Thin-Film Compound Semiconductor Photovoltaics

Materials Research Society, Warrendale PA

Investigators

Abstract

Principal Investigator: Yan Proposal No: 1500903 Nontechnical Description This symposium award will provide support for the Symposium on Thin-Film Compound Semiconductor Photovoltaics, to be held at the 2015 Materials Research Society Spring Annual Meeting. The specific goals of the symposium are to present and disseminate significant recent advances in the understanding of new materials for solar cells, and to help develop a diverse and active community of early career scientists to further technical progress in the future. Technical Description This symposium award will provide support for the Symposium on Thin-Film Compound Semiconductor Photovoltaics (Symposium B), to be held at the 2015 Materials Research Society Spring Annual Meeting, April 6-10, 2015, San Francisco, CA. Compound thin-film photovoltaics have demonstrated high light-to electricity conversion efficiencies, and are leading candidates to provide low-cost sustainable solar energy conversion, due to potential advantages in lowering costs for manufacturing and materials. Recent progress has improved the record efficiencies of laboratory CdTe and Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin film solar cells considerably, reaching 21%. The topic has great importance for the materials research community to further its contribution to develop alternative energy sources. The symposium brings together a wide range of experts in research on thin-film photovoltaics, including 12 internationally recognized invited speakers, along with students and other early career scientists. There will be sessions on many different aspects of the technology, and the materials needed for production. Synergies among different materials, processing approaches, and characterization methods will be highlighted. The technical presentations on these diverse topics are designed to foster open discussion needed to advance scientific progress. The symposium will also organize a Young Scientist Tutorial to train and educate graduate and undergraduate students on the latest advances in thin-film photovoltaics.