Nanofabrication, Optoelectronics, and Energy Applications

Founded in early 2017, the Nanofabrication, Optoelectronic, and Energy Applications – NOA- group focuses on incorporating nanotechnology in optoelectronic devices with a strong industrial and innovation potential. While our technological development is made in-house using INL’s state-of-the-art nanofabrication processes, several international collaborations with industrial partners and with world-renowned institutions are ongoing, ensuring that our technology is incorporated in ultramodern industrial relevant devices at an international level.

The group’s core competencies are bottom-up nanofabrication and characterization of optoelectronic materials and devices. NOA´s nanofabrication cornerstone is INL’s cutting-edge and semi-industrial clean room facilities. The group members’ vast international experience in semiconductor materials is the backbone of the characterization capacities. The conjugation of these competencies is the stepping stone that allows us to collaborate with international industrial and academic partners in developing novel technology, prototyping, and validating fabrication processes and products, among others, leading to a high connection to industrial partners with a high innovation potential.

Research lines:

New optoelectronic and energy materials and advanced characterisation techniques
Development of architectures for optoelectronic and energy devices
Advanced platforms for asset management

The overall goals of the group are:

To develop nanotechnology-based novel optoelectronic device concepts with industrial relevance with a high innovation potential.
To explore industrial-friendly nanofabrication concepts that enhance the performance of optoelectronic devices.
To identify limitations of optoelectronic devices and search for solutions and novel materials, always having in mind industrial applications and innovation potential.

NOA´s strategy:

To be fully capable of prototyping and developing technology into real-life devices for 1) sensors, energy harvesting, and IoT applications; and 2) building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).
To develop a vast know-how of large-area nanofabrication techniques appealing to industrial partners.

Industrial Collaborations:

We are constantly looking for international partners to collaborate in the fields of photovoltaics, coatings, nanofabrication, advanced characterizations, optics, energy, etc.

NOA members are experienced in working with international industrial standards regarding tight deadlines, quality demand and innovative, practical solutions. Examples of our high standards are our continuous improvement methods based on the Kaizen and Kanban methods. Furthermore, we are knowledgeable in seeking funding for collaborations, and our facilities are open to international industrial players with secure contracts and NDAs. Contact Pedro for more information.

NOA’s team at different times, from 2017 with only four researchers to 2019 with twelve nanotechnology enthusiasts, from Professors to post-docs, to PhD students, to Master Students, to interns!

Since 2017 NOA has hosted Researchers with backgrounds from 3 continents and several countries: Portugal, Sweden, France, India, Switzerland, Brazil and Cuba.