Fernando Castro

Abstract:

Organic, printed and hybrid electronics cover a wide range of applications ranging from solar cells and transistors to sensors to enable the internet-of-things. One advantage of such materials is the possibility to manufacture devices on a variety of different substrates which facilitates integration into different products. In addition, the semiconductor or nanoparticles used for these devices often can be solubilised, allowing processing via printing and coating methods that have the potential to significantly reduce manufacturing costs if reliable high yield processes can be developed. Often these devices are formed by single or multiple ultrathin layers and can present inhomogeneity at different length scales. Despite significant advances in analytical characterization methods, the impact of nanoscale properties on device performance and reliability remains a challenge to measure directly. Here we present a hybrid metrology approach that allows simultaneous measurement of topography, electrical and optical microscopy at the nanoscale. Results related to nanostructured solar cells will be presented and applicability to other nanoelectronics devices, such as Si nanowire-based, will be discussed. Such method allows direct correlation of properties and also allows easy scalability for spatially resolved measurements at the micrometer level, providing direct links between lab research and characterisation tools that can be used in an industrial quality control process.