Purdue University School of Chemical Engineering SEMINAR Dr. Eray S. Aydil Dept. of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science University of Minnesota “CIGS and CZTS Solar Cells” Tuesday, October 16, 2012 9:00-10:30 a.m. FRNY G140 Abstract: The current photovoltaic (PV) market is dominated by first generation silicon (Si) solar cells but this technology requires thick (>150 m) high electronic quality Si substrates which increases the cost of solar-to-electric energy conversion. Use of solar cells made from thin (~1-3 mm) direct band gap semiconductor films is growing rapidly because they are typically a factor of 100 thinner than crystalline Si devices and cost less. Amongst the second-generation thin film solar cells, those based on the copper indium gallium selenide (CuIn1-xGaxSe2 or CIGS) absorber have the distinction of having the highest overall power conversion efficiencies (20.3%). Many companies have already brought CIGS to market. Arguably, the production of these thin film solar cells will be limited by the scarcity of Te and In. Thus, an important problem in developing the next generation thin film solar cells is the synthesis and processing of strongly light absorbing semiconductors that are made of nontoxic and abundant elements. Copper-zinc-tin-sulfide (Cu2ZnSnS4, CZTS), is gaining attention as a potential light absorber in next generation thin film solar cells because it is composed of abundant and nontoxic elements and have attributes similar to CIGS. In this seminar, I will summarize our group’s research in CIGS and CZTS thin film solar cells. Bio: Professor Eray S. Aydil received a B.S. degree in chemical engineering and a B.S. degree in materials science from U. C. Berkeley, both in 1986. He received his Ph.D. degree in chemical engineering in 1991 from the University of Houston. He was a postdoc at Bell Labs until 1993 when he joined the faculty of the chemical engineering department at U.C. Santa Barbara as an assistant professor. By the time he left, in 2005, to come to Minnesota he was a full professor and vice chairman. In 2005, Professor Aydil joined the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota where he now holds the Ronald L. and Janet A. Christenson Chair in Renewable Energy. He has published over 160 articles and holds 7 patents. In recognition of his research, he has received the Peter Mark Award and the Plasma Prize from the American Vacuum Society, the Norman Hackerman Young Author Award of the Electrochemical Society, the National Young Investigator Award of the National Science Foundation, and the Camille-Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award. He is a Fellow of the American Vacuum Society and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology.