McGehee Group

Classes

Energy Innovation and Emerging Technologies: Solar Cell Course

The Energy Innovation and Emerging Technologies Certificate Program is offered through the Stanford Center for Professional Development. This certificate program offers working professionals the opportunity learn more about the current energy landscape from leading Stanford professors. Subjects include Solar Cells, Biofuels, Shale Gas, Water Splitting, Energy Storage, and Smart Grid, with more courses coming soon. The Solar Cell course covers basic solar cell operating principles, as well as the various technologies currently in the market. (3 hour lecture + ten question quiz. Successful completion of 4 courses earns a certificate).

MATSCI 161 Nanocharacterization Laboratory (Winter)

Nanocharacterization techniques such as optical microscopy, electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy are explained in class and then used in the lab to determine the structure of materials and understand why they have certain properties. This Writing in the Major class includes instruction on writing, statistics, generating effective plots with curve fits, using databases to find information and giving oral scientific presentations. (75 min lecture + 3 hr lab most weeks)

MATSCI 302 Solar Cells (Fall)

Theory of conventional pn junction and excitonic solar cells. Design, fabrication and characterization of crystalline silicon, CdTe, CIGS, tandem and organic solar cells. The device simulator PC1D is used to predict the performance of solar cells with various designs, recombination lifetime and surface recombination rates. The materials science aspects of solar cells research is emphasized, but module design and economic hurdles that must be overcome for solar cell technology to generate a significant fraction of the world's electricity are also addressed. 3 units, Aut (McGehee)