Interests
Photodetectors, optical sensors and solar cells, elemental semiconductors, nanomaterials
Research
Dr Black’s interests are predominantly in the field of crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells, especially
- Development of novel processes and materials for surface passivation and passivating contacts
- Deposition and characterisation of thin film (nanolayer) materials
- Electrical characterisation of semiconductor interfaces
- Characterisation of bulk and surface recombination processes
He is also interested in surface and bulk recombination in non-Si semiconductor materials.
Biography
Dr. Lachlan Black received his Ph.D. in Engineering from the ANU in 2015. His Ph.D. research focused on the surface passivation of crystalline Si by Al2O3 prepared by atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition and the electrical characterisation of the Si–Al2O3 interface. From 2015 to 2018 he was a postdoctoral researcher with the Department of Applied Physics at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, where he worked on the application of novel thin film materials prepared by atomic layer deposition for surface passivation of III/V semiconductor nanowires and crystalline Si solar cells. He has also spent time as an intern at the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) and as a visiting researcher at the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (imec) in Leuven, Belgium. Dr. Black has authored or co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and conference proceedings, and one patent. His current research interests focus on the investigation and characterisation of novel passivation layers and passivating contact structures, as well as the physics, characterisation, and modelling of recombination processes in semiconductors more broadly.
Activities & Awards
For a list of Dr Black’s publications, please see this link.