About us

Sustainable Photovoltaics - Basics and Technology

At the Institute of Energy Materials and Devices - Photovoltaics (IMD-3), novel materials as well as innovative device architectures for sustainable photovoltaics are being researched. Our interdisciplinary work spans the entire development chain from fundamental semiconductor science to scalable, circular technologies. Crucially, IMD-3 hosts a research infrastructure that covers every stage of technology development—from raw material synthesis, thin-film deposition, and lab-scale device fabrication to full module prototyping and long-term outdoor field testing. We utilize automated high-throughput synthesis and characterization and robotic laboratory platforms to rapidly discover and optimize novel absorber materials and layer stacks. This experimental acceleration is complemented by knowledge-driven and AI-assisted data analysis to decipher complex multi-junction architectures and accelerate device discovery toward automated production workflows. To complement high-throughput screening, we perform sophisticated physical characterization and optoelectronic modeling—including optical photoluminescence spectroscopy, electrical time- and frequency-domain methods, and photoelectron spectroscopy—to establish a rigorous, physics-based understanding of carrier transport, recombination, and interface energetics in solution-processable materials. Bridging fundamental research with industrial application, we advance scalable multi-junction technologies, maturing tandem solar cells, silicon heterojunction devices, low-silver metallization strategies, and silicon-based and printable module concepts. Through targeted technology transfer initiatives like the Solar TAP innovation platform, we actively bridge the lab-to-fab gap by co-developing multi-benefit and emerging printed PV technologies alongside industry partners. Finally, we evaluate and engineer photovoltaic systems from a full life-cycle perspective, combining field reliability diagnostics, accelerated aging, and circular design strategies to ensure that next-generation solar technologies deliver stable long-term performance and enable high-quality material recovery and recycling at their end of life.