Perovskite Semiconductors for Optoelectronic Devices

Metal-halide perovskite based solar cells have now achieved a light to electricity conversion efficiency of 26.1%, making them the leading emerging thin-film solar cell material. Unlike many other emerging solar cell materials, high quality perovskite films of a wide range of bandgaps can be fabricated at low temperatures on a variety of substrates. Such versatility makes perovskites an ideal class of semiconductors for multi-junction solar cells.

Triple-junction solar cells provide the opportunity to achieve up to 52% light-to-electricity conversion efficiency. Physical vapor deposition, specifically thermal evaporation, has proven to be an effective fabrication technique for producing high-quality single-junction perovskite photovoltaics. For triple-junction photovoltaics, different compositions of perovskites are needed to absorb different parts of the solar spectrum. The current challenge in vapor-deposited perovskites is to make a range of compositions, with different bandgaps, that effectively absorb different parts of the solar spectrum while maintaining good optoelectronic properties and having low defect densities.

This project will focus on developing a range of perovskite semiconductors for triple-junction solar cells. It is an experimental project and will predominantly take place in a laboratory setting and will require students to collaborate with scientists and engineers from within King’s College and international partners. The student will develop and understand the crystallisation dynamics of perovskite semiconductors using physical vapour deposition at the National Thin-Film Cluster Facility at the University of Oxford. The student will also develop all-evaporated multijunction photovoltaic devices. Characterisation of the perovskite films and solar cells will be conducted at the Department of Physics at King’s College London.

The student will work within the Functional Materials and Devices Group, led by Dr Jay Patel at King’s College London. They will have the opportunity to participate in national and international conferences. For more information please visit the Functional Materials and Devices Group website: https://www.nms.kcl.ac.uk/jay.patel/

Candidate Requirements: 

Prospective candidates will be judged according to how well they meet the following criteria: 

·      A passion and motivation for research. 

·      A desire to learn new skills.

·      A desire to learn new theory and experimental techniques.

·      Creativity and a collaborative spirit; the ability to work in a team. 

·      The ability to clearly communicate your ideas to your colleagues and to people beyond our research group. 

·      The ability to analyse data and test hypotheses. 

·      Practical laboratory experience. 

The following skills are desirable, but can be learned during the course of your study: 

·      Knowledge of data presentation / plotting software. 

·      Programming skills (e.g. Matlab / Python). 

·      Experience in working in a research environment. 

·      Experience in processing semiconductor devices. 

·      Experience in working with x-ray diffraction.

·      Experience in working with optics.

All applications must be submitted on the King’s Apply portal, at https://apply.kcl.ac.uk/. Applications should be submitted for the “Physics Research MPhil/PhD (Full-time)” programme, with entry date on 1 October 2024. In the Funding section, choose option 5 (‘I am applying for a funding award or scholarship administered by King’s College London’) and enter the code StPhysPN. Applications should mention the supervisor name, the group name (Photonics & Nanotechnology) and the project title in their Supporting Statement, which should detail the candidate’s background, their understanding of the project, and the directions that they intend to prioritise within it. Please email physics-pgr@kcl.ac.uk for more information on the application procedure.

 Candidates are expected to meet the KCL graduate admissions criteria as detailed on https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/areas/physics-research-mphil-phd

Applications will be received until 01/07/2024. The selection process will involve a pre-selection on documents, followed by invitations to interview.