Master thesis: Studying the effect of light trapping structures
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities Light trapping structures on thin film c-Si have shown a strong increase in absorbance, linked to a high photocurrent generation, which should lead to more efficient devices. However, disentangling the effect of an increase in absorption and possible increased recombination at the light trapping structure is difficult. In this project, we aim to study single resonators up to whole patterns combining d
Master thesis: Pressure-dependent band-bowing in tin-lead perovskites
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities Lead-tin perovskites enable wide bandgap-tunability for all- perovskite tandem solar cells. Whereas the lattice parameter of tin-lead perovskites varies linearly between the pure Sn and Pb end members, the band gap evolves nonlinearly, exhibiting pronounced bowing. The origin of this band- bowing effect is still unknown. In this project, you will study how pressure affects the band-bowing. Applying pr
Master thesis: Perovskite nano-resonators for optical neuromorphic computing
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities Mixed-halide perovskite nano-resonators offer a promising platform for highly responsive tunable elements for advanced photonic applications. This project focuses on fabricating and characterizing mixed halide perovskite nanostructures whose optical behavior can be changed through controlled halide segregation. You will pattern and synthesize nano-resonator arrays, measure their optical responses, and
Master thesis: Optimization Strategies for Novel Materials
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities Advances in Artificial intelligence have accelerated the prediction of new materials, while laboratory automation has increased the speed at which these materials can be synthesized. Automated thin-film fabrication pipelines, such as robotic spin-coating systems integrated with high-throughput characterization, can now produce hundreds of samples per day. However, for newly predicted materials the opt
Master thesis: LED/laser annealing of perovskites for roll-to-roll processing
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities In this project, you will study if laser/LED can be used to control the crystallization dynamics of perovskites for solar cells, using confocal laser scanning microscopy, secondary electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence. You will spin-coat perovskites using a programmable robot (spinbot), which allows rapid fabrication of thin films with different types of recipes. In addition, you will use our n
Master thesis: Imaging the activity of plasmonic electrocatalysts
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities Plasmonic nanoparticles exhibit diverse effects under light exposure, such as enhancing electric fields and forming short-lived charged species, with applications in nanomedicine and photocatalysis. Here, you will investigate plasmonic nanoparticles for next-generation electrocatalytic reactors by using scanning electrochemical microscopy. This technique is a new type of scanning probe microscopy that
Master thesis: IMPLS to Enable Stable Perovskite Solar Cells
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities Our lab is developing a promising technique, Intensity-Modulated Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (IMPLS), which can probe the dynamic electronic and ionic behavior of perovskite materials purely optically. In this project, you will explore the potential of IMPLS to study perovskite solar cells. By performing temperature-dependent IMPLS measurements across a broad frequency range, the characteristic tim
Master thesis: Cathodoluminescence tomography in the scanning electron microscop
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities In this project we will use the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to perform Cathodoluminescence spectroscopy (CL) at high spatial resolution (1-5 nm) to reconstruct complex 3D nano-geometries, with the goal of using CL spectroscopy as a tool to perform high-resolution tomography in the SEM. We will use a newly developed rotational stage that allows us to probe the nanoparticles at excitation angles
Master thesis: Building Self-Powered Perovskite Detectors for In-Sensor Computin
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities In-sensor computing offers a revolutionary paradigm by processing data directly within a sensor using brain-inspired analog computing. However, current in-sensor computing detectors face complexity, cost, and scalability challenges. In this project, you will fabricate nanostructured electrode networks, deposit perovskite layers, and characterize small device arrays, including tests of self-powered ope
Master thesis: Autonomous synthesis and characterization of thin films
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities Automated thin-film fabrication, particularly spin coating systems integrated with robotic handling and high throughput characterization now enable the synthesis of hundreds of samples per day, exceeding 500 samples in HELIOS setup built at AMOLF. Producing so many samples requires preparing many precursor solutions with different compositions, which can become a major bottleneck in automated workflow
Master thesis project: Imaging chemical reactions in an optical fiber
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities This project focuses on the design of novel light-driven chemical reactors. This project focuses on using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) to image the water splitting activity at TiO2 nanoparticles. You will evaluate the impact of direct vs near-field excitation of these particles by monitoring oxygen evolution. This interdisciplinary project integrates optical setups and simulations to
Master thesis:Studying the effect of light trapping structures
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Physics
Work Activities Light trapping structures on thin film c-Si have shown a strong increase in absorbance, linked to a high photocurrent generation, which should lead to more efficient devices. However, disentangling the effect of an increase in absorption and possible increased recombination at the light trapping structure is difficult. In this project, we aim to study single resonators up to whole patterns combining drift-diffusion models and a new characterisation method: local surface photovoltage in our own atomic force microscope. Qualifications We can only offer the project if: • you are c
Master thesis: Pressure-dependent band-bowing in tin-lead perovskites
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Chemistry
Work Activities Lead-tin perovskites enable wide bandgap-tunability for all- perovskite tandem solar cells. Whereas the lattice parameter of tin-lead perovskites varies linearly between the pure Sn and Pb end members, the band gap evolves nonlinearly, exhibiting pronounced bowing. The origin of this band- bowing effect is still unknown. In this project, you will study how pressure affects the band-bowing. Applying pressure alters bond lengths and octahedral tilts, therefore changing the orbital overlap that determines the band gap. Pressure thus provides a way to probe how structural effects c
Master thesis: Perovskite nano-resonators for optical neuromorphic computing
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Physics
Work Activities Mixed-halide perovskite nano-resonators offer a promising platform for highly responsive tunable elements for advanced photonic applications. This project focuses on fabricating and characterizing mixed halide perovskite nanostructures whose optical behavior can be changed through controlled halide segregation. You will pattern and synthesize nano-resonator arrays, measure their optical responses, and evaluate their suitability for light-driven operations relevant to neuromorphic computing and optical memory. The project aims to establish mixed halide perovskite resonators as v
Master thesis: Optimization Strategies for Novel Materials
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Engineering
Work Activities Advances in Artificial intelligence have accelerated the prediction of new materials, while laboratory automation has increased the speed at which these materials can be synthesized. Automated thin-film fabrication pipelines, such as robotic spin-coating systems integrated with high-throughput characterization, can now produce hundreds of samples per day. However, for newly predicted materials the optimal synthesis conditions are usually unknown. The goal of this project is to develop and test optimization strategies to identify suitable synthesis conditions for novel perovskit
Master thesis: LED/laser annealing of perovskites for roll-to-roll processing
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Engineering
Work Activities In this project, you will study if laser/LED can be used to control the crystallization dynamics of perovskites for solar cells, using confocal laser scanning microscopy, secondary electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence. You will spin-coat perovskites using a programmable robot (spinbot), which allows rapid fabrication of thin films with different types of recipes. In addition, you will use our new slot-die coater, a deposition technique closely related to industrial roll-to-roll processing. This provides an opportunity to explore how light- based annealing methods can be
Master thesis: Imaging the activity of plasmonic electrocatalysts
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Chemistry
Work Activities Plasmonic nanoparticles exhibit diverse effects under light exposure, such as enhancing electric fields and forming short-lived charged species, with applications in nanomedicine and photocatalysis. Here, you will investigate plasmonic nanoparticles for next-generation electrocatalytic reactors by using scanning electrochemical microscopy. This technique is a new type of scanning probe microscopy that can help understand the working mechanism in plasmonic chemistry. Qualifications We can only offer the project if: • you are currently enrolled in a Master’s program in physics, c
Master thesis: IMPLS to Enable Stable Perovskite Solar Cells
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Physics
Work Activities Our lab is developing a promising technique, Intensity-Modulated Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (IMPLS), which can probe the dynamic electronic and ionic behavior of perovskite materials purely optically. In this project, you will explore the potential of IMPLS to study perovskite solar cells. By performing temperature-dependent IMPLS measurements across a broad frequency range, the characteristic timescales of slow processes can be extracted and analyzed to estimate activation energies associated with ion migration or trap- related processes. The outcome of this work aims to e
Master thesis: Cathodoluminescence tomography in the scanning electron microscop
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Physics
Work Activities In this project we will use the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to perform Cathodoluminescence spectroscopy (CL) at high spatial resolution (1-5 nm) to reconstruct complex 3D nano-geometries, with the goal of using CL spectroscopy as a tool to perform high-resolution tomography in the SEM. We will use a newly developed rotational stage that allows us to probe the nanoparticles at excitation angles from -50 to +50 degrees, and measure both the topography and the spectral information recorded as a function of angle. This approach allows us to move towards tomographic reconstru
Master thesis: Building Self-Powered Perovskite Detectors for In-Sensor Computin
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Engineering
Work Activities In-sensor computing offers a revolutionary paradigm by processing data directly within a sensor using brain-inspired analog computing. However, current in-sensor computing detectors face complexity, cost, and scalability challenges. In this project, you will fabricate nanostructured electrode networks, deposit perovskite layers, and characterize small device arrays, including tests of self-powered operation using the perovskite's light-harvesting properties. By combining low-cost fabrication with flexible, compact designs, the project aims to develop a new class of motion senso