Organic PV Lab - Solar TAP

Organic photovoltaics lab at KIT

The Organic PV Lab at KIT combines advanced materials research with scalable device processing for organic and hybrid photovoltaics.

With a focus on precision fabrication, semiconductor metrology, and high-throughput experimentation, the lab serves as a cornerstone for innovation in sustainable solar energy technologies.

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Overview

The Organic PV Lab at the Material Research Center for Energy Systems (MZE) focuses on the development, optimization, and simulation of organic and hybrid solar cells. Its infrastructure enables advanced processing of organic materials and multilayer devices, featuring extensive capabilities for coating, structuring, and characterization. Emphasis is placed on tandem solar cells, semi-transparent photovoltaics, and scalable manufacturing processes using advanced laser structuring techniques.

Detailed Description

Purpose: The Organic PV Lab provides a comprehensive research environment for organic solar cell development—from molecular formulation to device testing. Its infrastructure includes a cluster of vacuum-based deposition systems, femtosecond laser ablation tools, and multiple coating techniques ranging from spin to slot-die, enabling complete multilayer device stacks. Furthermore, the lab integrates high-throughput automation workflows and advanced diagnostics for rapid material screening and combinatorial process optimization. These capabilities make the MZE Lab a versatile platform for both fundamental research and technology upscaling.

Unique Features

Integration of inert and ambient processing across all key layer types
Multi-chamber cluster tool for controlled evaporation of complex organic stacks
High-precision fs laser ablation for device structuring at multiple wavelengths
Fully equipped for OLED characterization alongside photovoltaics
Extensive high-throughput automation for film deposition, characterization, and combinatorial material screening
In-house capabilities for thermal processing up to 1500 °C
Dedicated tools for long-term device stability assessment in accordance with ISOS and IEC standards

Processing Capabilities

Active Layers

Spin and doctor blade coating (in inert and ambient environments)
Film pulling (inert and ambient)
Horizontal dip coating
Spray coating, inkjet printing, slot-die coating
Evaporation using cluster tools

Electrodes

High vacuum evaporation system (metals)
Cluster tool with 5 chambers (4 organic sources)
Evaporator with 3 metal sources

Packaging & Miscellaneous

CO₂ snow-jet for cleaning
Sintering up to 1500 °C
Encapsulation station

Transport Layers

Deposition and integration of electron/hole transport layers

Patterning

Femtosecond laser ablation with tunable wavelength (260 nm – 2.6 μm)
Nanosecond laser system

Lab Automation & High-Throughput Screening

Spin coating and quality assessment
Combinatorial precursor solution mixing
Photoluminescence (PL) and UV-Vis spectroscopy
Sample handling, dynamic light scattering (DLS)
Dispensing and storage of nanoparticle dispersions for high-throughput microfluidic ink preparation

Characterization Capabilities

Devices

Solar simulator (xenon and LED; inert and ambient)
External quantum efficiency (EQE) for single-junction and tandem devices (280 nm – 1.8 μm)
Dark lock-in thermography (LiT)
Local photocurrent mapping (LBIC)
Electroluminescence (EL) including imaging
Impedance spectroscopy and CELIV
Space charge limited current (SCLC) measurements
OLED characterization (integrating sphere, luminance, excited state dynamics)

Stability