Project description
Now you see it, now you don't – missing electrons for invisible electronics
Most of us think of electrons as electricity carriers. Holes are also charge carriers, but they are not physical particles at all. As their name suggests, they are holes left behind when an electron moves from a tightly held position in a valence band to the conduction band, from where it can easily escape. "Movement" of these areas of positive charge is exploited in p-type conductors, which are promising candidates for novel transparent transistor materials, a key enabler of "invisible" electronics. The EU-funded HOCOM project is on a mission to significantly enhance the performance of p-type transparent conductors, bringing that vision closer to reality.
Objective
Materials that are both electrically conductive and optically transparent are an essential element in important light conversion applications, such as solar cells, solar fuels, displays, and illumination. Their high conductivity is achieved either through electrons (n-type) or through positively charge holes (p-type). However, the figure of merit of state-of-the-art p-type materials is more than 100 times lower than that of the best n-type materials. Therefore current devices must be designed to have electrons as the main charge carriers at the transparent electrode. If this constraint was removed, new design possibilities could be explored, and even new types of devices (e.g. see-through electronic transistors) could be fabricated. Thus, the goal of this project is to synthesize a p-type transparent conductor with a figure of merit twice as high as that of the current state-of-the-art hole conductive material. I will focus on phosphide materials, as recent theoretical work points to their favorable hole-conducting properties. Among phosphides, I have prioritized one specific material and selected two other promising materials as back-ups. I will learn and apply a high-throughput combinatorial approach championed by my host institution (NREL, USA) in order to accelerate the development of optimal synthesis conditions and dopants. This knowledge will be transferred to my European host (HZB, Germany), which is currently building a full combinatorial research lab. I will use HZB’s combinatorial tools to fabricate simple diode structures on top of the material developed at NREL, using an n-type sulfide semiconductor. Electrical analysis of the diodes will indicate the practical applicability of the new hole conductor in a real device. In parallel, I will be trained in advanced defect spectroscopy techniques at HZB. They will reveal the nature of defects that compensate the dominant p-type character of the hole conductor, thus defining a roadmap for further improvement.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics semiconductivity
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels energy conversion
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF-GF - Global Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
14109 Berlin
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.