PhD-student: Eco-design of thin Si PV

Work Activities
Eco-design, or sustainable design, plays a crucial role in the development of solar cells by minimizing environmental impact through use of resources, energy conservation and emissions. In Si heterojunction (SHTJ) cells, reducing the silicon wafer thickness enables more active solar cell area per kg of Si, which potentially reduces costs and improves energy returns. Thinner wafers offer increased tolerance to bulk defects, giving rise to the opportunity of producing higher efficiencies from low-cost low-energy-intensive materials like upgraded metallurgical-grade silicon. Additionally, SHTJ PV relies on the use of a thin ITO layer on the amorphous and/or nano-crystalline Si contacts, to facilitate lateral charge transport and good ohmic-contact to Ag fingers. However, indium and silver are scarce metals (thus also costly) that should be avoided/minimized. To improve the economical balance and environmental footprint of SHTJ, new materials and processes are required.

This project focuses on developing novel optically and electrically active layers that enable to further reduce the environmental impact of SHTJ cells without sacrificing power production. You will design and fabricate light trapping textures on thin solar cells, building on our expertise on nature-inspired rationally designed dielectric textures with correlated disorder. You will then investigate the introduction of metallic nanoscale networks based on sustainable metal alternatives (e.g. Cu), that work as transparent electrodes. You will learn cleanroom and electrochemical deposition methods to fabricate nanopatterned metal and metal oxide networks.

Qualifications
We invite applications from highly motivated candidates with a strong background in physics, chemistry, materials science, or engineering, and a keen interest in solar cells. We especially encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply. Prospective PhD candidates must hold an MSc degree in physics or equivalent qualification.

Work environment
The3DPV group, led by Prof. Esther Alarcon, studies light-matter interactions in nanoscale systems for sustainable energy storage and conversion. The group is composed of an international team of 7-10 PhD students, postdocs and master students that work in a collaborative atmosphere. Every week we hold group meeting and a subteam meeting, in addition to departmental colloquium and poster sessions. Our group is part of AMOLFs Light Management in Photovoltaic Materials Program (www.LMPV.nl) that is composed of 5 research groups (50 PhD students and postdocs) that share a state-of-the-art cleanroom for nanofabrication and characterization and many other facilities. We offer a highly collaborative and supportive environment, fostering strong connections both within the group and with our national and international partners. PhD students benefit from a variety of courses designed to enhance their research skills.

AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• The starting salary is 2.884,- Euro’s gross per month and a range of employment benefits.
• After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at the University of Amsterdam.
• Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Esther Alarcon Llado: e.alarconllado@amolf.nl

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

Postdoc: Stochastic thermodynamics of optical sensing

Work Activities

Qualifications

Work environment
AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

In the Interacting Photons group we study emergent phenomena and functionalities of stochastic nonlinear optical systems. Most of our group members enjoy both experiment and theory. We strongly value an inclusive and diverse environment. We regularly interact with colleagues with different backgrounds in AMOLF and beyond. In fact, this project involves a collaboration with members of the Biochemical Networks and Systems Biology groups. You will have extensive support from the group leaders, other group members, the technical staff (software, electronics, mechanics, etc.) at AMOLF.

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of two years
• Salary is in scale 10 (CAO-OI) which starts at 4.065 Euro’s gross per month, and a range of employment benefits.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign Postdoc with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact:
Dr. Said Rodriguez
Group leader Interacting Photons
E-mail: s.rodriguez@amolf.nl
Phone: +31 (0)20-754 7100

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

PhD position: Optimizing light management in perovskite tandem solar cells

Work Activities
In this project you will contribute to realization of solar cells with a photovoltaic power conversion efficiency that can ultimately exceed 40%. It is focused on tandem solar cells, which are composed of two semiconductors that are stacked on top of each other, in which the top cell catches the blue/green part of the solar spectrum and the bottom cell the red/infrared part. We make use of an exciting new class of semiconductors, halide perovskites, that can be deposited as ultrathin films. In this way a high-efficiency perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell can be made.

In these tandem solar cells the surface of the silicon bottom cell is usually covered with macroscopic surface texture, in order to create efficient light trapping. However, the integration with a perovskite top cell is not always compatible with macroscopic surface features. In this project we will design and optimize metallo-dielectric back reflector geometries that scatter and redirect light in specially tailored ways, in order to replace the surface texture on the Si cell, so that the perovskite-silicon interface can remain flat, potentially enhancing the cell efficiency.

In parallel, you will investigate specially tailored microstructures on the surface of the solar cell that preferentially scatter (far-)infrared spectral bands. This can create effective passive radiative cooling which reduces the temperature of the solar cell under solar irradiation. This enhances the efficiency and stability of the solar cell. We aim to apply optimized microdesigns tailored to the solar cell geometries studied in the SolarNL program, in particular the lightweight polymer-laminated Si solar cell panels, polymer-laminated perovskite foils and glass- or polymer-coated silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells.

Qualifications
We invite applications from highly motivated candidates with a strong background in physics, chemistry, materials science, or engineering, and a keen interest in solar cells. We especially encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply. Prospective PhD candidates must hold an MSc degree in physics or equivalent qualification.

Work environment
The Photonic Materials group (www.erbium.nl), led by Prof. Albert Polman, studies light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. The group is composed of an international team of 8-10 PhD students, postdocs and master students that work in a collaborative atmosphere with many social group activities. Every week we hold group meeting, PV team meeting, and departmental colloquium and poster sessions, in addition to regular journal clubs. We also regularly organize an international group labtour. Our group is part of AMOLFs Light Management in Photovoltaic Materials Program that is composed of 5 research groups (50 PhD students and postdocs) that share a state-of-the-art cleanroom for nanofabrication and characterization and many other facilities.

We offer a highly collaborative and supportive environment, fostering strong connections both within the group and with our national and international partners. PhD students benefit from a variety of courses designed to enhance their research skills.

AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• The starting salary is 2.781 Euro’s gross per month and a range of employment benefits
• After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at a Dutch University
• Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students
• AMOLF assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Albert Polman: a.polman@amolf.nl

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

3 MacGillavry and Lovelace Fellowships for group leaders ARCNL

Work Activities
Together with the Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL), the Faculties of Science of the University of Amsterdam and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam are organising a next, combined round of their prestigious MacGillavry Fellowship and Lovelace Fellowship programmes. We are asking female researchers who have a good match with the ARCNL research programme, and at the same time have the potential and ambition to obtain a leadership position as (assistant/associate/full) professor at either of the two Universities to apply.

For more detailed information see the webpages of the MacGillavry Fellowship programme and the Lovelace Fellowship programme.

The ARCNL is a unique public-private partnership between Dutch universities as public parties and ASML as private industry partner. ARCNL is a national research center within the Dutch Research Council (NWO). ARCNL focusses on fundamental physics and chemistry in the context of technologies for (nano)lithography, primarily for the semiconductor industry. ARCNL has three departments: Materials (3 groups), (EUV) Source (3 groups), and Metrology (5 groups) and has about 100 employees in total.

ARCNL is looking for three group leaders, with either experimental or modelling/theoretical focus. You will conduct your research in collaboration with other research groups in ARCNL. As group leader of ARCNL, you will be employed by and part of the Faculty of Science of either the University of Amsterdam or the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, appointed as assistant or associate professor level, depending on your experience. For exceptionally experienced and qualified candidates, appointment starting as Full Professor could be considered. Working at ARCNL implies having a reduced teaching load compared to other university staff.

ARCNL is inspired by challenges of a world-leading semiconductor equipment manufacturer, ASML. Challenges involve producing 13.5 nm (or shorter wavelength) radiation from laser produced plasmas, developing metrology techniques using advanced optical linear and non-linear principles and no-optical principles, and material research on coatings, coating interfaces concentrating on mechanical wear (tribology) and surface reactivity. Your research will form the scientific backbone behind continued developments in the most advanced methods for high-volume production of processor and memory chips. A visit to and introduction of ASML is part of the hiring process.

ARCNL has an open mind as to which concrete research expertise you bring to make a great fit. The ideal candidate is an energetic, and productive researcher benefitting from in-house collaborations, yielding highly visible science and promising avenues and proof-of-principle results for ASML.

Your group has access to all facilities at ARCNL with possible access to resources at ASML. Local and national computational resources are on-site in the Amsterdam Science Park. ARCNL shares essential infrastructure with our neighboring institute AMOLF, including clean room facilities in their NanoLab. Your research could benefit from connections within the physics/ chemistry/materials departments of the University of Amsterdam, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, or the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials in Groningen, such collaborations are arranged and encouraged.

We believe that diversity is invaluable for the quality of our organization. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset. It is for this reason that the MacGillavry and Lovelace Fellowship programme are used. We invite anyone who recognizes themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all requirements. We stimulate an atmosphere of curiosity, creativity, and care for our junior researchers regarding obtaining a PhD.

We offer an attractive embedding and support package, including competitive start-up funds, budget for two junior researchers and access to state-of-the-art facilities. Technical support will be provided by dedicated group technicians and by support departments (electronic, software and mechanical).

Qualifications
You have a strong academic track record, are communicative and recognize the strength of collaborations, and multi-disciplinarity, and understand the challenge spanning from discovery to application. You are flexible and adaptive in view of the mission of ARCNL.

As a group leader, you will:

• Initiate a novel research program, aligned with the long-term challenges of ASML Research and the ARCNL science program;
• Establish and maintain an active collaboration with ASML Research;
• Collaborate actively with the other research groups at ARCNL;
• Direct your own group members and supervise the projects within your group;
• Be responsible for the budget, the planning, and the quality of the projects in the group;
• Publish your work in leading international journals;
• Present the work at conferences and research institutes in the Netherlands and abroad;
• Develop and maintain external relations, both nationally and internationally;
• Acquire national and international financial support;
• Be an active member of the faculty staff of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) or the Faculty of Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU);
• Contribute to the teaching programs of the UvA and the VU.

We invite you to apply if you have the following qualifications:

• PhD in physics, chemistry or materials science;
• Working experience and a scientific track record in atomic, molecular, plasma, or instrumental physics;
• Willingness to teach at university level and demonstrable didactic abilities;
• Preferably experience with the (co-)supervision of BSc, MSc and/or PhD students;
• Ability to attract external funding;
• Excellent communication and social skills;
• Excellent command of English and willingness to learn the Dutch language.
• Experience and affinity with collaborations between industry and academia forms an advantage;

Work environment
About ARCNL
The Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL) focuses on the fundamental physics and chemistry involved in current and future key technologies in nanolithography, primarily for the semiconductor industry. ARCNL is a public-private partnership between the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the University of Amsterdam (UvA), the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), the University of Groningen (RUG) and the semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML, and consists of approximately 100 scientists and support staff. Within ARCNL, the universities are the employers for the senior research staff. For more information, visit www.arcnl.nl.

About the University departments
The mission of the Institute of Physics (IoP) of the University of Amsterdam, one of the eight research institutes of the UvA’s Faculty of Science is to carry out excellent research in the field of experimental and theoretical physics. The IoP is home to over 70 faculty and 240 researchers who together form a thriving community embedded at the Amsterdam Science Park, which also houses ARCNL. who also teach in various BSc and MSc educational programs – most prominently in the joint-degree BSc and MSc programs in Physics and Astronomy. Research at IoP is organized in three research divisions. Depending on the profile of the selected candidate(s), the embedding will most likely be in IoP’s WZI or ITFA division.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is one of ten research departments of the VU’s Faculty of Science. It has six research groups and provides education to 700 students and offers an active and engaged intellectual community. Research is focused on four themes: (i) high-energy and gravitational physics, (ii) quantum metrology and laser applications, (iii) physics of life and health, and (iv) physics of photosynthesis and energy.

About the MacGillavry and Lovelace Fellowship programmes
The Faculties of Science of the University of Amsterdam and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam attach great importance to the contribution of female scientists in research and education. The MacGillavry and Lovelace Fellowship programmes are recruitment programmes specifically aimed at talented women in science.

For more detailed information see the webpages of the MacGillavry Fellowship programme and the Lovelace Fellowship programme.

Working conditions
Start dates are negotiable. The positions will be filled at the level of Assistant or Associate Professor, depending on qualifications. For exceptionally experienced and qualified candidates, appointment starting as Full Professor could be considered.

The starting salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel and depending on experience and qualifications (irrespective of the embedding university). It will range from a minimum of € 4,332 gross per month up to a maximum of € 6,737 gross per month (Assistant Professor, salary scale 11-12) or € 6,002 gross per month up to a maximum of € 8,025 gross per month (Associate Professor, salary scale 13-14), based on full-time employment. This is excluding 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, then please look here (for VU) and here (for UvA).

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact :

Dr. Marjan Fretz, Manager of Operations ARCNL
E-mail: m.fretz@arcnl.nl
Phone: +31-(0)20-851 7100

For science program specific information please contact:

• Materials: Dr. Emilia Olsson (olsson@arcnl.nl);
• Metrology: Dr. Lyuba Amitonova (amitonova@arcnl.nl);
• Source: Dr. Oscar Versolato (o.versolato@arcnl.nl);

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below. When applying, please submit pdf files containing:

• a motivation letter, including why the special position ARCNL takes up as a connector between academic scientific research and advancing technology in an industrial setting sparks your interest;
• a research statement (maximum 6 pages);
• a resume;
• list of publications;
• names and contact details of 3 references.

Please make sure to provide ALL requested documents mentioned above.

A knowledge security check can be part of the selection procedure. (For details: see the National knowledge security guidelines).

The final application date is 18 October 2024.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
ARCNL is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

PhD position: Stable Perovskite Solar Cells by Controlling Ion Migration

Work Activities
Since their invention, nearly all solar cells have utilized silicon as the active semiconductor. Recently, perovskite semiconductors have emerged as a new material that can be deposited from an ink, enabling the printing of highly efficient solar cells on foil. Perovskite solar cells offer the potential for faster scaling, reduced costs, and easier integration compared to silicon solar cells. Additionally, they can enhance the efficiency of silicon solar cells when used in tandem configurations. However, their limited stability currently remains the primary barrier to large-scale commercialization.

The stability of perovskite solar cells is limited because within the materials we can see the migration of charged atoms, ions. These ions can move through the solar cell and thereby reduce the electrical current extracted from sunlight. In this project you will investigate how the ions reduce the current, and how their ion motion can be reduced. You will test the following hypotheses for the loss in solar cell efficiency: (1) mobile ions cause an interfacial barrier to charge extraction; (2) mobile ions deplete the charge carrier density in the charge transport layers, leading to slow charge extraction; and (3) mobile ions reduce charge transport through the perovskite bulk. You will combine measurements of ion motion in the frequency and time domain with a variation of device and material paramters and exterrnal pressure. At the same time, you will use drift-diffusion simulations to understand on the microscopic level how the ions move. With this knowledge we can predict new materials with reduced ion migration, that should lead to much more stable solar cells.

Perovskite crystal structure

The project is part of a large national initiative, SolarNL, aimed at supporting the Dutch solar photovoltaic industry. For more information, visit SolarNL.eu. SolarNL is a consortium comprising several companies, the Dutch government, and both applied and fundamental research institutions. This collaborative effort focuses on developing an industry capable of producing solar cells, solar modules, and integrated solar PV solutions.

You will join 40 other PhD students from across the Netherlands to tackle fundamental research challenges that underpin these industrial activities. This team of PhD students will participate in workshops together and closely collaborate with industrial and applied research partners to ensure that research outcomes are swiftly implemented in the solar PV industry.

Qualifications
We invite applications from highly motivated candidates with a strong background in physics, chemistry, materials science, or engineering, and a keen interest in solar cells. We especially encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply. Prospective PhD candidates must hold an MSc degree or equivalent qualification.

Work environment
The Hybrid Solar Cell Group focuses on ion migration in perovskite solar cells and related devices. Our research seeks to understand the unique characteristics of metal halide perovskite materials, which combine efficient ion motion with excellent semiconductor properties. In solar cells, we aim to control ion migration, while in other devices, such as those for neuromorphic computing, we seek to leverage their unique properties.

We offer a highly collaborative and supportive environment, fostering strong connections both within the group and with our national and international partners. PhD students benefit from a variety of courses designed to enhance their research skills.

AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly non-Dutch employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• The starting salary is 2.781 Euros gross per month and a range of employment benefits.
• After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at a Dutch University.
• Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Bruno Ehrler: b.ehrler@amolf.nl

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.