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Ruy Sebastian Bonilla

Publications and source records attributed to Ruy Sebastian Bonilla.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Silicon Solar Cell Design for >30% Efficiency via Singlet Fission

Singlet fission (SF) materials convert high-energy photons into multiple charge carriers, providing a route to exceed the efficiency limits of single-junction silicon solar cells without many of the complexities of multi-junction tandem designs. Following the first demonstration of an SF-enhanced silicon solar cell in 2025, there is a need to understand how SF materials can be effectively integrated into high-efficiency industrial silicon devices and translated from proof of concept to a manufacturable technology. Using coupled optical and electrical simulations, we assess the efficiency potential of several industrially relevant silicon cell architectures combined with SF materials. Interdigitated back-contact (IBC) cells offer the greatest potential for improvement due to unrestricted front-surface access and can achieve efficiencies exceeding 33%. However, performance is highly sensitive to front-surface passivation quality. Appropriate silicon design, particularly controlled surface doping and fixed interfacial charge, can mitigate recombination losses and relax passivation requirements for ultra-thin exciton-transfer layers.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Rapid Atmospheric Vapor Deposition of H:In2O3 Transparent Conducting Oxide Thin Films

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are essential for the optoelectronics industry, but there is a critical gap in cost-effective methods to rapidly deposit low sheet resistance, high transmittance films without damaging delicate materials, including emerging soft semiconductors like metal-halide perovskites. In this work, atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (AP-CVD) is used to synthesise H:In2O3 films with 7.20+/-0.01 Ohm/sq sheet resistance (0.50+/-0.06 mOhm.cm resistivity) and transmittance up to 89% in the near-infrared (NIR), surpassing commercial sputter-deposited indium tin oxide. The growth rate is 40x higher than atomic layer deposition (ALD), and the AP-CVD films are fully processed under atmospheric conditions at only 140 C. Comparison of secondary ion mass spectrometry and time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis with changes in carrier concentration indicate that H dopants are introduced from the water oxidant. There is an increase in mobility form 40+/-10 cm2/Vs to 160+/-30 cm2/Vs when changing from O2 to H2O as the oxidant, which is attributed to H dopants passivating oxygen vacancies that act as carrier scattering centers. This work establishes AP-CVD as a promising method for manufacturing high figure-of-merit TCOs in a rapid, scalable and cost-effective manner, using mild growth conditions compatible with thermally-sensitive materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Machine learning for accelerating the discovery of high performance low-cost solar cells: a systematic review

Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has merged as an efficient and versatile method for converting the Sun's vast energy into electricity. Innovation in developing new materials and solar cell architectures is required to ensure lightweight, portable, and flexible miniaturized electronic devices operate for long periods with reduced battery demand. Recent advances in biomedical implantable and wearable devices have coincided with a growing interest in efficient energy-harvesting solutions. Such devices primarily rely on rechargeable batteries to satisfy their energy needs. Moreover, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques are touted as game changers in energy harvesting, especially in solar energy materials. In this article, we systematically review a range of ML techniques for optimizing the performance of low-cost solar cells for miniaturized electronic devices. Our systematic review reveals that these ML techniques can expedite the discovery of new solar cell materials and architectures. In particular, this review covers a broad range of ML techniques targeted at producing low-cost solar cells. Moreover, we present a new method of classifying the literature according to data synthesis, ML algorithms, optimization, and fabrication process. In addition, our review reveals that the Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) ML technique with Bayesian Optimization (BO) enables the design of the most promising low-solar cell architecture. Therefore, our review is a critical evaluation of existing ML techniques and is presented to guide researchers in discovering the next generation of low-cost solar cells using ML techniques.

eess.SP