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Postdoctoral program guidelines

Biedermann, Laura B.; Teich-McGoldrick, Stephanie T.; Cruz-Campa, Jose L.; Ekoto, Isaac W.; Ferreira, Summer R.; Hall, Lisa M.; Liu, Xiaohua L.; Liu, Yanli L.; Sava Gallis, Dorina F.

We, the Postdoc Professional Development Program (PD2P) leadership team, wrote these postdoc guidelines to be a starting point for communication between new postdocs, their staff mentors, and their managers. These guidelines detail expectations and responsibilities of the three parties, as well as list relevant contacts. The purpose of the Postdoc Program is to bring in talented, creative people who enrich Sandia's environment by performing innovative R&D, as well as by stimulating intellectual curiosity and learning. Postdocs are temporary employees who come to Sandia for career development and advancement reasons. In general, the postdoc term is 1 year, renewable up to five times for a total of six years. However, center practices may vary; check with your manager. At term, a postdoc may apply for a staff position at Sandia or choose to move to university, industry or another lab. It is our vision that those who leave become long-term collaborators and advocates whose relationships with Sandia have a positive effect upon our national constituency.

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TYPE SAND Report YEAR 2012
OSTIDOI

Microfabrication of Microsystem-Enabled Photovoltaic (MEPV) cells

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

Nielson, Gregory N.; Okandan, Murat O.; Cruz-Campa, Jose L.; Resnick, Paul J.; Wanlass, Mark W.; Clews, Peggy J.; Pluym, Tammy P.; Sanchez, Carlos A.; Gupta, Vipin P.

Microsystem-Enabled Photovoltaic (MEPV) cells allow solar PV systems to take advantage of scaling benefits that occur as solar cells are reduced in size. We have developed MEPV cells that are 5 to 20 microns thick and down to 250 microns across. We have developed and demonstrated crystalline silicon (c-Si) cells with solar conversion efficiencies of 14.9%, and gallium arsenide (GaAs) cells with a conversion efficiency of 11.36%. In pursuing this work, we have identified over twenty scaling benefits that reduce PV system cost, improve performance, or allow new functionality. To create these cells, we have combined microfabrication techniques from various microsystem technologies. We have focused our development efforts on creating a process flow that uses standard equipment and standard wafer thicknesses, allows all high-temperature processing to be performed prior to release, and allows the remaining post-release wafer to be reprocessed and reused. The c-Si cell junctions are created using a backside point-contact PV cell process. The GaAs cells have an epitaxially grown junction. Despite the horizontal junction, these cells also are backside contacted. We provide recent developments and details for all steps of the process including junction creation, surface passivation, metallization, and release.

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TYPE Conference YEAR 2011
ScopusOSTI

Simulation and optimization of ultra thin photovoltaics

Cruz-Campa, Jose L.

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) conducts pioneering research and development in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and solar cell research. This dissertation project combines these two areas to create ultra-thin small-form-factor crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells. These miniature solar cells create a new class of photovoltaics with potentially novel applications and benefits such as dramatic reductions in cost, weight and material usage. At the beginning of the project, unusually low efficiencies were obtained in the research group. The intention of this research was thus to investigate the main causes of the low efficiencies through simulation, design, fabrication, and characterization. Commercial simulation tools were used to find the main causes of low efficiency. Once the causes were identified, the results were used to create improved designs and build new devices. In the simulations, parameters were varied to see the effect on the performance. The researched parameters were: resistance, wafer lifetime, contact separation, implant characteristics (size, dosage, energy, ratio between the species), contact size, substrate thickness, surface recombination, and light concentration. Out of these parameters, it was revealed that a high quality surface passivation was the most important for obtaining higher performing cells. Therefore, several approaches for enhancing the passivation were tried, characterized, and tested on cells. In addition, a methodology to contact and test the performance of all the cells presented in the dissertation under calibrated light was created. Also, next generation cells that could incorporate all the optimized layers including the passivation was designed, built, and tested. In conclusion, through this investigation, solar cells that incorporate optimized designs and passivation schemes for ultrathin solar cells were created for the first time. Through the application of the methods discussed in this document, the efficiency of the solar cells increased from below 1% to 15% in Microsystems Enabled Photovoltaic (MEPV) devices.

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TYPE Conference YEAR 2010
OSTI

Thin and small form factor cells : simulated behavior

Cruz-Campa, Jose L.; Okandan, Murat O.; Resnick, Paul J.; Grubbs, Robert K.; Clews, Peggy J.; Pluym, Tammy P.; Young, Ralph W.; Gupta, Vipin P.; Nielson, Gregory N.

Thin and small form factor cells have been researched lately by several research groups around the world due to possible lower assembly costs and reduced material consumption with higher efficiencies. Given the popularity of these devices, it is important to have detailed information about the behavior of these devices. Simulation of fabrication processes and device performance reveals some of the advantages and behavior of solar cells that are thin and small. Three main effects were studied: the effect of surface recombination on the optimum thickness, efficiency, and current density, the effect of contact distance on the efficiency for thin cells, and lastly the effect of surface recombination on the grams per Watt-peak. Results show that high efficiency can be obtained in thin devices if they are well-passivated and the distance between contacts is short. Furthermore, the ratio of grams per Watt-peak is greatly reduced as the device is thinned.

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TYPE Conference YEAR 2010
OSTI

Back-contacted and small form factor GaAs solar cell

Cruz-Campa, Jose L.; Nielson, Gregory N.; Okandan, Murat O.; Sanchez, Carlos A.; Resnick, Paul J.; Clews, Peggy J.; Pluym, Tammy P.; Gupta, Vipin P.

We present a newly developed microsystem enabled, back-contacted, shade-free GaAs solar cell. Using microsystem tools, we created sturdy 3 {micro}m thick devices with lateral dimensions of 250 {micro}m, 500 {micro}m, 1 mm, and 2 mm. The fabrication procedure and the results of characterization tests are discussed. The highest efficiency cell had a lateral size of 500 {micro}m and a conversion efficiency of 10%, open circuit voltage of 0.9 V and a current density of 14.9 mA/cm{sup 2} under one-sun illumination.

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TYPE Conference YEAR 2010
OSTI

Back contacted and small form factor GAAS solar cell

Cruz-Campa, Jose L.; Nielson, Gregory N.; Okandan, Murat O.; Sanchez, Carlos A.; Resnick, Paul J.; Clews, Peggy J.; Pluym, Tammy P.; Gupta, Vipin P.

We present a newly developed microsystem enabled, back-contacted, shade-free GaAs solar cell. Using microsystem tools, we created sturdy 3 {micro}m thick devices with lateral dimensions of 250 {micro}m, 500 {micro}m, 1 mm, and 2 mm. The fabrication procedure and the results of characterization tests are discussed. The highest efficiency cell had a lateral size of 500 {micro}m and a conversion efficiency of 10%, open circuit voltage of 0.9 V and a current density of 14.9 mA/cm{sup 2} under one-sun illumination.

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TYPE Conference YEAR 2010
OSTI
Results 51–87 of 87
Results 51–87 of 87