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NSF Awards Mike Scarpulla $350K for photovoltaic semiconductors
Scarpulla's collaborative research award is co-funded by the Division of Materials Research and the Office of International Science and Engineering in the National Science Foundation.
Prof. Mike Scarpulla's research group in semiconductors and photovoltaic materials has recently been funded by the NSF to investigate how annealing thin films of CIGSe and related semicondcutors deposited by electrodeposition affects the microstructure and especially the defects in these films.
Abstract
This international collaborative research project between investigators at the University of Utah and the University of Luxembourg addresses the synthesis of high-quality chalcopyrite semiconductors for thin film photovoltaics using electrodeposition and pulsed laser annealing. The investigation examines two hypotheses: 1) relatively-high total fluence pulsed laser annealing is effective at annealing electrodeposited precursor films and can result in chalcopyrite semiconductor phases having good photovoltaic and crystalline properties and, 2) relatively-low total fluence pulsed laser annealing is effective at reducing specific electronic and structural defects in previously-annealed chalcopyrite thin films. The effects of pulsed laser annealing on the composition, phase, crystalline, optoelectronic, and electronic defect properties of a model chalcopyrite, CuInSe2, prepared by electrodeposition, as well as the incorporation of Ga as substitute for In in the electrodeposited films, is investigated.
Anticipated results from this work are relevant to the rapidly-developing field of earth-abundant materials for thin film photovoltaic cells. Undergraduate students at Utah and graduate students at both Utah and Luxembourg take part in interdisciplinary, materials science and chemistry research activities at the participating laboratories.
This award is co-funded by the Division of Materials Research and the Office of International Science and Engineering.