Research

Reliability of Solar Cells

We are investigating the effect of temperature, mechanical damage (cracks), and microstructure on the performance of thin-film flexible solar cells.  This project has been funded by Purdue PRF grant and PNW summer research grant.

Current publication

1. Hansung Kim, Da Xu, Ciby John, Yaqiong Wu,  “Modeling Thermo-Mechanical Stress of CIGS Solar Cells,” IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, Vol. 9, no.2, pp. 499-505, Mar 2019.
2. Hansung Kim and Benjamin. G. Wojkovich, “Effects of Mechanical Damage and Temperature on the Electrical Performance of CIGS Thin-Film Solar Cells,” IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 1331-1336, Sep 2018.
3. Hansung Kim, MD Tofiq Tofail, and Ciby John, “The Effect of Interface Cracks on the Electrical Performance of Solar Cells,” JOM, vol. 70, no. 4, pp. 473-478, Apr 2018.

Facilities and Equipment

• Environmental chamber, Solar cell (module) analyzer, Infrared camera (Crack detection), Solar simulator (Metal hallide and Tungsten Halogen), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Light spectrum analyzer (Prof. Kim’s Laboratory)
• Facilities supported by Department
• Facilities supported by Purdue university
  • Birck Nanotechnology center
  • Rice Supercomputer

• Solar Powered Electric Vehicle

We are building solar powered EV for Shell Eco- Marathon Competition.  This project has been funded by NASA Indiana Space Consortium.

• Progress report 2019
• Progress report 2018
• Progress report 2017

Solar-powered EV with seniors	Solar-powered EV with seniors2
Current picture of solar powered EV	3D model of solar powered EV
3D model of solar powered EV frame	3D model of  powertrain

Modeling and Characterization of Bio/Energy Materials

We are investigating the behaviors of Bio/Energy materials through modeling and experiments.  This project has been supported by NASA Indiana Space Consortium and PNW college of ES grant.

1. Modeling and AFM/SEM characterization of hydrogel
2. Modeling and AFM characterization of silicon

AFM image of Hydrogel and silicon samples	Prof. Kim is investigating the grain boundaries of silicon in the cleanroom of Birck Nanotechnology center.

Lifetime Prediction of Electronic Devices

We are investigating the effect of temperature, humidity, and chemical corrosion on the lifetime of electronic devices.  This project has been funded by Naval Sea Systems Command.

Overall Process of lifetime prediction
Lifetime prediction of 3904 NPN transistor at 150℃ based on 200 ℃ and 250℃ experiments	Prediction of Mean Time to  Failure (MTTF) of a bipolar transistor at different temperatures