Dominic Gerlach receives IEEE PVSC Student Award
Dominic (right) receives the IEEE PVSC Award
from the Conference Chair B.J. Stanberry (left).
Dominic Gerlach was awarded the Student Award of the 38th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference held in Austin, Texas last week. The IEEE PVSC is the premier technical conference in the USA, covering all aspects of PV technology from basic material science to installed system performance and bringing together PV scientists and engineers from throughout the PV industry.
Dominic presented the results of his fundamental study of the electronic structure of the ZnO:Al/a-Si:B interface. These experiments were performed by the Helmholtz-University Young Investigator Group "Interface Design" in close collaboration with the silicon thin-film solar cell experts from the Forschungszentrum Jülich (group of J. Hüpkes) and HZB's Institute for Silicon Photovoltaics (Prof. B. Rech), the material scientists from the National Institute for Materials Science (Tsukuba, Japan; group of M. Sumiya), and the hard x-ray spectroscopy experts from SPring-8 (Hyogo, Japan; H. Yoshikawa) and BESSY II (M. Gorgoi).
In particular, Dominic investigated the valence band alignment of the ZnO:Al/a-Si:B interface – a crucial contact in silicon p-i-n solar cells – by hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HAXPES). Using a combination of different x-ray excitation energies and deliberate sample design he was able to draw a complete “depth-resolved” picture of the chemical and electronic interface structure. Most importantly, he could show that current transport – which takes place via tunneling across the ZnO:Al/a-Si:B interface – is inhibited by a rather large tunnel barrier. In comparison, he showed that the tunnel barrier at the ZnO:Al/mc-Si:B interface is significantly smaller and is the likely source of the improvements in cell performance that occur when a microcrystalline p-type Si buffer is deposited between ZnO:Al TCO and a-Si:B absorber. Thus, Dominic’s work unraveled the electronic structure of a poorly performing contact, laying the basis for a future knowledge-based optimization of the ZnO/Si contact. In recognition of the quality and impact of this work, Dominic’s conference proceedings paper was one of the small number selected by the conference organizers for submission to the IEEE’s peer-reviewed “Journal of Photovoltaics.”
- Professorship at the University of Augsburg for Felix BüttnerFelix Büttner has led a junior research group at HZB. Now he has accepted a call to the University of Augsburg. As head of a joint research group, he will continue his studies of magnetic skyrmions at BESSY II.
- Humboldt Fellow Alexander Gray comes to HZBAlexander Gray from Temple University in Philadelphia, USA, is working with HZB physicist Florian Kronast to investigate novel 2D quantum materials at BESSY II. With the fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, he can now deepen this cooperation. At BESSY II, he wants to further develop depth-resolved X-ray microscopic and spectroscopic methods in order to investigate 2D quantum materials and devices for new information technologies even more thoroughly.
- Young investigator research group on electrocatalysis at HZBDr. Michelle Browne establishes her own young investigator group at the HZB . Starting in August, the group is co-funded by the Helmholtz Association for the next five years. The electrochemist from Ireland concentrates on electrolytically active novel material systems and wants to develop next-generation electrocatalysts, for example hydrogen production. At HZB she will find the perfect environment to conduct her research.