SPM-Lab
The Scanning Probe Microscopy Laboratory was founded in 2017 by Alex Redinger in a framework of an FNR consolidator grant.
The group focuses on the study of the surface of two types of thin film solar cells, namely Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe) and hybrid organic inorganic perovskites, as well as 2D materials. We combine scanning probe microscopy techniques in ultra-high vacuum such as Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy (STS) and Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) and photoluminescence imaging (PL/TRPL) to access the electrostatic and optoelectronic properties at the surface of semiconductors.
Latest News
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15/04/2025
New PhD student:
We welcome Yannick BUSCHHARDT as a new PhD student in the group
he will work on chalcogenide perovskites within the doctoral training unit SETRA
More information can be found here:
https://www.uni.lu/research-en/research-projects/spetra/
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17/03/2025
New paper:
Impact of processing atmosphere on nanoscale properties of highly efficient Cs0.05MA0.05FA0.9PbI3 perovskite solar cells
has been published in Nanoscale
Authors are:
Muhammad Uzair Farooq, Sevan Gharabeiki, Ding Yong, Joana Ferreira Machado, Jean-Nicolas Audinot, Tom Wirtz, Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin, Susanne Sienbentritt and Alex Redinger
DOI: 10.1039/D4NR04205K
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08/01/2025
New paper:
Wide‐Bandgap Cu(In, Ga)S2 Solar Cell: Mitigation of Composition Segregation in High Ga Films for Better Efficiency
has been published in Small
Authors are:
Damilola Adeleye, Mohit Sood, Arivazhagan Valluvar Oli, Tobias Törndahl, Adam Hultqvist, Aline Vanderhaegen, Evandro Martin Lanzoni, Yucheng Hu, Gunnar Kusch, Michele Melchiorre, Alex Redinger, Rachel A Oliver, Susanne Siebentritt
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202405221
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22/11/2024
New paper:
Light-induced degradation of methylammonium tin iodide absorber layers
has been published in Journal of Materials Chemistry A
Authors are:
Joana Ferreira Machado, Jeremy Hieulle, Aline Vanderhaegen, Alex Redinger
DOI: 10.1039/D4TA06361A
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20/08/2024
New paper:
collaboration with École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL),
Stabilization of highly efficient perovskite solar cells with a tailored supramolecular interface
has been published in Nature communications
Authors are:
Chenxu Zhao, Zhiwen Zhou, Masaud Almalki, Michael A. Hope, Jiashang Zhao, Thibaut Gallet, Anurag Krishna, Aditya Mishra, Felix T. Eickemeyer, Jia Xu, Yingguo Yang, Shaik M. Zakeeruddin, Alex Redinger, Tom J. Savenije, Lyndon Emsley,
Jianxi Yao, Hong Zhang & Michael Grätzel
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51550-z
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30/07/2024
New paper:
collaboration with Università di Roma,
A Combined Theoretical and Experimental Raman Scattering Study of BaZrS3−BaHfS3 Solid Solutions
has been published in Chem.Phys.Chem.
Authors are:
Hasan Arif Yetkin, Phillip J Dale, Aseem Rajan Kshirsagar, Sven Reichardt, Alex Redinger, Alessandro Latini,
Andrea Ciccioli, Lorenza Romagnoli
https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.202400340
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20/08/2024
New PhD student
Elham BAGHESTANI just joint the group as a PhD student. She will be working on the project EPICHALK, an FNR funded CORE project.
A warm welcome to Elham !
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29/06/2024
New paper:
collaboration with HZB Berlin and LPV (uni.lu)
Grain boundaries are not the source of Urbach tails in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 absorbers
has been published in Journal of Physics: Energy
Authors are:
Sevan Gharabeiki, Muhammad Uzair Farooq, Taowen Wang, Mohit Sood, Michele Melchiorre,
Christian A Kaufmann, Alex Redinger, Susanne Siebentritt
DOI: 10.1088/2515-7655/ad6104
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01/06/2024
New Postdoctoral Researcher
Mirco PANIGHEL joint the group in June. He will work together with Jeremy in the project LION (Light On Perovskites)
Welcome Mirco!!
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06/05/2024
New paper:
collaboration with University of Siegen and KAUST
Tin Halide Perovskite Epitaxial Films on Gold Surfaces: Atomic Structure and Stability
has been published in Advanced Functional Materials
Authors are:
Madad Abbasli, Jeremy Hieulle, Jenny Schrage, Dina Wilks, Abdus Samad, Udo Schwingenschlögl,
Alex Redinger, Carsten Busse, Robin Ohmann
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202403680
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22/04/2024
New paper:
Jonathans paper on:
Modification of Mono-layer MoS2 Through Post-Deposition Treatment and Oxidation
for Enhanced Optoelectronic Properties
has been published in APL Materials
Authors are: Jonathan Rommelfangen, Marco A. Gonzalez-Angulo, Devendra Pareek, Levent Gütay,
Phillip J. Dale, and Alex Redinger
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0189378
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01/03/2024
New paper:
Himanshus paper on:
Quantifying recombination and charge carrier extraction in halide perovskites via hyperspectral time-resolved photoluminescence imaging
has been published in APL Energy
Authors are: H. Phirke S. Gharabeiki A. Singh A. Krishna S. Siebentritt A. Redinger
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0188166
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13/02/2024
News and Views article
Alex wrote a "News and Views" article, which has been published in Nature Energy:
Carrier concentration resolved
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-024-01460-7
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08/12/2023
New PhD position avaiable in my group: Position filled!!
Please use the following link to apply.
http://emea3.mrted.ly/3kg8r
A few more details on the project. This is an FNR funded project focussed on a material class named CIGSe, which is used to make very effcient thin film solar cells. In this project, there will be two PhD positions available. One in the group of Prof. Susanne Siebentritt and one in my group. We will receive epitaxially grown CIGSe absorbers from the Siebentritt group and will study the cleaved surfaces of CIGSe. This will be done with AFM, KPFM and STM. The goal is to atomically resolve the CIGSe cross section, identidy defects and disorder in the material. Furthermore, we want to study full devices in cross section via KPFM. The measurements will be carried out in UHV with an Omicron VT system and with a Park Systems AFM system, that was recently aquired in our department and that will arrive early next year.
I need a very motivated student with an excellent background in solid state physics and semiconductors. Previous experience with scanning probe techniques are certainly an advantage.
Looking forward to your application
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01/12/2023
New paper in Energy & Environmental Science;
Understanding and decoupling the role of wavelength and defects in light-induced degradation of metal-halide perovskites (rsc.org)
Why do halide perovskites become unstable and decompose when illuminated. One important aspect is excess PbI2. We show how PbI2 acts as seeds for decomposition, we show that the light induced deterioration depends on the wavelength. Experimental data is supplemented with DFT calculations to better understand why and under which circumstances the perovskites decompose. Samples from EPFL, DFT calculations performed in the Tkatchenko group at UL, HIM SIMS mapping performed at LIST, XPS, KPFM, STM performed by the SPM group.
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12/05/2023
New paper in ACS Energy Letters in collaboration with the Saliba group in Stuttgart
Light makes right: laser polishing for surface modification of perovskite solar cells
We performed the PL imaging and AFM/KPFM measurements.
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07/05/2023
New paper from our group in Advanced Functional Materials:
Nanoscale Surface Analysis Reveals Origins of Enhanced Interface Passivation in RbF Post Deposition Treated CIGSe Solar Cells
Nice collaboration between UL, EMPA and LIST.
Recent Publications
March 2025
Muhammad Uzair Farooq, Sevan Gharabeiki, Ding Yong, Joana Ferreira Machado, Jean-Nicolas Audinot, Tom Wirtz, Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin, Susanne Sienbentritt, Alex Redinger
Nanoscale 17(14), 8861-8871
January 2025
Damilola Adeleye, Mohit Sood, Arivazhagan Valluvar Oli, Tobias Törndahl, Adam Hultqvist, Aline Vanderhaegen, Evandro Martin Lanzoni, Yucheng Hu, Gunnar Kusch, Michele Melchiorre, Alex Redinger, Rachel A Oliver, Susanne Siebentritt
Small 2025, 21, 2405221
November 2024
Light-induced degradation of methylammonium tin iodide absorber layers
Joana Ferreira Machado, Jeremy Hieulle, Aline Vanderhaegen, Alex Redinger
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2025, 13, 517
August 2024
Stabilization of highly efficient perovskite solar cells with a tailored supramolecular interface
Chenxu Zhao, Zhiwen Zhou, Masaud Almalki, Michael A. Hope, Jiashang Zhao, Thibaut Gallet, Anurag Krishna, Aditya Mishra, Felix T. Eickemeyer, Jia Xu, Yingguo Yang, Shaik M. Zakeeruddin, Alex Redinger, Tom J. Savenije, Lyndon Emsley,Jianxi Yao, Hong Zhang & Michael Grätzel
Nature Communications 15 (1), 7139
July 2024
A Combined Theoretical and Experimental Raman Scattering Study of BaZrS3−BaHfS3 Solid Solutions
Hasan Arif Yetkin, Phillip J Dale, Aseem Rajan Kshirsagar, Sven Reichardt, Alex Redinger, Alessandro Latini, Andrea Ciccioli, Lorenza Romagnoli
ChemPhysChem, 25 (23), e202400340
June 2024
Grain boundaries are not the source of Urbach tails in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 absorbers
Sevan Gharabeiki, Muhammad Uzair Farooq, Taowen Wang, Mohit Sood, Michele Melchiorre,Christian A Kaufmann, Alex Redinger, Susanne Siebentritt
Journal of Physics: Energy 6 (3), 035008
May 2024
Tin Halide Perovskite Epitaxial Films on Gold Surfaces: Atomic Structure and Stability
Madad Abbasli, Jeremy Hieulle, Jenny Schrage, Dina Wilks, Abdus Samad, Udo Schwingenschlögl,
Alex Redinger, Carsten Busse, Robin Ohmann
Advanced Functional Materials, 2403680
April 2024
Modification of mono-layer MoS2 through post-deposition treatment and oxidation
for enhanced optoelectronic properties
Jonathan Rommelfangen, Marco A. Gonzalez-Angulo, Devendra Pareek, Levent Gütay, Phillip J. Dale, and
Alex Redinger
APL Materials 12 (4)
March 2024
H. Phirke S. Gharabeiki A. Singh A. Krishna S. Siebentritt A. Redinger
APL Energy 2 (1)
February 2024
Carrier concentration resolved
A Redinger
Nature Energy 9 (2), 117-118