Post Graduate Fellows
Limited Term Researchers are academics or professionals whose project scope is of a specific nature. The term of the appointment is typically based on the fulfillment of that specific project.
The IEC is pleased to collaborate with the following researchers:
Dominik Berg
Dominik M. Berg is a Limited Term Researcher at the University of Delaware's Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC). He studied Physics at the University of Bonn, Germany, and at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Australia, before obtaining his "Diplom"/master's degree in physics from the University of Bonn in 2008. The research for his master's degree concerned organic field effect transistors based on quinacridone. In 2012, Dominik received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Luxembourg. His doctoral research was focused on understanding the formation of high quality Cu2ZnSnS4 absorber layers for high efficient thin film solar cells, and on the discrimination of possible secondary phases of the Cu-Zn-Sn-S system from Cu2ZnSnS4. As part of the research for his Ph.D., a novel annealing approach to form Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 thin films was introduced and patented. Dominik joined the IEC in 2012, where his research focuses on the development of the selenization/sulfization of metal precursors for the Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 thin film formation, as well as on the incorporation of Na into the Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 thin film absorber layer.
Kunhee Han
Kunhee Han has been working on thin film solar cells since he started his graduate study in 2003. He obtained a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, USA in 2009. His graduate study focused on metal oxide (Cu2O, CuO and ZnO) synthesis by using electrochemical method for low cost and high efficiency inorganic solar cells. He worked on the fabrication of wet chemical based p-n homojunction Cu2O solar cells and the development of the metal oxide doping technique such as electro-doping and thermal diffusion doping. In 2010, he joined Tao Companies LLC and worked on spray pyrolysis process development for transparent conducting oxide deposition superstrate type thin film solar cell application. He joined IEC in 2012 and has been working on the performance improvement of CuInSe2 based photovoltaics by controlling Na dosage and incorporation methods.
Kihwan Kim
He received his B.S. degree (2000), Master's degree (2002) and Ph.D. degree (2006) in Material Science from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. His degree courses included the development of a close-spaced sublimation technique for CdTe solar cells, the demonstration of high efficiency Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells using co-evaporation, and the development of Cd-free buffer layers for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells. Later, his work during the Ph. D. course was transferred to LG-Innotek for developing commercial scale-up technology for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells. In 2007, he moved to Samsung Institute of Science and Technology in Samsung Electronics and served as a R&D staff member for two and a half years. During this time, his research mainly concerned the resistive switching mechanism in oxide materials and the development of extremely high current oxide-based diodes for a non-volatile memory application. In 2009, he moved to the USA and joined the Institute of Energy Conversion. Currently, his primary topic of interest is development of selenization/sulfization of metal precursors for Cu(InGa)(SeS)2 film formation and demonstration of flexible Cu(InGa)(SeS)2 solar cells using the selenization/sulfization technique. He has authored and co-authored 17 journal papers, 13 conference papers, and 13 patents.
Evan Kimberly
Evan L. Kimberly is a Limited Term Researcher at the Institute of Energy Conversion at the University of Delaware. He earned his B.A. degree in physics from Drew University in 2008 and his M.S. degree in physics from the University of Delaware in 2011. His Master's thesis work focused on analyzing the optical and electric properties of thin film cadmium stannate for use in cadmium telluride solar cells. Currently, Evan is beginning work relating to the deposition and analysis of copper indium diselenide and related alloys, while also further exploring his thesis work.
Jes Larsen
Jes Larsen is a Limited Term Researcher at IEC. He has a multidisciplinary background with a master's degree in nanomaterials obtained at the University of Aalborg, Denmark in 2008. The research for his master's degree concerned interfaces in stone wool composite materials. Jes received his Ph.D. degree in Physics in 2011 from the University of Luxembourg. His doctoral research was focused on inhomogeneities in epitaxial copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin films using photoluminescence as a primary characterization technique. At IEC he will do research on CIGS devices with a superstrate structure.
Tiejun Meng (TJ)
Tiejun Meng is a Limited Term Researcher at the Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC) at the University of Delaware. He joined IEC in 2009 and participated in research of CdTe and CIGS thin film solar cells. His research focused on the window and buffer layers of thin film solar cells, including wide bandgap semiconductors based on the amorphous and crystalline oxides of In2O3, SnO2 and ZnO as well as the binary compounds of Cd2SnO4 and Zn2SnO4. He received his B.S. and M. Eng. degrees from Peking University (China), and his Ph.D. degree in physics in 2009 from Cambridge University (UK). His doctoral research focused on the magnetization properties and magneto-transport of cobalt nano-structures.
Chris Thompson
Chris Thompson received his masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Delaware (UD) in 2008. Prior to work at the IEC, Chris worked as an undergraduate researcher at the Center for Composite Materials at UD, designing micro-patch antenna networks for aerospace applications. Chris's duties at the institute include overseeing the day to day operations of several research efforts, educating and managing undergraduate researchers, using and maintaining device characterization systems, including IV testers and solar simulators, the QE system, capacitance-voltage, LBIC, and the damp heat stress chambers.