Nanostructured Solar Cells
The Laboratory for Nanostructured Solar Cells (LaNaSC) develops nano- and micro-structures of chalcopyrite-type semiconductors (Cu(In,Ga)Se2) for application in photovoltaic energy conversion.
Research Lines:
- Development of advanced thin-film solar cells by the implementation of micro- and nanostructures.
- Development and application of scanning probe microscopy techniques for the characterization of solar cell materials and light-induced phenomena at the nanometer scale.
- Development of 2D materials for optoelectronis applications.
- Development of growth methods for chalcopyrite nanostructures i.e. quantum dots and nanowires. The goal is to combine the excellent light absorbing properties of chalcopyrite-type materials with the quantum properties of nanostructured materials, and thereby provide a pathway for the enhancement of power conversion efficiencies of photovoltaic devices beyond the Shockley-Queisser limit.
The laboratory is equipped with various materials preparation facilities consisting in a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) setup for the growth of nanostructured chalcopyrite-type semiconductors, a hybrid sputter system for Cu(In,Ga)Se2, Mo, and ZnO, and an evaporation system for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin films.
The lab also operates an ultra-high vacuum scanning probe microscope, combining STM, AFM, and KPFM facilities with surface photovoltage methods to study light-induced phenomena at the nanometer scale.
We are always open for new team members. If you are interested in joining us and applying for external funding (i.e. MSCA, FCT, etc.), please contact Sascha by email at sascha.sadewasser@inl.int.
Projects
Publications
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Spin-orbit torque flash analog-to-digital converter
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 2023Fabrication of semi-transparent Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 solar cells aided by Bromine etching
THIN SOLID FILMS, 2023Van der Waals Heteroepitaxy of GaSe and InSe, Quantum Wells, and Superlattices
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, 2023 -
Precisely nanostructured HfO2 rear passivation layers for ultra-thin Cu(In,Ga)Se-2
PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS, 2022Current Status of Bottom-Up Fabrication Approaches for Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 Micro-Concentrator Solar Cells
17TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONCENTRATOR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS (CPV-17), 2022Effect of gallium doping on structural and transport properties of the topological insulator Bi2Se3 grown by molecular beam epitaxy
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS, 2022Optimizing PMMA solutions to suppress contamination in the transfer of CVD graphene for batch production
BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY, 2022Effect of Se-Free Annealing on Cesium Fluoride-Treated Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 Thin Films and Corresponding Solar Cells
PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI-RAPID RESEARCH LETTERS, 2022Merging solution processing and printing for sustainable fabrication of Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 photovoltaics
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL, 2022 -
Effect of Cu-In-Ga Target Composition on Hybrid-Sputtered Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 Solar Cells
IEEE JOURNAL OF PHOTOVOLTAICS, 2021Grain Boundaries in Cu(In, Ga)Se-2: A Review On Composition-Electronic Property Relationships by Atom Probe Tomography and Correlative Microscopy
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, 2021Effect of Se-Free Annealing on Cesium Fluoride-Treated Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Thin Films and Corresponding Solar Cells
Physica Status Solidi (RRL) – Rapid Research Letters, 2021Novel Polymorph of GaSe
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, 2021Efficient ReSe2 Photodetectors with CVD Single-Crystal Graphene Contacts
NANOMATERIALS, 2021Role of sublimation kinetics of ammonia borane in chemical vapor deposition of uniform, large-area hexagonal boron nitride
JOURNAL OF VACUUM SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY A, 2021Atomic-Scale Interface Modification Improves the Performance of Cu(In1-xGax)Se-2/Zn(O,S) Heterojunction Solar Cells
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES, 2021Van der Waals Epitaxy of Ultrathin beta-In2Se3 on Insulators Used in Standard Silicon Microelectronics Technology
CRYSTAL GROWTH & DESIGN, 2021Wafer-Scale Fabrication of 2D beta-In2Se3 Photodetectors
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS, 2021 -
Chemical instability at chalcogenide surfaces impacts chalcopyrite devices well beyond the surface
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 2020Design and Characterization of 3D Self-folded Micro Antennas for Implantable Microdevices
IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, 2020Micro-sized thin-film solar cells via area-selective electrochemical deposition for concentrator photovoltaics application
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 2020Over 6% Efficient Cu(ln,Ga)Se-2 Solar Cell Screen-Printed from Oxides on Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS, 2020System for manufacturing complete Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 solar cells in situ under vacuum
SOLAR ENERGY, 2020Heavy Alkali Treatment of Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 Solar Cells: Surface versus Bulk Effects
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS, 2020 -
Giant V-oc Boost of Low-Temperature Annealed Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 with Sputtered Zn(O,S) Buffers
PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI-RAPID RESEARCH LETTERS, 2019Thin-film micro-concentrator solar cells
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS-ENERGY, 2019Area-selective electrodeposition of micro islands for CuInSe2-based photovoltaics
RESULTS IN PHYSICS, 2019Voids in Kesterites and the Influence of Lamellae Preparation by Focused Ion Beam for Transmission Electron Microscopy Analyses
IEEE JOURNAL OF PHOTOVOLTAICS, 2019Evidence of reversible oxidation at CuInSe2 grain boundaries
2019 IEEE 46TH PHOTOVOLTAIC SPECIALISTS CONFERENCE (PVSC), 2019CuInSe2 quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy on amorphous SiO2 surfaces
BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY, 2019Direct evidence for grain boundary passivation in Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 solar cells through alkali-fluoride post-deposition treatments
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 2019Template-directed self-organization of colloidal PbTe nanocrystals into pillars, conformal coatings, and self-supported membranes
NANOSCALE ADVANCES, 2019High-detectivity infrared photodetector based on InAs submonolayer quantum dots grown on GaAs(001) with a 2 × 4 surface reconstruction
Journal of Applied Physics, 2019Interface modification in type-II ZnCdSe/Zn(Cd)Te QDs for high efficiency intermediate band solar cells
Journal of Crystal Growth Volume 512, 15 April 2019, Pages 203-207, 2019