Grupo de Ciencia de Materiales y Energías Renovables (MatER-PUCP)

New name since June 2018:

Grupo de Ciencia de Materiales y Energías Renovables (MatER)

*new webpage under construction*

The materials science and renewable energies (Spanish: MatER) group at the PUCP has various research activities in the field of wide bandgap semiconductors. It covers the production of thin films of Nitrides (SiN, AlN), Silicon Carbide (SiC) and their compounds using for instance triple rf-magnetron sputtering. The applications of these materials is vast and ranges from photovoltaic (PV) devices, high temperature devices, devices insensitive to aggressive chemical environments, biocompatibility, etc. to optoelectronic devices like sensors in the ultraviolet region or light emitters in the visible. The latter is extensively investigated in our laboratories. For example, we dope the wide bandgap semiconductor thin films with rare earths and enhance the emission by thermal activation processes. The emission process is investigated by means of photo- and cathodoluminescence and influencing parameters like rare earth and hydrogen concentration and annealing temperature dependence are determined. In addition, structure investigations (transmission electron microscopy) show that nano crystallites play a key feature for the emission mechanisms.

Since 2015, the group is expanding its activities in material's research for photovoltaic applications: Current projects investigate the optical and passivation properties of AlN and SiON for wafer- and thin-film-Silicon solar cells, as well as down- and up-conversion processes using rare earths implemented in passivation- (AlN, SiC) and contact-layer (ITO) materials for next-generation solar cells.

Since 2017, the group is investigating different physical and empirical models to predict the energy production of PV systems and, in 2018, has started working on the characterization of different PV module technologies under different outdoor climate conditions.

In the framework of these investigations the group has various international research projects and cooperations: In particular with the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany), the Technische Universität Ilmenau (Germany) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (Germany). Since 2017, with new PV projects underway, the group has initiated collaborations with the group IDEA of the University of Jaén (Spain).

The group continues to expand its activities in photovoltaics research with the aim to promote and contribute to Peru's development towards a sustainable future with renewable energies. We offer participation on all levels for students and scientists.

Group video (in Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08as8goG10BOw

Group's Presentations in Physics Colloquium (in Spanish):