Our monthly PhD Brown Bag series is an informal gathering where students share research updates, ideas, and challenges in a relaxed setting. Dr. Yoon leads the sessions for open discussion, peer feedback, and community building across the group.
Author: HPY
2025 10 Celebrating Ashif’s Successful PhD Defense
Ashif successfully defended his PhD before a large, engaged audience. There were many good questions, all of which Ashif answered clearly and with his deep understanding of the work.
The lively discussion and strong responses made the defense a clear success.
Congratulations, Dr. Chowdhury!
2025 09 Congratulations to Ashraful on Passing Proposal Exam.
Congratulations to Ashraful on successfully passing his proposal exam! This is an important milestone, and we look forward to seeing his research continue to take shape and move forward.
2025 07 Etee and Ashraful give their presentations at M&M.
Etee gave a poster presentation on “Characterization of CdTe Back-Contacts with Thick Alumina Reflectors”.
Ashraful delivered a talk titled “Characteristics of CdTe Solar Cells Irradiated Under Neutron Beam”.
Both senior students are making good progress in their research projects, and continue to demonstrate strong technical understanding and research independence.
2025 04 Two Presentations at the MRS Spring Meeting
Yoon’s group presented two project results at the Materials Research Society (Spring 2025).
(1) Stressor Effects in CdTe Solar Cells with Patterned Al2O3 Back-Contacts – Ashraful Mamun’s project
(2) Fabrication of Asymmetrical Micro/Nanohole Arrays for Translucent Solar Cells – Ashif Chowdhury’s project
2024 09 Etee & Ashraful’s Journal Paper
We are excited to have a new publication by Etee and Ashraful on point-contact CdTe back contacts incorporating an Al₂O₃ back reflector. The work demonstrates an effective back-contact design that enhances device performance and provides valuable insights into interface engineering for CdTe solar cells.
“Microstructural Passivation of Patterned Al2O3 Back Contacts on CdS/CdTe Solar Cells”, Advanced Materials Interfaces (https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202400501)
2024 09 Welcome New Undergrad Researchers!
We are excited to have three new undergrad researchers on our team. Stella is a freshman, one of the Engineering Scholars at the College of Engineering. Donggeon shows a strong background in semiconductor devices. Welcome!
2024 09 Judy Receives NSF ETAP Scholarship.
Judy receives the NSF ETAP (Education and Training Application) Scholarship. Congratulations! This fund will support Judy’s continuing her research project in solar technology in conjunction with the Nanofab experience. We also thank the professors, Prof. Sensale Rodriguez and Prof. Menon, for their support.
2024 09 New Funding on Future of Sustainability
Dr. Yoon receives a new grant for “Sustainable Urban Green Spaces with Solar Technology”.
We will closely collaborate with Prof. Sarah Hinners at Red Butte Garden (https://redbuttegarden.org/themed-gardens/) and Prof. Timothy Adekunle at the School of Architecture (https://soa.cap.utah.edu/). We are excited about this new project. We sincerely appreciate the support from the VPR at the University of Utah (https://www.research.utah.edu/announcements/10-teams-awarded-1u4u-seed-grants/).
2024 09 New Publication on Translucent Solar Cells
A new publication on translucent solar cells is now available online. It is a free access. Check it out. Excellent job, Ashif!
Translucent Si Solar Cells Patterned with Pulsed Ultraviolet Laser Beam
This study presents a fabrication technique utilizing a pulsed ultraviolet laser to produce translucent solar cells. The patterned cells preserve over 90% of the short-circuit current of their planar controls without requiring additional post-treatment. This approach offers the potential for rapid and scalable production of translucent solar cells, suitable for diverse applications, including building-integrated photovoltaics.
Advanced Energy & Sustainability Research: https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.202400147