the reference he needs. Also, at the end of each chapter the pertinent results for the chapter are summarized in tables with references. Another nice aspect of the present b o o k is that the figures are large enough for the readers to read conveniently. This is in contrast with some other books in which the figures are hardly readable. The author has included the introductory materials on superconductivity as a part of early chapters on alloy systems. Although these sections are well written, this reviewer would prefer to have a whole chapter on superconductivity separated from discussions of the alloy systems. Another item which the reviewer would have liked to see in this b o o k is the inclusion of other b u t very similar alloy systems such as Nb-Zr, Nb-Hf, Ta-Zr and
Ta-Hf. These are outside the titanium alloy sytems, but zirconium and hafnium behave very much like titanium. In particular the N b - Z r alloy system has been studied very extensively as a possible practical alloy. These additions would have made this b o o k a more complete reference on alloy superconductors. in summary, this is a very good reference b o o k and is r e c o m m e n d e d highly for those who are involved in the practical aspects of superconducting materials and their applications. Furthermore, publication of this b o o k is very timely because of a recent very significant surge in "commercial" users of N b - T i alloy wires for nuclear magnetic resonance tomography imaging applications. I believe that there will be more scientists and engineers requiring a b o o k such as this to familiarize themselves with the properties and the use of Nb-Ti wires. Finally, the author should be congratulated for his effort in condensing and organizing the enormous amounts of literature in such a way that it is easy for b o t h newcomers and experts to find. M. S U E N A G A
Metallurgy and Materials Science Division Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton Long Island N Y 11973 U.S.A.
Thin Film Solar Cells by K. L. Chopra and S. R. Das; published by Plenum, New York, 1983; 607 pp.; price, U.S.
$75.OO It is no small achievement for the senior author of this b o o k to publish in the sam~ year another major b o o k on Thin Film Device Applications. Clearly an expert in the general area of thin films, Dr. Chopra together with Dr. Das have provided here an essentially
240 encyclopedic treatment of thin film solar cells. Packed into the 505 pages of text, six appendixes and 39 pages of about 1300 references, plus index, the authors provide a rich resource of information on many aspects relevant to this growing field. Following an introductory first chapter on the rationale and need for research and development in the area of thin film solar cells, the authors treat in successive chapters the basic solid state physics underlying solar cells and semiconductor junctions, methods of analysis and materials characterization, and a summary of 13 different methods for thin film deposition. General structural, optical and electrical properties of 15 different materials useful for thin film solar cells are reviewed in a single chapter with 271 references. In the next three chapters the authors treat the CuxS/CdS thin film solar cell, polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cells and nine different possible solar cell systems with a variety of inorganic and organic materials. In Chap. 10 the important topic of amorphous silicon as a thin film solar cell material is treated, and this is followed by chapters on photoelectrochemical cells, various techniques for obtaining higher efficiency through cell design, and cascade or tandem use of several solar cells with different band gaps matched to the solar spectrum for most efficient use. In the appendixes the spectral distribution of
solar radiation, antireflection coatings, grid design, solar cell arrays, concentrators, and degradation and encapsulation of solar cells are dealt with. The earlier portions of the book will serve as a good review for readers who already have had training in solid state physics and semic o n d u c t o r junctions but would be difficult going as a first text. This aspect of the book is intensified in the later portions where often the encyclopedic completeness of the treatment makes one desire a little less inclusive detail and a little more editorial discrimination on thp Dart of the authors to help the readers through the morass of often conflicting data in the literature. This book should prove very valuable as a reference treatise on the subject of thin film solar cells and related subjects. As the authors are well aware, this field is moving so rapidly that it is difficult for a b o o k to stay up to date with rapid changes in materials and device research and development.
R I C H A R D H. B U B E
Department of Materials Science and Engineering Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 U.S.A.