Scanning Probe Microscopy Laboratory University of Luxembourg Redinger

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.

More news

16/09/2021

Our collaboration (KPFM/STS on perovskites) with the Laboratory of Photomolecular Science at EPFL, and other groups, resulted in a published work in Energy & Environmental Science. You can read it here: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/ee/d1ee02454j
Congratulations to everyone involved !

15/07/2021

In July, we wecolmed our second PostDoc, Dr. Ajay Singh. He recently submitted his PhD at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. He will work on applying novel growth and characterization techniques to produce highly efficicent halide perovskite solar cells via multi-stage co-evaporation. Good luck to him !

24/06/2021

Our paper on the impact of KPFM operation modes and environment on grain boundaries band bending in perovskite and CIGS is now out and published in Nano Energy. You can read it following this link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211285521005255Congratulations to everyone involved !

22/06/2021

We are extremely happy that our group and research are featured in the #letzSCIENCE campaing of the Fonds Nationals de la Recherche ! A KPFM overlay of a perovskite absorber is displayed on larger 2m posters at all tram stations in Luxembourg and in selected buses !! Go read the story behind the image and have a augmented reality experience of solar energy : https://letzscience.fnr.lu/solar-energy-a-science-with-many-layers

08/06/2021

We warmly welcome our first PostDoc, Dr. Jeremy Hieulle. He was previously a PostDoc in the groups of José Ignacio Pascual at CIC nanoGUNE, Spain and Yabing Qi at OIST, Japan. Within our group, he will work on upgrading the UHV SPM/XPS system with UPS and study halide perovskites by combining these different techniques. We are happy to have you with us Jeremy !

Recent Publications

September 2021

Nanoscale interfacial engineering enables highly stable and efficient perovskite photovoltaics

Anurag Krishna, Hong Zhang, Zhiwen Zhou, Thibaut Gallet, Mathias Dankl, Olivier Ouellette, Felix T. Eickemeyer, Fan Fu, Sandy Sanchez, Mounir Mensi, Shaik M. Zakeeruddin, Ursula Rothlisberger, G. N. Manjunatha Reddy, Alex Redinger, Michael Grätzel and Anders Hagfeldt

Energy & Environmental Science

June 2021

The impact of Kelvin probe force microscopy operation modes and environment on grain boundary band bending in perovskite and Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

Evandro M. Lanzoni, Thibaut Gallet, Conrad Spindler, Omar Ramirez, Chrisitan Kameni Boumenou, Susanne Siebentritt and Alex Redinger

Nano Energy, 88, 106270

January 2021

Co-evaporation of CH3NH3PbI3: How Growth Conditions Impact Phase Purity, Photostriction, and Intrinsic Stability

Thibaut Gallet, Ricardo G. Poeira, Evandro M. Lanzoni, Tobias Abzieher, Ulrich W. Paetzold and Alex Redinger

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2021, 13, 2, 2642–2653

December 2020

Electronic and compositional properties of the rear‐side of stoichiometric CuInSe2 absorbers

Christian Kameni Boumenou, Amala Elizabeth, Finn Babbe, Alice Debot, Harry Mönig and Alex Redinger