🎉 Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen, in his role as Secretary-General of the Taiwan Vacuum Society (TVS), accompanied Prof. Ying-Hao Chu (President, TVS) and Prof. Yu-Lun Chueh (Vice President, TVS) on a visit to King Lai Group, marking a milestone strategic partnership between King Lai Group and the Taiwan Vacuum Society to establish a Vacuum Technician Training and Examination Center.

🔗 King Lai Group:
https://www.advantorr.com/index_tw.php

Vacuum technology is a cornerstone of advanced manufacturing, particularly in the semiconductor and display industries. By integrating King Lai’s industry-leading expertise with TVS’s academic and certification standards, this collaboration aims to build a world-class platform for talent development.

📌 The center will provide:

• Hands-on practical training for the next generation of engineers

• Professional certification examinations to standardize technical excellence

• A bridge between industrial needs and technical education

Together, King Lai Group and the Taiwan Vacuum Society are committed to empowering local talent and ensuring that Taiwan remains at the forefront of global vacuum technology.

🔗 Related LinkedIn Post:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ying-hao-chu-a10a197a_we-are-proud-to-announce-a-strategic-partnership-activity-7414452178469216257-Qka3

🎉 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen for being invited as a course instructor for the Vacuum Coating Technology and Practical Applications Training Program organized by the Taiwan Vacuum Society.

Prof. Chen will lecture on:
“Principles of Plasma and Applications in Semiconductor Processes”
scheduled on November 17, 2025, at the National Center for Instrumentation Research.

This professional training integrates both theoretical foundations and hands-on coating techniques, delivered by experts across academia, research institutes, and industry.

🎉 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen for being invited as an Invited Speaker and Session Chair at the 36th International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference (PVSEC-36) https://www.pvsec-36.com/ !

📍 Venue: Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
🗓 Date: November 9–14, 2025
🆔 Abstract No.: A41013383633

🎤 Invited Talk Title:
Advancing Earth-Abundant Chalcogenide-Based PVs: Structural, Defect & Interface Engineering Strategies for Enhanced Efficiency

📚 Area: 4 – Thin-Film PV and Modules
Sub-area: 4.2 – Compound Thin-Film PV
Presentation Type: Invited Speaker

Prof. Chen also served as a Session Chair during the conference, contributing to the international PV research community and showcasing the strong research capability of National Taiwan Ocean University in advanced photovoltaic materials.

🎉 Congratulations to our Master’s student Sin-Yun Wu for receiving the Poster Award (Honorable Mentions Award) at the 2025 International Conference on Smart Devices and Sustainable Energy (SDSE 2025)! 👏

📄 Paper Title:
Study on the Photoelectrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction Reaction and Ammonia Production Efficiency of Cu₂O under Neutral Environment

This work demonstrates the development of Cu₂O-based photoelectrocatalysts for sustainable ammonia production via nitrate reduction, achieving high Faradaic efficiency and stability under neutral conditions. The study highlights Cu₂O’s great potential in renewable energy conversion and green nitrogen cycles. 

📍 Conference: The 3rd International Conference on Smart Devices and Sustainable Energy (SDSE 2025)

Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City, Taiwan

🗓 October 15–17, 2025

🔗 https://2025.sdsemcut.com/ 

🎉 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen for contributing a featured article in the 13th TACT Newsletter (Issue No. 1), published by the Taiwan Association for Coating and Thin-Film Technology (TACT).

📘 Coating Technology Insight I｜Low-Cost Oxide Rising Star: The Potential of Cuprous Oxide (Cu₂O) in Advanced Solar and Electronic Applications

The article highlights Cu₂O as a promising low-cost oxide semiconductor, showcasing its potential in solar energy conversion, photoelectrochemical hydrogen production, and next-generation electronic devices. Through perspectives on band structure engineering, defect control, and interface optimization, the piece emphasizes Cu₂O’s importance in sustainable and advanced materials research.

📎 Read the full article here:
👉 https://reurl.cc/yAVlO8

🎉 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen for being invited to deliver a colloquium at the Department of Engineering and System Science, National Tsing Hua University (NTHU)! 👏 

📄 Talk Title:
Advancing Earth-Abundant Chalcogenide-Based PVs: Structural, Defect, and Interface Engineering Strategies for Enhanced Efficiency

🗓 Date & Time: Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 15:30–17:00
📍 Venue: NE69 ESS Building, NTHU, Hsinchu, Taiwan 

https://ess.site.nthu.edu.tw/p/406-1351-295053,r1602.php?Lang=zh-tw 

🎉We warmly welcome the new members joining the CYC Group! 👏 Julienne Ong, I-Le Chan, Hsiang-Wei Chiu, Shih-Hung Chen, Yun-Cheng Yang

🎉Congratulations to our undergraduate project student Hsiang-Wei Chiu for being awarded the 2025 NTOU Summer Practical Learning Program!

📌 Project No.: E-119
📘 Project Title:
Controlling Substrate Surface Energy via Self-Assembled Monolayers to Modulate Sb₂Se₃ Crystal Growth

💡 Funding (Hands-on Project):

• Student Teaching Assistant Stipend: NTD 10,000

• Advisor Research Support: NTD 10,000

🎉 Congratulations to our five Master’s students, who successfully passed their thesis defenses under the supervision of Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen!
Their thesis titles are as follows:

1. Hung-Yu Chen
   Enhancing Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production and Related Applications Using Sb₂(S,Se)₃ Thin Films Synthesized via Hydrothermal Method with Post-Annealing Optimization

2. Yu-Hsiang Tsai
   Fabrication of Cuprous Oxide Semiconductor Thin Films by Reactive Sputtering for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Applications

3. Tsan-Hsuan Yang
   Antimony-Doped Cuprous Oxide Thin Films Grown by Chemical Bath Deposition for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Applications

4. Juan-Xuan Li
   Preparation of Gallium-Doped Cuprous Oxide Semiconductor Films via Sputtering for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Applications

5. Ching-Yung Tseng

Atom Probe Study on Gallium-Doped Cuprous Oxide Thin Film 

🎉 Congratulations to Mr. Yuan-Chi Lin, graduate student of our lab, for receiving the NSTC Graduate Student Travel Grant to attend the International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technologies (ICMAT 2025) in Singapore, and for delivering an oral presentation! 👏

📄 Presentation Title:
Sb₂(S,Se)₃ Thin Films Synthesized by Hydrothermal Method for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting and Solar Cell Applications

🗓 Conference Date: June 30 – July 4, 2025
📍 Venue: Suntec Convention Centre, Singapore

🎉 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen for being recognized as an Elsevier Reviewer for the first half of 2025! Chinese Journal of Physics,  Newton, Cell Press, and Journal of Alloys and Compounds.

This honor highlights his valuable contributions to the peer-review process and academic service in the Elsevier publishing community. 👏 

🎉 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen and his graduate student Yu-Hsiang Tsai for receiving the Best Poster Award in the category of Novel Material Characterization and Analysis Techniques at the 5th Symposium on Nano-Device Circuits and Technologies (SNDCT 2025)! 👏

📄 Paper Title:
Hydrogen Production via Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Using Sputtered Cu₂O-based Electrodes

👥 Authors: Y.-H. Tsai, K.-H. Chen, C.-Y. Chen*
📚 Topic Category: 6 – Novel Materials Characterization
🆔 Submission ID: FF11400007
🗓 Award Date: May 28, 2025

This work demonstrates photoelectrochemical hydrogen generation using sputtered Cu₂O-based photoelectrodes, integrating material characterization with device performance analysis, and highlights the potential of Cu₂O for solar-driven hydrogen production.

🎉 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen for the Invited Talk at NTU Physics

Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen was invited to give a talk at the Department of Physics, National Taiwan University on the topic:
“Advancing Kesterite-Based Solar Cells: Structural, Defect, and Interface Engineering Strategies for Enhanced Efficiency.”
The seminar will be held on April 23, 2025 (Wednesday) at 2:20 PM, in Rm. 104, Chin-Pao Yang Lecture Hall, NTU Physics.

This talk will highlight our group’s recent advances in kesterite-based thin-film solar cells (CZTSSe), with a focus on structural control, defect engineering, and interface design to overcome voltage deficits and enhance photovoltaic performance.

🎉 Congratulations to our lab for the successful publication in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces!
📄 Title: Ultrathin Bi₂O₂Se/Si Heterojunction Photodetector with Tunneling Oxide Passivation for Enhanced Optoelectronic Performance 

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2025, 17, 18, 26931–26939 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c03477 

This work reports a high-performance Bi₂O₂Se/Si heterojunction photodetector fabricated by a transfer-free pulsed laser deposition approach, integrated with a thin tunneling SiO₂ passivation layer. The device demonstrates ultralow dark current (~22.3 nA/cm²), high on/off ratio (~8 × 10⁶), and remarkable responsivity (23.0 A/W) under zero bias, together with sub-millisecond response time. These results highlight Bi₂O₂Se’s great potential for next-generation optoelectronic and photonic applications.  (November 15, 2024) 

🏆✨ Excited to share that Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen’s paper
“Visualizing Vacancy Annihilation in CZTSe Solar Cells by Hydrogen-Assisted Selenization with In Operando X-ray Nanoprobe Studies”
presented at the 2025 Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring Meeting, Symposium EN05: Thin-Film Compound Semiconductor Photovoltaics (Seattle, USA), has been selected as a finalist for the Best Paper Award (CONTROL ID: 4207310).

This recognition highlights his team’s cutting-edge research on anion vacancy defect elimination in CZTSe solar cells through advanced in-operando X-ray nanoprobe analysis. 👏

✨ Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen has signed a Joint Research Agreement with Prof. Wenchang Yeh’s research group at Shimane University (Japan), establishing a three-year international research collaboration.

📘 Joint Research Title:
“Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Generation Employing a Single Crystal Cu₂O Stripe Formed by Micro-Chevron Laser Scanning”

📅 Project Period: April 2025 – April 2028

This collaborative project focuses on the fabrication of single-crystal Cu₂O stripe structures using micro-chevron laser scanning (μCLBS) and the systematic investigation of their performance in solar-driven photoelectrochemical water splitting for hydrogen production. By integrating Shimane University’s expertise in laser-induced crystallization and thin-film structural control with National Taiwan Ocean University’s strengths in photoelectrochemical characterization and energy materials, the collaboration aims to advance low-cost oxide-based technologies for sustainable hydrogen energy.

葉文昌 研究室　Wenchang Yeh Lab. https://sites.google.com/site/tfdyehlab/a-theme?authuser=0 

📢 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen for being recognized as an ACS Reviewer for 2024!  This honor highlights his valuable contributions to the peer-review process and academic service in the ACS publishing community. 👏 

🎉 Congratulations to our group member Hong-Yu Chen for receiving the NSTC Graduate Student Travel Grant to attend LASE 2025（SPIE Photonics West）  in San Francisco, USA, and deliver an oral presentation! 👏

📄 Paper Title:
Optical properties of hydrothermally synthesized Sb₂(S,Se)₃ and their application in water splitting

📚 Proceedings: Volume PC13352, Nanoscale and Quantum Materials: From Synthesis and Laser Processing to Applications 2025; Paper No. PC1335201 (2025)
🔗 DOI: 10.1117/12.3042515

Meeting Dates: January 25–30, 2025

Venue: Moscone Center, San Francisco, California, USA 

🎉 Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen published a featured article in Vacuum Technology, Vol. 37, No. 4, under the Research Highlights section, discussing the renewed importance of selenium (Se) as a photovoltaic material.

📘 Article Title:
“Selenium (Se): A Resurgent Photovoltaic Material for Tandem Solar Cells and Indoor Photovoltaics”

📅 Publication Date: December 18, 2024

This article reviews the resurgence of selenium-based photovoltaic materials, highlighting their emerging roles in tandem solar cells and indoor photovoltaic applications. By addressing material properties, spectral response, and device integration strategies, the work underscores selenium’s potential for next-generation, high-efficiency, and low-light energy harvesting technologies.

🔗 Journal Page:
https://www.taiwanvacuum.org/index.php/journal-of-tvs/j-tvs

🔗 Full article (short link):
https://reurl.cc/lYKVAl

📢 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen and his graduate student Yu-Hsiang Tsai, for receiving the Student Poster Paper Award at OPTIC 2024!  (November 29, 2024) 

📢 Congratulations to our lab for the successful publication in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces!
📄 Title: Visualization of Anion Vacancy Defect Annihilation in CZTSe Solar Cells by Hydrogen-Assisted Selenization with In Operando X-ray Nanoprobe Studies 

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2024, 16, 47, 64656–64663 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c11127  

This work demonstrates how hydrogen-assisted selenization (HAS) effectively reduces selenium vacancies in CZTSe thin-film solar cells, leading to enhanced photocurrent and improved device efficiency (up to 10.36%). Using synchrotron-based nano-XRF and nano-XBIC, we directly visualized the correlation between defect annihilation and charge collection, providing new insights into defect engineering for next-generation kesterite photovoltaics. (November 15, 2024) 

📢 Congratulations to Ching-Yung Tseng and Yu-Hsiang Tsai from our lab for winning the Poster Excellent Award in the category Optoelectronic and Optical Materials at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Materials Research Society-Taiwan (MRST 2024)! 👏

📑 Ching-Yung Tseng — Atom Probe Study on the Atomic Distribution of Sb/Ga-Doped Cu₂O Thin Films
📑 Yu-Hsiang Tsai — Reactive Sputtering Fabrication of Cu₂O Thin Films for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

This award recognizes their outstanding contributions to research in materials science and optoelectronics. (November 1, 2024) 

📢 Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen has been invited to contribute a featured article to Physics Bimonthly, one of the leading science outreach journals of the Physical Society in Taiwan.

📘 Article Title:
“Earth-Abundant Metal Chalcogenides for Photovoltaics and Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production: Antimony Sulfo-Selenides”

📅 Publication Date: October 23, 2024

In this article, Prof. Chen provides an accessible yet in-depth overview of antimony sulfo-selenides (Sb₂(S,Se)₃) as earth-abundant materials for thin-film solar cells and photoelectrochemical water splitting for hydrogen generation. The discussion covers fundamental material properties, defect physics, and emerging strategies for sustainable energy conversion.

🔗 Read the full article:
https://bimonthly.ps-taiwan.org/articles/67bc33361efd7411b20cccaa

📢 Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen was invited to deliver an international invited talk at the 29th NSRRC User Meeting and Workshop,
Workshop II: Neutron Diffraction and Reflectivity Workshop, organized by the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC).

📍 Event: 29th NSRRC User Meeting & Workshop
🗓 Date: October 26, 2023

🎤 Invited Talk Title:
Cation Disorder in Kesterites Thin-Film Solar Cell Materials and Its Performance

🔗 Event Page:
https://nsrrc-usermeeting2023.conf.tw/site/mypage.aspx?pid=17&lang=cht&sid=1528

In addition, Prof. Chen serves as the Principal Investigator of an ANSTO neutron diffraction project supported by NSRRC:

🧪 Project Title:
A Study of Cu–Zn Antisite Defects in Off-Stoichiometric (Cu,Ag)₂ZnSnSe₄ by Neutron Diffraction
📌 Project No.: N-2018-R-015

By integrating neutron diffraction with synchrotron-based techniques, this project provides direct insight into Cu/Zn antisite disorder and its impact on the structural and photovoltaic performance of kesterite thin-film solar cells, advancing defect physics and materials design for earth-abundant photovoltaics.

📢 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen for being invited as an Invited Speaker at the 10th International Joint Symposium, held during the 65th Korean Vacuum Society (KVS) Summer Annual Conference & IFFM 2023 (included in the Program & Abstract Book:
https://share.google/hV4bhgaAbpBLzJypf).

📍 Venue: Jeju Shinhwa World Hotel & Resorts, Jeju Island, Korea
🗓 Date: August 20–23, 2023

🎤 Invited Talk Title:
Non-toxic / Earth-abundant Metal Chalcogenide CZTSSe Thin-Film Solar Cells

📚 Symposium: 10th International Joint Symposium
Theme: Advanced Materials, Surface and Interface
Presentation Type: Invited Speaker

Prof. Chen delivered his invited talk on August 21, 2023, presenting recent advances in earth-abundant chalcogenide thin-film photovoltaics. His participation fostered international academic exchange among researchers from Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Europe, and the United States, and highlighted the research strengths of National Taiwan Ocean University in vacuum science and energy materials.

📢 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen on being invited to contribute an Editorial to the Focus issue of Nanotechnology (IOP Publishing), entitled:
“Editorial for Focus on Manipulations of Atomic and Molecular Layers and Its Applications in Energy, Environment Sciences and Optoelectronic Devices.”

The editorial highlights recent advances in atomic and molecular layer manipulation (e.g., ALD, CVD, MBE, wet chemistry) and their impactful applications in energy, environmental science, and optoelectronic devices, underscoring the growing importance of nanoscale interface and materials control.

📅 Publication Year: 2023
📘 Journal: Nanotechnology (IOP Publishing)

🔗 DOI / Full text:
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6528/acfbe6

📢 Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen contributed a featured essay to CTCI Quarterly, Issue No. 145, in the section Thoughts & Perspectives.

📘 Article Title:
“Curiosity-Driven Interdisciplinary Connections: Breaking Through Personal Boundaries”
Author: Cheng-Ying Chen

In this article, Prof. Chen reflects on how curiosity has shaped his interdisciplinary journey across materials science, optoelectronics, energy conversion, and semiconductor technologies. He discusses how stepping beyond disciplinary boundaries enables deeper scientific insight, innovation, and long-term research growth. The essay also offers thoughtful perspectives for early-career researchers on cultivating resilience, openness, and cross-field collaboration. 

"Developing strong questioning skills is crucial in problem-solving."

🔗 Read the article (PDF):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NklGTP59HPArvM0mDb-tNhgptSiOTETm/view?usp=drive_link

🔗 CTCI Quarterly eBook (Issue 145):
https://www.ctci.org.tw/ebook/CTCI_quarterly_145/index.html

📢 Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen was featured in an exclusive interview by Rightek Technology as part of its Master Series, sharing insights on the future of fluorescent materials and photoluminescence (PL).

📘 Interview Topic:
“Exploring the Future of Fluorescent Materials and Photoluminescence”

In this interview, Prof. Chen discusses fundamental PL mechanisms, material design strategies, advanced characterization, and emerging applications in optoelectronic devices, displays, and sensing technologies, highlighting the importance of bridging academic research and industrial innovation.

🔗 Rightek Technology (About):
https://www.rightek.com.tw/about/

🔗 Read the interview (Master Series):
http://r483906.rightek.com.tw/c/v?e=16BB181&c=76242&t=0&l=D600E131&email=zFH12QfI6xp37AlV1BgPUonwElsVDE5x

📢 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen for receiving the 11th Young Scholar Award of the Taiwan Vacuum Society (TVS)(October 28, 2022)! 

This award recognizes his outstanding contributions to semiconductor thin films, defect/interface engineering, and advanced characterization for energy and optoelectronic applications. 

🎉 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen on a collaborative publication with the National Taiwan University (NTU) research team in ACS Applied Energy Materials:

📄 Article Title:
Modulation and Direct Mapping of the Interfacial Band Alignment of an Eco-Friendly Zinc-Tin-Oxide Buffer Layer in SnS Solar Cells

🔬 This study demonstrates an eco-friendly, Cd-free zinc–tin–oxide (ZTO) buffer layer deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) for SnS thin-film solar cells. By systematically tuning the Zn/Sn ratio, the interfacial band alignment is transformed from a cliff-type to a spike-type configuration. Importantly, the work provides the first direct nanoscale visualization of band alignment at the SnS/ZTO interface using XPS and cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy (X-STM). The optimized ZTO buffer significantly suppresses interfacial recombination, boosting the open-circuit voltage from 0.24 V to 0.34 V and achieving a power conversion efficiency of 3.0%, highlighting ZTO as a promising Cd-free buffer layer for SnS photovoltaics.

📘 Journal: ACS Applied Energy Materials, 2022, 5, 14531–14540
🔗 DOI: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsaem.2c03129

🎉 Congratulations to our lab for the publication in Sustainability (IF 3.9, 2022)!
📄 Title: Back Contact Engineering to Improve CZTSSe Solar Cell Performance by Inserting MoO₃ Sacrificial Nanolayers 

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9511; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159511 

This study introduces an ultrathin MoO₃ sacrificial nanolayer to optimize the Mo/CZTSSe back-contact interface in thin-film solar cells. The MoO₃ layer promotes grain growth, suppresses harmful MoS(e)₂ formation, and improves absorber quality. Key results include:

• Defect energy level reduced from 228 meV to 148 meV

• Series resistance decreased from 1.83 Ω·cm² to 1.54 Ω·cm²

• Fill factor (FF) increased to 52.12%

• Efficiency improved by ~26%, achieving a maximum 7.78% PCE

First-principles (VASP) calculations further revealed that sulfoselenized MoO₃ nanolayers act as p-type hole-selective contacts, contributing to enhanced device performance. (August 3, 2022) 

🎉 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen on a collaborative publication with the National Taiwan University (NTU) research team in ACS Chemistry of Materials:

📄 Article Title:
Short- and Long-Range Cation Disorder in (AgₓCu₁–ₓ)₂ZnSnSe₄ Kesterites

🔬 This work systematically investigates short- and long-range cation disorder in Ag-alloyed kesterite (AgₓCu₁–ₓ)₂ZnSnSe₄). By integrating synchrotron-based X-ray techniques, local structural analysis, and theoretical calculations, the study elucidates how Ag substitution modulates Cu/Zn disorder, local structural rearrangements, and electronic properties. The results reveal that controlled Ag incorporation can tune long-range ordering while reshaping local disorder, providing critical physical insights toward defect mitigation and performance improvement in kesterite photovoltaics.

📘 Journal: Chemistry of Materials (ACS), 2022
🔗 DOI: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.chemmater.2c01489

🎉 Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen on a collaborative publication with the National Taiwan University (NTU) research team in Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells:

📄 Article Title:
Enhancing the Photovoltaic Properties of SnS-Based Solar Cells by Crystallographic Orientation Engineering

🔬 This study addresses the highly anisotropic charge transport in SnS, a low-dimensional layered semiconductor, by implementing crystallographic orientation engineering. Using vapor transport deposition (VTD) with controlled substrate tilting angles and temperature ramp rates, the unfavorable (040) orientation was effectively suppressed. As a result, charge transport was enhanced, recombination was reduced, and the power conversion efficiency increased from 0.11% to 2.0%. The work establishes a clear correlation between crystal orientation, carrier transport, and device performance, providing valuable guidelines for SnS and other low-dimensional chalcogenide photovoltaic materials.

📘 Journal: Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells 236 (2022) 111499
🔗 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2021.111499

🎉Congratulations to Prof. Cheng-Ying (Gary) Chen on a collaborative publication with the National Taiwan University (NTU) research team in Solar RRL (Solar: Rapid Research Letters), selected as a Front Cover Article:

📄 Article Title:
Impact of Cation Substitution in (AgₓCu₁−ₓ)₂ZnSnSe₄ Absorber-Based Solar Cells toward 10% Efficiency: Experimental and Theoretical Analyses

🔬 This work integrates comprehensive experiments and first-principles calculations to elucidate the role of Ag-for-Cu cation substitution in kesterite (AgₓCu₁−ₓ)₂ZnSnSe₄ absorbers. The study reveals that 10% Ag alloying effectively suppresses detrimental defect states, reduces the Voc deficit, and boosts device efficiency to 10.2%, providing critical insights into defect engineering strategies for high-performance, earth-abundant kesterite photovoltaics.

📘 Journal: Solar RRL 5 (10), 2100441 (2021)
🌟 Highlight: Front Cover Article
🔗 DOI: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/solr.202100441