SYMPOSIUM N - Thin Film Chalcogenide Photovoltaic Materials

This symposium aims at providing a focussed meeting for scientists engaged in research and development of chalcogenide semiconducting materials (esp. CdS, CdTe, CuInSe2 and Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2-related ones) as used or with potential use in solar cells.

Thin-film photovoltaic (PV) technologies are being developed to reduce the cost of PV energy conversion. Chalcogenide semiconductors as copper indium gallium diselenide (Cu(In,Ga)Se2; CIGS) and cadmium telluride (CdTe), are becoming leading options in this area. Progress is continuously made both in terms of small cell efficiencies (with a best thin-film cell performance of 18.8% obtained for CIGS) and in terms of module efficiencies (over 12 % for CIGS). To reach the goals for inexpensive PV such as 15% modules, >15-year life, selling price under $2/peak-W, the efforts on material and device research have to be maintained at a very high level. Regular exchanges between researchers and "developers" involved in the area are important to sustain the progress. Input from other fields of materials science has to induce innovative developments in understanding the material and devices as well as in manufacturing.

This symposium will follow the first (1999) E-MRS one on "Chalcogenide semiconductors for photovoltaics", and will be organized along similar lines, i.e. with ample time for both structured and free discussion sessions centered around the main topics of the symposium

Because the emphasis is on Materials R&D, relevant to PV, rather than on PV technology, the symposium will complement rather than overlap with the 2000 Glasgow European PV Conference.

Papers are solicited on the following topics:

• synthesis methods, growth models
• bulk properties; electronic structure and defect/doping models
• surface and interface properties and models for these
• composite material properties and models for these
• polycrystal vs. single crystal; granular nature of materials, grain boundaries
• control of (opto)electronic properties
• quality control of material and devices
• issues of large area film manufacturing
• new developments (materials, structures; models)

Tentative list of invited speakers

Chris Eberspacher, Mowafak Al-Jassim,Bruce Lanning, Shigeru Niki,Tamotsu Okamoto, K.Kushiya,Yves Marfaing, Ayodhya Nat. Tiwari, Alex Zunger, Wolfram Jaegermann, Rainer Klenk, Robert Birkmire,Suzann Siebentritt, J. Kessler, Pete Sheldon,Doug Rose, Rommel Noufi, Bob Tomlinson, Michael Powalla

Symposium organizers: