The physics major joined the Imperial College London’s experimental solid state physics lab this summer, working to advance solar-cell efficiency.
When looking for opportunities that would enrich his Haverford studies, Ben Soloway ‘18 chose an alternative to a traditional semester abroad. Instead, he spent his summer in the U.K., in Imperial College London’s experimental solid state physics group, where he conducted research that might enhance solar cell efficiency under the guidance of Dr. Avi Braun.
Soloway split his time between two projects. In the first one, he used three-dimensional laser two-photon photolithography called NanoScribe to fabricate micro and nanostructures that will be later used by researchers at Imperial College and King’s College London for their own experiments. In addition to improving his dexterity and knowledge of the use of advanced photolithography techniques and coding, he helped to sustain and invigorate the ongoing collaboration between his group and other groups within and beyond the college.
His second project built upon years of successful research into increasing the efficiency of sustainable solar energy while also lowering its costs. Sunlight can be converted directly into electricity using multi-junction solar cells and, given the fact that the process creates no noise or pollution, researchers are turning to solar energy as a way to offset the impacts of climate change and fossil fuel depletion. They have been able to build four-junction solar cells with 46 percent efficiency, the current highest recorded efficiency. Unfortunately, simply increasing the number of junctions does not automatically increase efficiency, Soloway says, because photons may be prevented from being absorbed by lower layers of the cell.
“In the project I have been working on at Imperial College with two Master’s students under the guidance of four full time researchers, we have been creating a Schottky diode solar cell to measure the amount of electricity formed from germanium, the most common lower junction substrate,” he says. “By building a diffraction grating within the device, we attempt to improve the optical path length of sunlight and increase the absorption of photons. If successful, it may be possible to increase the efficiency of solar cells by adding another junction above germanium.”
The physics major was able to join the lab thanks to funding from the KINSC Summer Scholar program. Soloway is grateful for the enthusiasm of his team and the hands-on experience he gained this summer. Although he can tell much of his coursework was useful to him in his summer position, this research also exposed him to new topics and techniques, giving him a headstart in his studies.
“I haven’t taken physics laboratory courses at Haverford, other than in ‘Introductory Physics,’ so I have learned many lab skills that I will be able to translate to laboratory courses I begin to take at Haverford,” Soloway says.
The project has also given Soloway a sneak peek into what it’s like to be a graduate student. He enjoyed learning from and hanging out with his two graduate-student collaborators, as well as immersing himself in a different culture.
“During the weekends I have had a lot of time to explore London and the surrounding area,” says Soloway, who plans to continue doing research on solar energy next summer. “I have met people from all around the world and made friendships with people that I would never have gotten the chance to meet.”
—Katya Konradova '19
"Summer Centered" is a series exploring our students' Center-funded summer work.
