Date:
28 August 2007
Time:
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Location:
San Diego, United States
Course Level:
Intermediate
CEU:
.65
Instructor:
Peter Peumans, Stanford Univ. (United States)
Members:
$230.00 | Non-members:
$275.00
Course Details
Organic solar cells are attractive because they can potentially be made at very low cost using roll-to-roll coating. This tutorial will start with an introduction to the physics of organic semiconductors. We will discuss why conjugated organic molecules are semiconducting and how the structural (polymorphism, anisotropy, etc.), electronic (mobility, energy levels, etc.) and optical (absorption cross section, etc.) properties of organic semiconductors are different from their inorganic counterparts. The important processes that occur in organic solar cells and methods to improve the efficiency of each process will be described in detail. Based on the physical properties and an understanding of the important processes that occur in the conversion of optical energy to electrical energy, we will study various solar cell device designs including single layer Schottky-type cells, planar heterojunction cells, bulk heterojunction cells, and multijunction cells. Predictive device modeling will be addressed in detail. Prospects for raising the power conversion efficiency from the current value of 4-6% to >20% will be discussed.
Learning Outcomes
This course will enable you to:
- teach processing options for the fabrication of organic solar cells from bare substrate to complete cell
- help you understand why organic semiconductors are attractive for solar cell applications from an economical point of view
- teach how to design efficient organic and organic-inorganic solar cells in a rational way using computer simulation and an understanding of the underlying physics
- summarize and assess the latest developments in organic solar cells
- help you identify the major scientific, technological and business barriers that need to be addressed to enable the large-scale fabrication and deployment of organic solar cells
- teach the limitations to efficiency and lifetime and will outline strategies to overcome these concerns
Intended Audience
The course is intended for engineers and scientists who want to learn how organic solar cells are made, how they work, and how much potential they have.
Instructor
Peter Peumans is an assistant professor of Electrical Engineering and is an expert in organic device modeling and characterization. He has developed several efficient solar cell device architectures and has contributed to today’s understanding of the mechanisms that play a role in organic solar cells. Dr. Peumans also contributed to the development of vapor phase deposition techniques that lend themselves to reel-to-reel processing of organic and organic/inorganic nanocomposite solar cells. He has written a widely cited review article on small molecule based organic PV cells for the Journal of Applied Physics. Dr. Peumans holds 9 patents and is the recipient of an NSF CAREER award. His current work at Stanford focuses on small molecular weight organic solar cells, new approaches to low-cost silicon solar cells, and molecular electronics. He teaches classes on solid state physics, semiconductor device physics and organic electronics.
