Prof. Eugene A. Katz Visits SIOM----Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics

On Oct. 25, 2018, Prof. Eugene A. Katz from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev paid a visit to SIOM and delivered a presentation entitled “Photovoltaic operation of perovskite solar cells: what we understand and don’t yet understand”. Chaired by vice Prof. Ivan M. Kislyakov, PIFI Fellow, the presentation was warmly welcomed by young researchers and graduate students.

Solar cells based on organic?inorganic hybrid perovskites have recently achieved a breakthrough in the field of thin film photovoltaics, with high power conversion efficiencies (PCE) of over 20% for wet-processed devices. Nevertheless, these cells are still far from their full potential and their photovoltaic operation is far from detailed understanding. In this lecture, Prof. Eugene A. Katz discussed several open questions and challenges:
(1)        What is a good PV cell?
(2)        Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells.
(3)        Temperature and irradiance dependences of principal photovoltaic parameters of perovskite PV cells;
(4)        Effect of grain boundaries on trap-assisted recombination and degradation.
(5)        Photon recycling in perovskite solar cells as a route towards QS efficiency limit?
(6)        Reversible degradation of perovskite PV. Reconsidering figures of merit for stability and PV performance?

Prof. Eugene A. Katz received his MSc degree (1982) in Semiconductor Materials Science and Ph.D. (1990) in solid state physics from the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys. In 1995, he joined the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and has been working in the Department for Solar Energy and Environmental Physics ever since (now as a full professor). His research interests include a wide range of photovoltaic materials and devices, such as organic and perovskite-based photovoltaics, concentrator solar cells operated at ultra-high solar concentration (up to 10,000 suns), etc. He has published ~ 120 peer-reviewed papers on these topics.