What is CIGS Thin-Film Photovoltaic? Thin-film photovoltaics, also called solar cells, are devices that convert light energy into electrical energy using the photovoltaic effect. The photovoltaic effect explains how voltage is produced when light strikes a material. CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) is a semiconductor material most popularly known for its use in solar cells with...Continue Reading

The rare earth element ytterbium is a soft, malleable, and ductile element known for its bright silvery luster. Ytterbium is the fourteenth and penultimate element in the lanthanide series, an occurrence that explains the relative stability of its +2 oxidation state. But like the other lanthanides, the most common or stable oxidation state of Ytterbium...Continue Reading

Rare Earth Terbium – Description Terbium, the 65th element of the periodic table, is a rare earth metal belonging to the lanthanide series. Although the lanthanides have been described as a boring group of elements, each of them has its own unique properties and uses. Terbium, though not as popular as Neodymium, Ytterbium, or Samarium,...Continue Reading

The magnetron sputtering system has been in use for several decades now. Even recently, there have been advancements that have improved the performance of the sputtering system in general. For instance, the closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering technique has now been developed so that it can be routinely used to deposit high-quality coatings of an extensive...Continue Reading

Neodymium is a metal with atomic number 60, belonging to the lanthanide series of metals on the periodic table. The name Neodymium is derived from the Greek word ‘neos didymos’, which means new twin. Neodymium is a rare-earth metal that is used with iron and boron to create powerful permanent magnets, which are called NdFeB...Continue Reading

Magnetron sputtering is one of the most popular methods for sputter deposition. Powerful magnets confine plasma electrons close to the target. It entails depositing material from a source to a substrate via sputtering using a high magnetic and electric field. It is generally used to deposit alloys, metals, and other materials on a substrate. It was first...Continue Reading

Semiconductors are critically important in our world. The most significant application is in computerized or radio waves-powered electrical devices. These semiconductors are made of the widely abundant element, silicon. In fact, silicon is at the core of almost all kinds of electronic devices. One of the reasons why they are widely used in semiconductors is...Continue Reading

White meals are an important category of metals used in various industrial applications, just as alloys are. An old use of white metals is their referencing in the antique trade for describing items suspected of containing silver but not hallmarked. As an example, the term “white metal” is used in the British fine art trade...Continue Reading

The third generation of semiconductor materials are those materials with a wide bandgap (Eg≥2.3eV). They usually have high breakdown electric field, high thermal conductivity, high electron saturation rate and higher radiation resistance. That is why they are used for making high temperature, high frequency, radiation-resistant and high power devices. Typical materials are silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN),...Continue Reading