Rafael Jaramillo

Post Doctoral Fellow

Bio

I am a solid state physicist who feels an imperative to work to develop sources of energy for our economy that are sufficient, safe, and renewable. I received a B.S. summa cum laude in engineering physics from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. in physics from The University of Chicago.

Research

I am studying the effect of granularity on charge transport in an important material for transparent electrodes, aluminum-doped zinc oxide. The light absorbing nanostructures around which many advanced photovoltaic concepts are based inherently form poor electrical conduits, and hence the need for a transparent electrode is common to all photovoltaic devices that are not based on bulk semiconductors. I focus on unconventional electron transport pathways that could leverage this architecture to achieve higher conversion efficiency. Specifically, I use scanning probe spectroscopy to study the effect of composition and microstructure on work function and Schottky barrier heights.