Workshop on “Microstructure Characterization and Modeling for Solar Cells”

© HZB

The winter workshop was held in a beautiful location at Spitzingsee (Bayern) from 22. to 26. february 2015 and organised by Helmholtz Virtual Institute "Microstructure Control for Thin-Film Solar Cells". The next winter workshop will be planned for 2017.

About the Helmholtz Virtual Institute „Microstructure control for thin film solar cells“

In this Virtual Institute (VI), the formation of structural defects and related strain during the growth of thin film solar cells will be investigated by combining various experimental as well as simulation approaches. The aim of this Virtual Institute is to understand and control the formation of structural defects and strain during the growth of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) and Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe) thin films by optimized growth parameters. Unique experimental in-situ techniques for monitoring the growth process of these thin films, such as X-ray diffraction and fluorescence analysis at a synchrotron beamline, are combined with phase field modeling as well as density-functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations.

  • Funding: Helmholtz Association
  • Leading Center: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
  • Partners involved: TU Berlin, FU Berlin, TU Darmstad, University of Oxford (UK), ETH Zürich (Schweiz), SuperStem (UK)
  • Speakers: Prof. Dr. Susan Schorr, HZB
  • Duration: Nov. 2012 till Oct. 2017

D. Abou-Ras/arö/sz

  • Copy link

You might also be interested in

  • Berlin Battery Lab: BAM, HZB and HU are conducting joint research on sodium batteries
    News
    19.03.2026
    Berlin Battery Lab: BAM, HZB and HU are conducting joint research on sodium batteries
    The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) today officially inaugurated the Berlin Battery Lab (BBL). At this new research platform, BAM, HZB and HU jointly develop and test resource-efficient battery technologies with a focus on sodium-based systems. Together, they develop new materials, investigate innovative cell chemistries, and produce battery prototypes. The research infrastructure of the Berlin Battery Lab is also open to external partners from science and industry and is designed to accelerate the transfer from research to application.
  • Humboldt-Fellow at HZB Institute for Solar Fuels: Kayode Adesina Adegoke
    News
    18.03.2026
    Humboldt-Fellow at HZB Institute for Solar Fuels: Kayode Adesina Adegoke
    Kayode Adesina Adegoke is a renowned chemist, affiliated with LAUTECH SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities Research Group), Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. He is collaborating with Matthew Mayer to investigate the degradation of electrocatalysts during electrochemical CO₂ reduction. The Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship enables him to stay at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin up to 24 months.
  • Humboldt-Fellow at HZB-Institute for Solar Fuels: Alexander R. Uhl
    News
    02.03.2026
    Humboldt-Fellow at HZB-Institute for Solar Fuels: Alexander R. Uhl
    Alexander R. Uhl, UBC Okanagan School of Engineering in Kelowna, Canada, aims to develop with Roel van de Krol from the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels an efficient and inexpensive photoelectrolyser for producing hydrogen using sunlight. His stay is being funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.