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
- BESSY II: Evaporated perovskites in tandem solar cells improvedPerovskite-silicon tandem solar cells achieve significantly higher efficiencies than silicon solar cells on their own. One particularly attractive method is co-evaporation of the perovskite precursor molecules on top of the silicon subcell. Scientists at HZB have analysed film growth on the nanoscale at BESSY II and found a new way to improve the quality of the perovskite layer: adding a thin seed layer of caesium chloride between the two sub-cells promotes uniform perovskite growth and suppresses the formation of undesired lead iodide at the interface.
- Hatice Mutlu appointed to the Helmholtz Institute HIPOLE in JenaProf. Dr Hatice Mutlu is the new professor of sustainable polymer chemistry at HIPOLE Jena, the Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications. On 17 August 2026, she visited the HZB campus in Berlin-Adlershof including the BESSY II lightsource and discussed future collaboration with researchers and the board of directors.
- Green hydrogen with PEC electrolysers: New insights into transport processesOne method of storing solar energy is to use PEC electrolysers to produce hydrogen. However, scaling up this technology remains challenging. Now, a team at the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels has used 2D fluorescence imaging and particle velocimetry to observe the movement of ions and dissolved gases within the electrolyte during electrolysis. These new insights may prove useful in the development of larger PEC electrolysers.