Course: Photovoltaics-The Engineering, Technology and Application of Solar Cells (2-Days)

This is a two-day course but either day can be taken separately as desired. However, a review of the first day material is not provided during the second day.

Course Objectives:

• Understand the basic operation of photovoltaics (solar cells).
   
• Gain an understanding of the state of the art and current primary research focuses in all common and emerging photovoltaic technologies.
   
• Learn how solar cell operation is modeled to diagnose and optimize devices.
   
• Gain an overview of methods to produce solar cells and some of the problems and solutions in manufacturing the devices.
   
• Understand how photovoltaics fit in to future energy generation schemes.
   
• Learn the general aspects of how solar cell materials and devices are characterized.

Course Description -- Day 1: Fundamentals
The first day introduces the broad aspects of photoelectric solar cells, properly known as photovoltaics (or PV for short). The basic issues related to energy and how PV fits into the potential generating technologies are reviewed briefly and examples of actual installations are given. A description of how PV power systems are designed is included. A general introduction to the electrical and optical theory of the devices is provided including analysis of ideal and non-ideal device performance, reflection, transmission, carrier generation, and other aspects of the optical properties. Consideration will include issues related to transparent contacts, antireflection coatings, and tunnel junctions for connection in multilayer devices. Students will be introduced to the AMPS and SCAPS modeling tools and useful spreadsheet-based approaches to modeling the devices. A brief overview of the physics of semiconductor defects will be presented and how defects affect solar cell performance will be included.

Different PV technologies are reviewed including concentrating and non-concentrating systems, single and multijunction devices, thin film and bulk devices, thermophotovoltaics, and novel concepts such as photoelectrochemical cells, organic PV, and quantum dot structures. Inorganic polycrystalline thin film technologies considered will include amorphous Si, CdTe, and CuInSe2 and related compounds. Multijunction high-efficiency concentrator design will also be discussed. The current status of each of these technologies and some of the issues and potential limitations to them are discussed. Persons planning to develop a research program in PV and wishing to familiarize themselves with the field should find this section of the course a useful basis upon which to plan their program.

If time permits on the first day a case study of expected daily power production in the central U.S. (central Illinois specifically) will be presented. This illustrates the variations with time of day and sun/clouds. The example includes a discussion of how to project the levellized cost of ownership of the system per kWh of power produced. Some discussion of subsidies and other issues related to the evaluation of system cost will be given.

Course Description -- Day 2: Manufacturing and Characterization
Selected topics related to the manufacture of the devices will be presented including a review of detailed examples, as available. Students should realize that information proprietary to individual manufacturers can not be disclosed so the presentation is general with specific examples and case studies from individual manufacturers available as those organizations have been willing to share information in a public forum.

Deposition techniques discussed will include Czochralsky crystal growth, casting and other specialized bulk Si growth techniques, evaporation, closed-space sublimation, solid-phase reaction, sputtering, and others. Case studies in issues related to the manufacture of two thin film technologies, a-Si and CuInSe2 will be discussed as examples. Cost, market, materials availability, and yield issues will be considered. The course will also discuss space-based vs. terrestrial applications and options and issues related to flexible PV technologies.

The remainder of the second day will be devoted to characterization of PV devices including the application of microchemical, microstructural, optical, and electronic methods. Descriptions of the basic operating principles of each technique will be provided along with a discussion of how that technique is used in characterizing PV devices. Examples of results will be provided for each technique. More extensive topics related to specific technologies and issues will be provided on a question-and-answer basis.

Who should attend?
Students, scientists and engineers with little or no experience in photovoltaics. Those with a history of work in the field will also profit from the descriptions of device modeling and the range of approaches used. They will also get a sense of the current state of the art across all technologies. The course is not currently designed to educate system installers because that is a topic for an electrician and is relatively generic. System installers may gain some useful background concerning the devices they are installing. Questions concerning practical installation of systems can be answered but students should not expect to come away prepared to install their own system.

Instructor:
Angus Rockett, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois.

Course Materials:
Course Notes

Cost: $575 (Day one)/$850 (Both days) 

Course: An Overview of Applied Vacuum Technology

Course Objectives:

• Be introduced to the fundamental concepts of vacuum technology.

• Learn about common vacuum system hardware and instrumentation, including pumps, gauges, flanges, valves, and feedthroughs.

• Understand applications and processes involving vacuum technology.  

• Benefit from a "just right" two-day course (when you don't have the time or the need to attend a four- or five-day introductory course).

Course Description:
The course begins with a definition of vacuum and a description of the physical conditions existing in a vacuum environment. Following this introduction will be a discussion of gases at low pressures and the interactions between gases and solids. The phenomena of gas flow though vacuum systems will then be examined. The primary components of vacuum systems, with an emphasis on pumps and gauges, will be described.

Requirements for materials compatible with the vacuum environment will be discussed. Various sealing techniques will be described, including coverage of all demountable flange systems in common use today. Common vacuum system configurations and operational procedures will be outlined. The course will finish with a description of vacuum leak detection methods and the far-reaching applications of vacuum technology today.

Ample time for questions and discussion will be scheduled. A comprehensive list of references will be provided for those wishing to learn more detailed information about specific areas. The emphasis of the course will be to provide practical information for individuals with minimal training in vacuum technology.

Who Should Attend?
Managers, technicians, engineers, and scientists who desire an introduction to the concepts, hardware, and instrumentation used in applied vacuum technology today. Those interested in a short review of vacuum basics will also find this course valuable.

Instructor:  
Robert A. Childs, RAC Consulting, retired Vacuum Engineer at MIT

Days: Two

Course Materials:
Course Notes and "High-Vacuum Technology" by Mars Hablanian
Cost: $950.00

Course: Analysis of Residual Gas Analyzer Spectra

Course Objectives:

• Learn how a residual gas analyzer (RGA) works.
• Learn how to interpret RGA mass spectra.

Course Description:
This course provides the basics needed to analyze Residual Gas Analyzer (RGA) data. It begins at a very elementary level, first describing the atom, then proceeds to the atomic electronic structure, then on molecular bonds. The operation of an RGA is next described, especially phenomena that occur in the ion source. All this information is used in the discussion of RGA spectral interpretation. Typical RGA spectra are shown and analysis of the spectra is demonstrated. Relevant references, tables and graphs are presented.

Who Should Attend?
Scientists, engineers and technicians who use or plan to use residual gas analyzers in research and support of high vacuum processes.

Days: One
Instructor:
 Bob Langley, Oak Ridge Scientific Consultants
Course Materials:
Course Notes and Partial Pressure Analyzers and Analysis from the AVS monograph series
Cost: $575

Course: An Introduction to Ion Beam Coating Deposition Techniques 

Course Objectives:

• Learn the effects of ion bombardment on substrates and coatings, and the applications of ion beam processes in thin film deposition.
   
• Understand plasma generation, and the behavior and operation of ion sources used in coating processes.
   
• Become familiar with coating processes including ion beam substrate precleaning, ion beam assisted deposition, and ion beam sputtering deposition.
   
• Acquire a working knowledge of contamination control principles relation to use of ion beams in thin films processing.

Course Description:
The course presents a broad, non-mathematical introduction to the technology of ion beam processes, and their applications in optics, electronics, communication, data storage, aerospace, protective coatings, biomedical engineering, photovoltaics, and displays. The effects of ion bombardment on surfaces are reviewed, so students can understand how these phenomena are employed in deposition and modification of thin films. Ion sources will be explained and demonstrated, focusing on the widely used Kaufman-type and end-Hall sources. The practical relationships between ion bombardment parameters and thin film microstructure and properties will be emphasized, for processes including ion beam cleaning, ion beam assisted deposition, and ion beam sputter deposition. Guidelines for the optimization of coating yields and performance will be given. Contamination control procedures, both general to deposition and specific to ion beam processing, will be discussed in detail.

Who Should Attend?
New and experienced coating process and design engineers, deposition technicians, and their managers, as well as technical marketing personnel from suppliers of deposition equipment, ion sources, materials, and coating services. End users of thin film coatings will especially benefit if they want to purchase new deposition equipment and/or bring a coating process in-house. Suppliers of coatings will learn how to optimize and troubleshoot existing ion beam deposition processes.

Day: One

Instructor:  
Larry Stelmack, Independent Technical Consultant
Course Materials:
Course Notes
Cost: $575.00

To sign up for a course respond by email or phone to Robert A. Childs at rchilds@psfc.mit.edu or 617-331-2072. Payment can be done in the following ways:

1.      By credit Card: Visa, Master Card, or American Express only.

2.      By Check or Money Order drawn on US bank.

3.      By payment voucher or PO from your company.

For those using credit card indicate in advance the type of card and bring the card with you on the day of your course. The credit card info will be taken at that time and a receipt given on the spot. This will prevent any loss of info by internet. All other payments are expected to be submitted by mail unless other arrangements are made on the phone. All checks and POs are to be made out to “AVS” and sent to the following address:

15 Main Street, Suite 253, Watertown, MA 02472