Ms. Chitlada Mani-Lata (D2) from the Laboratory for Organic Electronics Received the Company Award “SCREEN Holdings Award” at the 2024 Doctoral Career Messe KYOTO (November 1, 2024)
Summary
“Doctoral Career Messe KYOTO” is an annual event jointly planned and operated by seven universities in Kyoto and Nara, selected for the JST Program for Promoting the Advancement of Young Researchers (SPRING), under the Career Development Group of KYOTO QUALIA FORUM. The purpose of this event is to create a platform for open discussions with leading companies about expectations for doctoral students and their current situation, and to raise awareness of the value of PhD in Japan.
Participating Universities (in alphabetical order):
Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto Prefectural University, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Doshisha University, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ritsumeikan University
Participating Companies (in alphabetical order):
KYOCERA Corporation, Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd., SHIMADZU Corporation, SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd., NISSHA Co., Ltd., HORIBA, Ltd., Murata Machinery, Ltd., Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
On November 1, Each participating company selected one student to receive a company award through the doctoral student’s presentation(elevator pitch) and poster session.
Event Report: Bridging Academia and Industry｜2024 Doctoral Career Messe KYOTO by KQF
Presentation title
Elucidation of the Operating Mechanism of Organic Thin-Film Solar Cells Based on Nanoscale Photovoltaic Functional Measurements
Awardee
Chitlada Mani-Lata
Research detail
In this study, ternary organic solar cells, composed of three materials absorb and convert light into electricity. However, blending these materials inside the photoactive layer complicates the nanoscopic morphology, leading to uncontrollable device performance. One of the effective approaches is photoconductive atomic force microscopy (PC-AFM), where surface topography and photocurrent are obtained simultaneously, enabling the investigation of the relationship between morphology directly. We found that most hole carriers generated in donors are transferred from one donor to another, owing to the more favourable energy level, resulting in the domination in determining the device performance by only one donor. Finally, we conclude that to fabricate a higher device performance, select the combination of the materials with a small difference between the energy level of each material to avoid the domination of one material instead of enhancing the device equally.
Comment
I am deeply honored to receive the SCREEN Award and to be recognized among such talented and inspiring individuals. This moment is both humbling and motivating. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to SCREEN Holdings, a leading company in the semiconductor field, for this recognition. It is not only an acknowledgement of my efforts in research but also of the invaluable support and guidance I have received from my supervisors and the career services office. As my research focuses on organic solar cells, receiving the SCREEN Award has motivated me to work even harder to achieve the best possible performance in this field and to contribute meaningfully to our society in the near future.