The global climate crisis is accelerating the need for high-performance photovoltaic (PV) materials, both well-known and novel. Thin-film compound semiconductor PV materials are well suited to help meet growing demand as they continue to demonstrate their potential for generating sustainable and cost-efficient electrical energy. Both module and lab scale performance remain lower than other PV technologies, thus more cutting-edge materials research is required to enable these technologies to flourish. The symposium will focus on the science and technology of polycrystalline films, single crystal model systems, defects, interfaces, the interplay of materials and band structure, characterization methods, modeling, scaling and advanced manufacturing in thin-film compound semiconductor PV. Relevant materials include those based on chalcogenide semiconductors such as copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS), as well as the associated alloys, heterojunction partner materials, buffer layers and contacts. Novel absorber materials such as van der Waals compounds, oxides, and chalcogenides in general are also of high interest. Active areas of research include synthesis/fabrication process development to enable controlled doping, alloying, and passivation all while managing compensation and inhomogeneity at nano-, micro-, and macro- scales as well as advanced architectures such as tandem, bifacial, semitransparent, and dual-function devices. Topics related to stability, reliability, and sustainability are of great interest also.

compound electrical properties II-VI thin film