PhD student (d/f/m) within the Solar Array Center in Airbus Defence and Space

Job Description

Job Description:

Airbus Defence and Space is looking for a

PhD student within the Solar Array Center in Airbus Defence and Space (d/f/m)

Would you like to discover the work in our team of specialists and researchers?

Then apply now! We look forward to you joining us at the Solar Array Center.

Location: Ottobrunn (Munich area)

Start: As soon as possible

Duration: 3 years

The solar array center of Airbus DS is one of the worldwide leaders in the manufacturing of solar arrays for all applications, ranging from low earth orbit observation, high power telecommunication up to high temperature, high irradiance science missions. For these "off-grid" applications, the highest efficient 3 and 4 junction III-V solar cells are used today.

Your location

Our site is just a stone's throw away from Munich, the beautiful capital of Bavaria. Are you into sports and other outdoor activities? The Alps and Lake Starnberg are within an hour’s reach, offering a multitude of recreational options.

Your benefits

• Attractive salary and work-life balance with an 35-hour week (flexitime).

• International environment with the opportunity to network globally.

• Work with modern/diversified technologies.

• At Airbus, we see you as a valuable team member and you are not hired to brew coffee, instead you are in close contact with the interfaces and are part of our weekly team meetings.

• Opportunity to participate in the Generation Airbus Community to expand your own network.

Scope of PhD thesis:

End-of-life characterization of terrestrial Si cells for space use

These multijunction cells are complex devices, since the individual subcells are connected in series and only the complete device can be contacted externally. In addition, since the material quality in the III-V subcells is high, a large fraction of charge carrier recombination is radiative, which results in absorption within the same subcell (photon recycling) or in the subcell below (optical coupling). In order to characterize the cells electrically and optically essentially in "3D", a unique electroluminescence (EL) and photoluminescence (PL) imaging setup was developed in the frame of two PhD theses. Several multijunction measurement methods were developed [1-5].

In the application in space the cells are subjected various environmental factors, in particular high energy particles (proton, electrons). This raises the challenge of condensing the continuous in orbit spectrum into an easily testable monoenergetic particle fluence on ground [6]. Likewise, a deeper understanding on the actual properties of the crystal defects responsible for the electrical degradation needs to be developed [7].

Currently there is a strong trend to use terrestrial components for space applications, due to their much lower cost and availability in high volumes. Both factors are essential for large low earth orbit constellations (Oneweb, Starlink, etc.). In area of space power this refers to the use of terrestrial Si cells in space – and this will be the focus of this PhD position.

Si cells have been used for space applications from 1960-2000 in the past. In the meantime, however, several more advanced Si device concepts have been developed for terrestrial use, like PERC, TopCon, Si-HJ. New manufacturing methods have resulted in larger form factors and thinner cells, as well as new ways to manage light (rear side mirrors, antireflective coatings).

The goal of this PhD is to quantify, through testing as well as modelling, how these terrestrial technologies will behave under particle irradiation, and how their end-of-life performance can be increased thorough space specific device design, e.g cell thickness or dedicated doping. This work will utilize the state-of-the-art characterization equipment available at Airbus, build on the previous PhD work mentioned above and profit from established collaborations with different institutes, universities and test houses (e.g Fraunhofer ISE, TU Munich)

The expected impact of this PhD will be twofold: Firstly, it will provide directly applicable tools to quantify the expected end-of-life performance of various terrestrial Si cells for a given in-orbit radiation environment, thereby having a direct impact on current Airbus projects.

Secondly, the goal is to progress on the correlation of the macroscopic electrical behavior to what is happening on the microscale: the creation of lattice defects, their interaction with dopant atoms and potential annealing effects under temperature.

[1] M. Rutzinger, H. Nesswetter, P. Lugli, A. W. Bett and C. G. Zimmermann, Determination of subcell open circuit voltages and Iph–Voc curves in multijunction solar cells by sequentially pulsed, monochromatic illumination, Applied Physics Letters 108, 253902 (2016), doi: 10.1063/1.4954836.

[2] H. Nesswetter, N. R. Jost, P. Lugli, A. W. Bett and C. G. Zimmermann, Determination of subcell I-V characteristics of multijunction solar cells using optical coupling, Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications (2015). doi: 10.1002/pip.2722.

[3] H. Nesswetter, N. R. Jost, P. L.ugli, A. W. Bett and C. G. Zimmermann, Determination of subcell I-V parameters by a pulsed suns-Voc method including optical coupling, Applied Physics Letters 106, 023903 (2015), doi: 10.1063/1.4906237.

[4] H. Nesswetter, W. Dyck, P. Lugli, A. W. Bett and C. G. Zimmermann, Luminescence based series resistance mapping of III-V multijunction solar cells, Journal of Applied Physics 114, 194510 (2013), doi:10.1063/1.4831749.

[5] H. Nesswetter, P. Lugli, A. W. Bett and C. G. Zimmermann, Electroluminescence and Photoluminescence Characterization of Multijunction Solar Cells, IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics 3, 353 – 358 (2013), doi: 10.1109/JPHOTOV.2012.2213801.

[6] Salzberger, M., Nömayr, C., Lugli, P., Messenger, S. R., and Zimmermann, C. G. (2017) Degradation fitting of irradiated solar cells using variable threshold energy for atomic displacement. Prog. Photovolt: Res. Appl., 25: 773–781. doi: 10.1002/pip.2888

[7] C. Pellegrino, A. Gagliardi, C. G. Zimmermann; Defect spectroscopy and non-ionizing energy loss analysis of proton and electron irradiated p-type GaAs solar cells. J. Appl. Phys. 21 November 2020; 128 (19): 195701. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0028029

Desired skills and qualifications

• You are enrolled Graduate Master (d/m/f) within Physics, Solid-State Technology, Photovoltaics, Electrical Engineering or similar field of study

• You have profound knowledge in the field of solar cells technology

• You have a a good knowledge in relation to aerospace

• You have programming skills, for example with C

• Fluent English is mandatory and German at an intermediate level desired

• You are a good team player, have excellent communication skills, and are able to work independently.

Please upload the following documents: cover letter, CV, relevant transcripts, enrollment certificate.

Not a 100% match? No worries! Airbus supports your personal growth.

Take your career to a new level and apply online now!

This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.

Company:

Airbus Defence and Space GmbH

Employment Type:

PHD, Research

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Experience Level:

Student

Job Family:

Elec.Electron.&Electromag,Optics&Optron. <JF-EN-ED>

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