Research Projects

Understanding the element/impurity redistribution and defects formation at the CIGS p-n junctions

The CdS/CIGS interface was investigated in the literature by several techniques such as energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) [5-7], x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) [8], Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) [8], secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) [8], and scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) [9]. These studies showed that the buffer/absorber layer interface is in general intermixed.

more

Understanding the relationship between misorientation and impurity segregation at the CIGS grain boundaries

Polycrystalline thin-film solar cells based on the compound semiconductors CuInSe₂ (CIS) and Cu(In,Ga)Se₂(CIGS) as absorber materials are important for photovoltaic applications because of their high energy conversion efficiency, long-term stable performance, and low-cost production. more

Understanding the effect of growth conditions on secondary phase formation, microstructure and optoelectronic properties of CZTSe thin-film solar cells

Thin-film solar cells based on the kesterite structured compound semiconductor Cu₂ZnSn(S,Se)₄ (CZTSSe) comprise inexpensive, earth-abundant, and non-toxic elements while maintaining favorable, optical, electrical properties (such as high absorption coefficient). more

Understanding the relationship between recombination activity, grain boundary structure and chemistry in multicrystalline Silicon solar cells

Multicrystalline Silicon (mc-Si) is a common bulk material for photovoltaic due to its inexpensive growth technique. It is known that during growth and cooling, metal impurities from the sidewalls of the ingot accumulate at the grain boundaries (GBs) and locally enhance the recombination activity and therefore reduce the efficiency of the solar cell. more

Thermoelectric Materials Design by controlling the microstructure and composition

Thermoelectric (TE) materials are involved in a variety of devices converting waste heat into electrical energy, as well as for solid-state refrigeration. The energy conversion efficiency is determined by the dimensionless TE figure of merit, ZT. more