Black silicon Schottky photodetector in sub-bandgap near-infrared regime.

Sub-bandgap near-infrared silicon (Si) photodetectors are key elements in integrated Si photonics. We demonstrate such a Si photodetector based on a black Si (b-Si)/Ag nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) Schottky junction. This photodetector synergistically employs the mechanisms of inner photoemission, light-trapping, and surface-plasmon-enhanced absorption to efficiently absorb the sub-bandgap light and generate a photocurrent.

An Investigation on a Crystalline-Silicon Solar Cell with Black Silicon Layer at the Rear.

Crystalline-Si (c-Si) solar cell with black Si (b-Si) layer at the rear was studied in order to develop c-Si solar cell with sub-band gap photovoltaic response. The b-Si was made by chemical etching. The c-Si solar cell with b-Si at the rear was found to perform far better than that of similar structure but with no b-Si at the rear, with the efficiency being increased relatively by 27.

High Fill Factors of Si Solar Cells Achieved by Using an Inverse Connection Between MOS and PN Junctions.

Fill factors (FFs) of ~0.87 have been obtained for crystalline Si (c-Si) solar cells based on Ag front contacts after rapid thermal annealing. The usual single PN junction model fails to explain the high FF result.

A porous Si-emitter crystalline-Si solar cell with 18.97% efficiency.

A p-n junction was made on p-type Si〈100〉 wafer (15 × 15 × 0.2 mm(3) in size) via phosphorous diffusion at 900 °C. Porous Si (PSi) with ultralow reflectivity (<0.

Metamorphic Testing for Cybersecurity.

Testing is a major approach for the detection of software defects, including vulnerabilities in security features. This article introduces metamorphic testing (MT), a relatively new testing method, and discusses how the new perspective of MT can help to conduct negative testing as well as to alleviate the oracle problem in the testing of security-related functionality and behavior. As demonstrated by the effectiveness of MT in detecting previously unknown bugs in real-world critical applications such as compilers and code obfuscators, we conclude that software testing of security-related features should be conducted from diverse perspectives in order to achieve greater cybersecurity.

A synergetic application of surface plasmon and field effect to improve Si solar cell performance.

We report a synergetic application of surface plasmon (SP) and field effect (FE) to improve crystalline Si solar cell performance. The SPs are supported by small-sized Ag nanoparticles with an average diameter of 36.7 nm.

Enhancing photocatalysis in SrTiO3 by using Ag nanoparticles: A two-step excitation model for surface plasmon-enhanced photocatalysis.

Surface plasmon (SP)-enhanced ultraviolet and visible photocatalytic activities of SrTiO3 (STO) are observed after incorporating Ag nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) on STO surfaces. A two-step excitation model is proposed to explain the SP-enhanced photocatalysis. The point of the model is that an electron at the valence band of STO is first excited onto the Fermi level of Ag-NP by the SP field generated on the Ag-NP, and then injected into the conduction band of STO from the SP band, leaving a hole at the valence band of STO.

Enhancing the brightness of Si nanocrystal light-emitting devices with electro-excited surface plasmons.

The use of electro-excited surface plasmons (SPs) in Ag nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) is shown to enhance the brightness of Si nanocrystal light-emitting devices (Si-NC LEDs). The Ag-NPs are prepared on the Si-NC thin film by ultrasonic irradiation and postannealing treatments. Electro-excited SPs on Ag-NPs are found, which are induced by electron impact on Ag-NPs and the front electrode Al layer during the charge injection process of LED.

[Expression of Class I integrase gene in Acinetobacter baumannii and drug-resistance].

Objective: To explore the expression level of class I integrase (intI 1) mRNA in Acinetobacter baumannii from biofilm cells and planktonic cultured cells ,and to analyze the drug-resistance of Class I integron positive strains.

Methods: Acinetobacter baumannii were collected from hospitals,and Class I integron strains were screened by gene amplification. Total RNA of Class I integron positive strains was extracted, and the intI1 mRNA expression in the bioflim cells and planktonic cultured cells was measured by RT-PCR.