BSc/MSc assignments

In the IDS group we study the contact resistance between the (silver) metal lines and the silicon solar cell. We aim to improve the understanding of the contact resistance so we can lower it, leading to higher power output of a solar cell.

Assignments in this area may involve literature study, electrical measurements, and/or computer simulations in Silvaco. Incidentally, assignments related to experimental cell fabrication might be available.

Would you like to know specific details about the currently available solar cell characterization assignments? Please contact Jurriaan Schmitz or Cora Salm

Bachelor students interested in studying thin films, can complete three types of assignments in the IDS group. Bachelor students can perform:

1. Literature study. - Getting insight into specific processes for deposition of thin films of interest, and finally describing the relevant findings in your bachelor thesis. Alternatively, getting into specific measurement techniques used to characterize certain properties of the films, finally describing the relevant findings in your bachelor thesis. We can make an appointment to further discuss the actual materials and methods which draw our attention at this moment.
2. Computer simulations. - Simulation of some selected important aspects of film deposition processes, such as gas-flow or temperature distribution in a deposition reactor, with COMSOL software.
3. Electrical measurements. - Measuring earlier fabricated devices (test structures) in our test center. For example, performing electrical measurements of certain device characteristics, such as currents and voltages in order to obtain resistivity, possibly at different temperatures. The test structures are made of thin films.

In principle, any suitable and realistic-in-time combination of subjects 1-3, which may give a better focus on certain aspects of your interest, can be considered. For example, a combination of modelling (simulations) with device characterization.

Are you interested in knowing more about the technology of fabrication of thin films? Please watch this video: ALD Around the World: The IDS Group at the University of Twente

Would you like to know specific details about the currently available thin film assignments? Please contact Alexey Kovalgin at a.y.kovalgin@utwente.nl

Would you like to know specific details about the currently available assignments for the master specialisation MSS, please contact Remco Wiegerink. 

SDT option 1: Solar Cell characterization

In the IDS group we study the contact resistance between the (silver) metal lines and the silicon solar cell. We aim to improve the understanding of the contact resistance so we can lower it, leading to higher power output of a solar cell.

Assignments in this area may involve literature study, electrical measurements, and/or computer simulations in Silvaco. Incidentally, assignments related to experimental cell fabrication might be available.

Would you like to know specific details about the currently available solar cell characterization assignments or other available assignments for the master specialisation SDT? Please contact Jurriaan Schmitz or Cora Salm

For master students, who are interested in processing and studying thin films, there are generally three types of assignments which the IDS group can offer. Master students can:

1. Contribute to studying deposition of thin films by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). Literature study, introduction to the cleanroom, learning the deposition system and then performing film deposition experiments (first under a supervision and later independently) in the Nanolab (focusing on well-defined tasks), analysis of the results, drawing conclusions, writing a report. Depending on the actual research activities of the group (i.e., the running research projects), films to be deposited can vary from wide bandgap semiconductors (e.g., AlN, GaN, etc.) and oxides (e.g., Al₂O₃, Y₂O₃, etc.) to pure-metal films (see Poster 1). The deposition techniques can vary, for example, from pure thermal ALD, plasma-enhanced ALD (PEALD) or the novel Hot-Wire Enhanced ALD (HWALD – a unique method developed by IDS - see Poster 2 for further details). The points of interest will be studying film deposition kinetics by in-situ process monitoring as well as measuring film properties in view of the potential application.
2. Contribute to the electrical thin-film measurements in the test center. Literature study, designing test structures, introduction to the cleanroom, introduction to the test center, fabrication of the test structures and then assisting at selected deposition experiments (under supervision) in the cleanroom. Finally, measuring the test structures by yourself (focusing on well-defined tasks), analysis of the results, drawing conclusions, writing a report. Depending on the actual research activities of the group (i.e., the running research projects), films to be measured can vary between wide bandgap semiconductors (e.g., AlN, GaN, etc.), oxides (e.g., Al₂O₃, Y₂O₃, etc.), and pure-metal films (see Poster 1). The points of interest will be studying performance of the films in the designed devices as well as measuring film properties (resistivity, temperature coefficient of resistance, field effect, etc).
3. The IDS group is strong in the design and realization of film-deposition reactors for both ALD and CVD, including the novel approaches such as HWALD (see Poster 2). A suitable subject will be modeling (with e.g. COMSOL software) an ALD reactor at different operating conditions. The points of interest can vary between studying distribution of the temperature and gas flow in the reactor at equilibrium conditions, and looking into evolution of the distribution in time for a transient regime. An extended simulation of the entire film deposition process can be considered as well. The latter means including selected chemical reactions, contributing to film growth, to the model.

In principle, any suitable and realistic-in-time combination of subjects 1-3, which may give a better focus on certain aspects of your interest, can be considered. For example, a combination of deposition experiments with modelling, or a combination of modelling with film characterization.

Are you interested in processing and studying thin films? Please watch this video: ALD Around the World: The IDS Group at the University of Twente

Would you like to know specific details about the currently available thin film assignments? Please contact Alexey Kovalgin at a.y.kovalgin@utwente.nl