2025 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit

Symposium EN05-Thin-Film Compound Semiconductor Photovoltaics

The global climate crisis is accelerating the need for high-performance photovoltaic (PV) materials, both well-known and novel. Thin-film compound semiconductor PV materials are well suited to help meet growing demand as they continue to demonstrate their potential for generating sustainable and cost-efficient electrical energy. Both module and lab scale performance remain lower than other PV technologies, thus more cutting-edge materials research is required to enable these technologies to flourish. The symposium will focus on the science and technology of polycrystalline films, single crystal model systems, defects, interfaces, the interplay of materials and band structure, characterization methods, modeling, scaling and advanced manufacturing in thin-film compound semiconductor PV. Relevant materials include those based on chalcogenide semiconductors such as copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS), as well as the associated alloys, heterojunction partner materials, buffer layers and contacts. Novel absorber materials such as van der Waals compounds, oxides, and chalcogenides in general are also of high interest. Active areas of research include synthesis/fabrication process development to enable controlled doping, alloying, and passivation all while managing compensation and inhomogeneity at nano-, micro-, and macro- scales as well as advanced architectures such as tandem, bifacial, semitransparent, and dual-function devices. Topics related to stability, reliability, and sustainability are of great interest also.


Topics will include:

  • Novel, earth abundant, and/or non-toxic materials
  • Absorber Inhomogeneities
  • High bandgap absorbers
  • Carrier selective, passivating, and/or transparent contacts
  • Bifacial, semitransparent, and dual-function devices
  • Tandem and multijunction devices
  • Thin-film modules and industry
  • Deposition, growth, and fabrication
  • Surfaces, interfaces, and extended defects
  • Characterization theory and modeling
  • Degradation and reliability
  • Critical Materials, Reuse, and Recycling

Invited Speakers:

  • Peter Borowski (AVANCIS GmbH, Germany)
  • Stela Canulescu (Technical University of Denmark, Denmark)
  • Mirjana Dimitrievska (Empa–Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Switzerland)
  • Sean Garner (Corning, Inc., USA)
  • Xiaojing Hao (University of New South Wales, Australia)
  • Anderson Janotti (University of Delaware, USA)
  • Jeung-hyun Jeong (Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea)
  • Dan Lamb (Swansea University, United Kingdom)
  • Jianmin Li (Wuhan University, China)
  • Qingbo Meng (Institute of Physics, Chinese Acadamy of Sciences, China)
  • Craig Perkins (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA)
  • Shahaboddin Resalati (Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom)
  • Byungha Shin (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea)
  • Nicolae Spalatu (Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia)
  • Gang Xiong (First Solar, USA)
  • Chunlei Yang (Shenzheng Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China)

Symposium Organizers

Eric Colegrove
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
USA

Edgardo Saucedo
Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Spain

Hao Xin
Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications
China

Heayoung Yoon
The University of Utah
USA

Topics

compound electrical properties II-VI thin film