1. Nanostructured Solar Cells
For the last ten years I focused my research on the characteristics of nanostructured
solar cells. It is assumed that the 3rd generation of photovoltaic solar cells will
enable to combine high efficiency energy conversion with a low fabrication cost.
Different physical principles, models, materials, architectures, and fabrication
technologies are under consideration for developing of such solar cells. Noteworthy
numerous nanostructured solar cells fabricated from low-cost multicomponent
materials by low-cost technologies have already emerged. Some of these cells are
demonstrating excitingly high conversion efficiency comparable with the best
crystalline silicon solar cells. One could also expect photo - and dark - current
characteristics comparable with about ideal characteristics of the best silicon solar
cells. It is intriguing, however, that characteristics of nanostructured solar cells are
different to those of the silicon solar cells.
Understand of physical processes causing the intriguing photo- and dark- current
characteristics of nanostructured solar cells will be a major breakthrough in
developing of 3rd generation solar cells. I plan to seek funding for this research and
would like to get students involved to teach them a scientific way of thinking and
nonstandard problem solving at the leading edge of research.
Quantum Dots and Solar Cells
My main objective was to understand what kind of physical processes might cause
the intriguing photo- and dark- current characteristics and the conversion efficiency
of about ideal cells in nanostructured solar cells. I started with quantum dots, which
are also called artificial atoms or impurities. Quantum dots are used in solar cells for
widening absorption spectra. The conversion efficiency limit of quantum dot solar
cells is expected to be twice as large as the Shockley-Queisser’s limit of silicon solar
cells. The problem is that instead of enhancement the experiments display reduction
of efficiency. Although quantum dots widen the absorption spectra and sometimes
increase the photocurrent, they increase the dark – current and reduce the open
circuit voltage so much that the conversion efficiency reduces in comparison to that
of the reference cell without quantum dots.
The photovoltaic society attributes the failure of quantum dot solar cell experiments
to fabrication technology and is pursuing improvement through the technology.
Despite that, first I pointed out that quantum dots were buried in the depletion
region of p-n-junctions in those failed experiments. Then I used Physics to show that
the depletion region is not the best location for quantum dots. Such location enables
quantum dots to facilitate thermal generation-recombination, which drastically
increases the dark current. Next, I pointed out that type I quantum dots were
exploited in those failed experiments, and used Physics to show the advantage of
type II quantum dots for solar cell application. Finally I offered a revolutionary
architecture of solar cells where type II quantum dots are spatially separated from
the depletion region. These innovations have already been discussed at numerous

2. conferences in Europe and USA, published in the leading journals in the field,
stimulated the work of others in the field and received international recognition.
See: Sol. Energy. Mater. Sol. Cells 144 767-774 (2016), Impact Factor 5.5; Prog.
Photovolt: Res. Appl. 23(8) 1003-1016 (2015), Impact Factor 9.7; Nanotechnology
18(40) 5401-12 (2007), Impact Factor 3.7; Applied Physics Letters 88, 163117 (2006),
Impact Factor 3.7.
Anomalous PhotoVoltaic Effect
It is worth to mention that a few decades back I have made important discovery in
the field of photovoltaics and solar cells. I unveiled the mechanism of generation of
anomalous photovoltaic effect in semiconductor films. For many years, this effect
was a puzzle of semiconductor films. See: Tauc J., Photo and thermoelectric effects in
semiconductors, (Pergamon Press, London 1962). In 1976, after 30 years of
investigations, a prominent professor of University of California at Berkley
described this effect in his internationally- used textbook as follows: "...although
anomalous photovoltaic phenomenon is spectacular and very intriguing, a little
progress has been made in explaining it in a detailed and definitive way". See:
Pankove J., Optical Processes in Semiconductors, p.323, (New York, Dover, 1976). A few
years later, I unveiled and explained in details Physics, mechanism of generation
and experimentally observed mysterious behavior of anomalous photovoltaic effect.
My article was published in J. Phys. C: Solid State Phys, 13, 5715 (1980)
Modulation of Critical Temperature of Superconductors by Electric Field
Another important contribution I made in the field of superconductivity. Based on
accurate experimental studies performed in the 60th, the superconducting
community was sure that the electric field could not modify the critical temperature
of transition into the superconducting state. Hence, superconductors may have only
very limited electronic device application. The discovery of new materials exhibiting
superconductivity at higher temperatures attracted my attention to possible
application of such materials. In 1989, just after the IBM laboratory group from
Zurich had been granted a Nobel Prize for discovery of new superconductors, I
developed a model that explained why the critical temperature of conventional, low-
temperature, superconductors is insensitive to the electric field while that of new,
high-temperature, superconductors must be strongly dependent on the applied
electric field. See: A.M. Kechiantz, Proc. of the European Conference on High-Tc Thin
Films and Single Crystals (Ustron Poland 1989) published in Progress in High-
Temperature Superconductivity, 24, 556-561, (1990); A.M. Kechiantz, Physica C 196,
48 (1992). This model has inspired the work of others in the field, received
international recognition, and stimulated a set of experimental studies worldwide,
including the famous IBM laboratory of researchers awarded the Nobel Prize. See
e.g. Mannhart J., Mod Phys Lett B 6, 555-571 (1992). Their experiments finally
confirmed the validity of my model that widen the potential of superconductivity for
electronic device application.

3. In summary, I have made a few important discoveries described in about 50
research papers, reported at many conferences, confirmed with patents, received
international recognition and stimulated the work of others in the field. I
participated in interdisciplinary research in various fields of high technologies in
different countries. I am planning to continue research in the field of Physics,
Nanotechnology and Material Science. My focus is to understand of physical
processes enabling the intriguing photo- and dark- current characteristics. The
result will be a major breakthrough in developing of 3rd generation solar cells. I
plan to seek funding for this research and would like to get students involved to
teach them a scientific way of thinking and nonstandard problem solving at the
leading edge of research.