ZnO thin films for Advanced Photovoltaics

The main purpose of this pre-project is to establish a scientific collaboration between IITM in India, and IFE and UiO in Norway. This collaborative effort will lead to the development of important research on using ZnO as TCO in a heterojunction solar ce ll device, as well as detailing a larger project proposal. The IITM group in India has leading scientists in many scientific areas, such as materials science and physical electronics. They also have a Kelvin probe that can measure the surface work functio n, transmittance and conductivity of the ZnO thin film. This type of probe measurements are not possible at IFE or UiO in Norway. Norwegian companies are world leading manufacturers of pure Si and Si wafers. Solar cell research is therefore a high priorit y for the universities and research institutes in Norway, such as IFE and UiO, and have some of the leading researchers in this field. IFE is a leading Norwegian research institute on solar cell research and has the equipment to make these ZnO films. UiO is highly experienced with ZnO and houses a Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) to study the doping concentration of the films , as well as X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscope (XPS) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) to study the layer structure a nd interfaces of the films. Combining research institutes from both countries with leading research knowledge can result in great achievements. In order to start up a larger and more detailed project into this field, we apply for funding to start up a pre -project where a joint network between Norway and India can be initiated and a larger project can be discussed and to lay the foundation for a long term shared scientific knowledge.