Project Info
*Fabrication of III-V Solar Cells
Corinee Packard
cpackard@mines.edu
III-V solar cells are the most efficient photovoltaic technology; however, their high cost restricts their application to high-value markets and prevents large-scale terrestrial use. The largest portion of their costs comes from the single crystal substrate used for growth. One way to potentially reduce the cost associated with the substrate is to use lower cost substrates that have not been polished to “epitaxy-ready” smoothness. To do this, you need to grow material in a way that smooths the surfaces so that high-quality devices can be grown. In this project, the student will analyze the roughness of these lower cost substrates before and after smoothing growth. Their work will help determine the growth conditions that best smooth the rough substrates for subsequent device growth.
More Information:
Grand Challenge: Make solar energy economical
Primary Contacts:
cpackard@mines.edu
Student Preparation
Qualifications
The student should be interested in photovoltaics and crystal growth. They should be familiar with geometry and an interest or background in materials science would help (MTGN202 would be great). They should also be willing to spend significant time in a lab and be excited to learn new things.
TIME COMMITMENT (HRS/WK)
5-10
SKILLS/TECHNIQUES GAINED
The student will gain hands-on laboratory experience with analysis techniques, experimental planning and data analysis that will be transferable to graduate school or a career in industry. The primary analysis technique the student will learn is Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to analyze roughness. Proficiency in AFM is beneficial to a variety of applications in semiconductors and surface science. The student will work closely with a graduate student to analyze their data and will become familiar with statistical analysis and experimental design, which are beneficial skills to any STEM career path.
MENTORING PLAN
The student will meet regularly with a graduate student to help troubleshoot issues and discuss results. The graduate student will set reasonable goals for the student and help update goals as needed throughout the semester. The student will have regular interaction with both the graduate student and professor, which will ensure understanding of their project and how it fits into the project as a whole. This will also ensure the student has all the resources they need to be successful in their project.
PREFERRED STUDENT STATUS
Sophomore
Junior
Senior