Novel application of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia as a substrate for thin film CIGS solar cells
Yttria Stabilized Zirconia [YSZ] has a number of qualities that make it attractive as a substrate for fabrication of thin film copper indium gallium diselenide [CIGS] solar cells: these include flexibility, a smooth surface, lack of impurities such as iron and the ability to scale to a roll-to-roll format. As an insulator, YSZ is compatible with monolithic processing and its high temperature capabilities enable high efficiency deposition temperature. Small area [0.41 cm2] CIGS solar cells were fabricated on a YSZ substrate yielding a 17.3% efficient device.
Ultra-Thin and Lightweight CdS/CdTe Solar Cell Fabricated on Ceramic Substrate for Space Applications
Ultra-thin and light weight cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cells were fabricated on 20-micron thick yttria-stabilized zirconia (3YSZ) substrate in superstrate configuration. Optimization of CdCl2 treatment and copper diffusion were done to enhance the preformation of the device. Due to high reflectance off the substrate surface, anti -reflecting layer was deposited on the front of the device to reduce the reflectance which increase current density. Here, we present ultra-thin and light weight CdS/CdTe solar cells with conversion efficiency of 11.2 % and specific power> 6 kW/kg. This could make CdTe based solar cells applicable for space applications.
The Bastille: A History of a Symbol of Despotism and Freedom
This book is both an analysis of the Bastille as cultural paradigm and a case study on the history of French political culture. It examines in particular the storming and subsequent fall of the Bastille in Paris on July 14, 1789 and how it came to represent the cornerstone of the French Revolution, becoming a symbol of the repression of the Old Regime. Lusebrink and Reichardt use this semiotic reading of the Bastille to reveal how historical symbols are generated; what these symbols’ functions are in the collective memory of societies; and how they are used by social, political, and ideological groups.

To facilitate the symbolic nature of the investigation, this analysis of the evolving signification of the Bastille moves from the French Revolution to the nineteenth century to contemporary history. The narrative also shifts from France to other cultural arenas, like the modern European colonial sphere, where the overthrow of the Bastille acquired radical new signification in the decolonization period of the 1940s and 1950s. The Bastille demonstrates the potency of the interdisciplinary historical research that has characterized the end of this century, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, and taking its methodological tools from history, sociology, linguistics, and cultural and literary studies.