Our research

Our research vision

Our overarching aim to help mitigate the effects of climate change by developing more efficient optoelectronic devices. We pioneer the next-generation of photovoltaics including multi-junctions and upconversion-enhanced photovoltaics. These are crucial challenges, so we take a broad and interdisciplinary approach to ensure success. We study the interplay between the physics, chemistry and materials science of semiconductors and how that ultimately informs device performance. To achieve this, we study our materials from photophysical, materials engineering and device physics perspectives with a strong feedback loop between each aspect. 

Photophysics

We use a range of advanced spectroscopies to investigate how these materials interact with light. We are experts in photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) & energy loss analysis, time-correlated single photon counting, and stroboscopic scatting microscopy. Together, these techniques allow us to understand how energy flows in these materials and identify any bottlenecks which we remove through our materials engineering pillar. 

Device physics

We fabricate and characterise full optoelectronic devices in the group. We are interested in pushing the efficiency and stability as high as we can whilst gaining in-depth insights into the fundamental device physics and its link to the photophysics of the materials. We use an advanced layout (see right) that consists of eight independent devices on each substrate. Our characterisation system (Litos Lite, Fluxim) allows us to measure 32 devices simultaneously which gives strong statistical power to our studies and allows us to vary temperature, humidity and illumination conditions. To support these studies, we perform Fourier-transform photocurrent spectroscopy and drift-diffusion simulations (among other techniques).