Tutorial Sessions
The 2011 MRS Spring Meeting will feature 8 tutorials covering a variety of topics to complement the scientific sessions. The tutorials will be free of charge to all meeting attendees. Tutorial notes will be available for a small fee during preregistration and at the Publications Desk during the meeting.
The following tutorials will be offered at this meeting:
TUTORIAL A: Thin-Film Silicon Materials and Devices for Large-Area and Flexible Solar Cells and Electronics
Monday, April 25
9:00 am-5:00 pm
Room 2002, Moscone West Convention Center
Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a‑Si:H) has become dominant in the field of backplane electronics for flat-panel displays based on liquid crystal technology, and underpins a significant proportion of the solar cell market. The tutorial covers both fundamental physics and technological application of a‑Si:H and related thin-film silicon materials, including nanocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, silicon carbide, silicon nitride and silicon oxide. The discussion on the deposition of thin-film silicon materials will include a particular focus on RF plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Growth mechanisms will be covered in the context of resulting material properties, with particular attention paid to the challenges associated with deposition on plastic substrates at low temperature, along with a summary of common thin-film characterization techniques for both semiconductors and insulators. Crystallization techniques will also be examined. This will be followed by a review of the physics of amorphous and polycrystalline semiconductors. Silicon-based semiconductors will be compared with the emerging metal-oxide materials. Applications of thin-film silicon and related alloys to existing and emerging applications will be discussed, focusing on device integration for photovoltaics and thin-film display, and imaging electronics into systems on glass, flexible polymeric, and other nonconventional substrates. Attention will be drawn to correlate material properties and process conditions and device performance.
Instructors:
Arokia Nathan
University College London, United Kingdom
Andrew J. Flewitt
Cambridge University, United Kingdom
TUTORIAL C/D: Solar Photovoltaics - Materials, Devices Fundamentals, and Manufacturing Considerations
Monday, April 25
8:00 am-5:00 pm
Room 2003, Moscone West Convention Center
The tutorial undertakes a holistic approach to enhancing the knowledge of the audience with respect to the most important aspects of the field of solar photovoltaics.
Part I
The instructor will provide a broad background to the applications of photovoltaics. Key market segments, along with the performance requirements, will be discussed in detail. These include required efficiency, cost, and reliability, and how each of these drivers impacts market growth. Issues such as balance of systems costs, government incentives, and related items will also be discussed.
Part II
Stephen Fonash will focus on the fundamental physics of photovoltaics. Topics include the solar spectrum, carrier absorption and generation, band structures, recombination, and related fundamental parameters critical to the functionality of solar cells. Advanced, so-called third generation, device physics concepts, such as multi-junctions, intermediate bands, hot carriers, and related items, will also be discussed.
Part III
Joel Ager will explore the major materials systems and technologies in solar photovoltaics. A discussion of silicon solar cells, thin films such as CdTe and Cu(In,Ga)Se2, III-N, and other IIIV-based multi-junctions will be covered. Materials parameters and challenges will be addressed. Emerging materials systems such as organic PV, nanostructured solar cells, and other concepts will also be considered.
Part IV
Ralph Romero will present an overview of the main approaches to materials processing used in the manufacture of the major, established, solar photovoltaic technologies. The specific manufacturing technologies, how processes contribute to both yield and cost, and related issues will be addressed. This will begin with how silicon is mined and purified to produce solar-grade silicon, followed by fabrication of either single crystalline or polycrystalline single ingots. Challenges related to wafering, including the well-known problem of Kerf-loss, will be addressed. Finally, methods for doping of silicon wafers, passivation, and contacts will be addressed. Vapor and solution-based processes such as closed-space sublimation, sputtering, co-evaporation, solution coating, and related methods for deposited absorber layers will be addressed. Challenges with fabrication on glass, metal, and polymer substrates will be discussed. This segment of the tutorial will address the processing of III-V-based technologies that are used primarily in space and terrestrial concentrator applications. These are typically GaAs-based multi-junction technologies that rely on metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) for growth of the absorber layers. Issues with contacts and anti-reflective layers will also be discussed.
Instructors:
Danielle Merfeld
GE Global Research
Joel Ager
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Stephen Fonash
The Pennsylvania State University
Ralph Romero
Black & Veatch Corporation
Please continue to check this site for updates on the list of instructors
TUTORIAL Q: Fundamentals of Emerging New Nonvolatile Memories
Monday, April 259:00 am-5:00 pm
Room 2004, Moscone West Convention Center
Due to the technological limitation of flash memory, numbers of new nonvolatile memories are now being proposed. The tutorial covers the fundamental physics behind these emerging nonvolatile memories. Among the various candidates of the post-flash memories, four important technologies are selected for study in this session. Technological details of FeRAM, ReRAM, organic, and nanospintronic memories will be introduced. Because the session covers various types of devices with a variety of materials, leading researchers in each of the four technological fields will give talks, starting from the fundamental background of each device, then summarizing by prospecting each technology.Each segment will include the histories, principles, reliability issues, the physics behind the technologies, and memory architectures/applications.
Instructors:
Samuel D. Bader
Argonne National Laboratory
M.C. Petty
Durham University, United Kingdom
Daisaburo Takashima
Toshiba Corporation, Japan
Rainer Waser
RWTH Aachen University and Research Center, Germany
Please continue to check this site for updates on the list of instructors.
TUTORIAL R: Overview of Phase-Change Materials, Their Physics and Applications
Monday, April 25
9:00 am-5:00 pm
Room 2005, Moscone West Convention Center
Phase-change materials, with their unique material properties, are important for many applications, which include the phase-change memory, recently on the product stag, that is being rapidly developed. This four-part tutorial will cover various timely and interesting topics related to such developments. It is geared for both beginners and advanced scientists from academic and industrial communities.
The tutorial develops the interplay among material properties, modeling/physics and devices, with the balance between scientific and technological concerns. The first part provides an introductory review on phase-change materials, including the history, unique material properties, atomic bonding and structures, and crystallization kinetics, etc. Experimental studies on phase-change materials will be described to help the understanding. The second part shows how experimental work is complemented by theoretical concepts and computer simulations, with emphasis on their relationship to observed physical properties. Ideas of current importance, including resonant bonding, the "8-N" rule, and Anderson localization will be explained in some detail. The third segment will introduce current and future applications of phase-change materials, with a primary focus on phase-change memory, including device physics, operation principles, and underlying physical mechanisms. Special emphasis will be placed on the relation between material properties and device performance. The fourth part of the tutorial will present a state-of-the-art technology review on memory devices, including design, fabrication, performances, and applications.
Instructors:
Paul Fons
Advanced Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, Japan
Robert O. Jones
Forschungszentrum Jülich, IFF
Daniele Ielmini
Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Hsiang-Lan Lung
Macronix International Co., Ltd., Taiwan/
IBM T.J.Watson Research Center, USA
TUTORIAL S: Plasma Deposition Tools–Growth Phenomena and Selection Criteria
Monday, April 25
8:30 am-5:00 pm
Room 2006, Moscone West Convention Center
The tutorial presents a detailed description of the elemental stages of the thin-film growth process, using plasma-based physical vapor deposition techniques and the variables controlling it, aiming to optimize the final properties of the deposited layers. The influence of the growth parameters on the microstructure of thin films will be discussed, using several theoretical models. A review of state-of-the-art high-ion flux-deposition tools, including pulsed plasma systems such as PLD, HIPIMS, and filtered cathodic arc will also be included.
Instructors:
Andre Anders
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Jose M. Albella
Spanish Research Council (CSIC)
TUTORIAL Z: Piezoresponse Force Microscopy and its Applications in Energy Materials and Biological Systems
Monday, April 25
8:30 am-4:30 pm
Room 2007, Moscone West Convention Center
The tutorial covers piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and its applications in energy materials and biological systems. Andrei Kholkin begins with an overview of the principle of PFM and its applications in ferroelectrics for domain imaging and switching characterization. Sergei Kalinin branches into unconventional applications in energy materials, particularly in Li-ion batteries, wherein the electrochemical process is intimately coupled with deformation during Li-ion intercalation and extraction, which can be probed using similar principles. Brian Rodriguez will discuss application of PFM in biological systems.
Instructors:
Sergei V. Kalinin
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Andrei Kolkine
University of Aveiro, Portugal
Brian J. Rodriguez
University College Dublin, Ireland
Please continue to check this site for updates on the list of instructors.
TUTORIAL KK: Imaging Biofilms and Quantifying Structures
Monday, April 25
1:30-5:00 pm
Room 2008, Moscone West
The goal of the tutorial is to familiarize the participants with imaging biofilms grown on various surfaces, teaching novel techniques to analyze biofilm images to quantify biofilm structures numerically. The topics include: procedures for biofilm staining and imaging; quantifying biofilm structure to get parameters such as the areal porosity, fractal dimension, average diffusion distance, and homogeneity index; and interpreting structural parameters extracted from biofilm images.
Instructor:
Haluk Beyenal
Washington State University
TUTORIAL SS: Developing Materials Science Activities for Everyone
Monday, April 25
1:30-5:00 pm
Room 2009, Moscone West Convention Center
The tutorial is designed to teach participants how to create and present materials science education activities. Paul Doherty and Dan Steinberg will demonstrate the meaning of “hands-on” and “inquiry-based” to show why they’re not just buzz words. Participants will work in small groups to develop or modify an activity and present it to the larger group. The instructors will help to establish clear goals for each activity and provide tips to achieve objectives that ensure the impact of the activity.
Doherty will demonstrate materials science, nanoscience, and engineering activities in the first half of the tutorial. He will give tips on engaging audiences effectively. He will discuss how he has developed hundreds of successful activities at the Exploratorium and then guide the participants through the process of creating new activities that are relevant to their research.
Steinberg will give a brief overview of the MRSEC education network, discussing successful strategies that have worked for MRSEC outreach events and presenting education activities that have been successful for MRSEC materials scientists and engineers. He will give tips on how research scientists and engineers can utilize their strengths for successful presentations to young audiences.
The concluding segment will take participants through the creative process of developing a new activity, highlighting effective presentation techniques and tools to develop new activities. At the end of the session, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the process, making it meaningful for their own education outreach broader impact efforts.
Instructors:
Dan Steinberg
Princeton University
Paul Doherty
Exploratorium
Back To Top