Professional Experience
Since 2007 Head of department “III-V Photovoltaics and Concentrator Technology” at Fraunhofer ISE, Freiburg, Germany
Since 2001 Scientist at Fraunhofer ISE working on tandem-photovoltaics, space solar cells, concentrating photovoltaics, solar hydrogen
2000 – 2001 PostDoc in the group of Prof. G. Stringfellow, Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, U.S.A. supported by the German Science Foundation
1996 – 2000 Dissertation “Metal organic vapour phase epitaxy for the fabrication of high efficiency solar cells from III-V semiconductors” at
Fraunhofer ISE and Univ. Konstanz.
1995 Internship at Paul-Scherrer Institute in Zurich: "Capacitance measurement of the open circuit voltage decay in solar cells"
1990 – 1996 Studies of physics, mathematics and philosophy at the University of Zurich, Switzerland
Honors and Awards
2023 Werner Siemens Science Award (1 Mio. Swiss Francs) together with Prof. Andreas Bett
2022 Initiating PV Academy, a professional online learning platform for PV specialists
2021 Board member of the Wiley open access journal Applied Research
2020-2022 Member of the Fraunhofer Advanced Management Class
2018 GreenTec Award Finalist in the category Energy
2015 World Technology Award
2013-2022 Editor, IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics in the area of III-V, Concentrator and Space PV
2011 French-German Economy Award
2010 Grand Prix Scientifique, Foundation Louis D (highest endowed French science award by the Institut de France, Paris)
2010 Fraunhofer Award
2005 Co-founder of the company Concentrix Solar, later Soitec Solar with manufacturing of CPV modules in Freiburg and San Diego
Selected Publications
P. Schygulla, R. Müller, D. Lackner, O. Höhn, H. Hauser, B. Bläsi, F. Predan, J. Benick, M. Hermle, S. W. Glunz, and F. Dimroth, “Two‐terminal III–V//Si triple‐junction solar cell with power conversion efficiency of 35.9 % at AM1.5g,” Prog Photovolt Res Appl., vol. 30, no. 8, pp. 869–879, 2022. This paper summarizes results of the currently most efficient III-V/Si tandem solar cell in the world.
R. Cariou, J. Benick, F. Feldmann, O. Höhn, H. Hauser, P. Beutel, N. Razek, M. Wimplinger, B. Bläsi, D. Lackner, M. Hermle, G. Siefer, S. W. Glunz, A. W. Bett, and F. Dimroth, “III–V-on-silicon solar cells reaching 33% photoconversion efficiency in two-terminal configuration” Nature Energy, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 326–333, (2018). This is an earlier publication on the same topic.
M. Feifel, D. Lackner, J. Schön, J. Ohlmann, J. Benick, G. Siefer, F. Predan, M. Hermle, and F. Dimroth, “Epitaxial GaInP/GaAs/Si Triple‐Junction Solar Cell with 25.9% AM1.5g Efficiency Enabled by Transparent Metamorphic AlxGa1− xAsyP1− y Step‐Graded Buffer Structures,” Sol. RRL, vol. 5, no. 5, p. 2000763, (2021). In this paper, all the III-V layers were grown directly onto the silicon bottom solar cell which is also a world record for such a device.
W.-H. Cheng, M. H. Richter, M. M. May, J. Ohlmann, D. Lackner, F. Dimroth, T. Hannappel, H. A. Atwater, and H.-J. Lewerenz, “Monolithic Photoelectrochemical Device for Direct Water Splitting with 19% Efficiency” ACS Energy Lett., (2018). This paper shows efficient splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen by using a III-V tandem solar cells which is directly exposed to the electrolyte.
F. Dimroth, III-V solar cells – materials, multi-junction cells – cell design and performance (Ch 8.1), in Photovoltaic Solar Energy: From Fundamentals to Applications, Willey, ISBN: 978-1-118-92746-5 Editors: Angèle Reinders, Alexandre Freundlich & Pierre Verlinden, (2017).
M. Steiner, G. Siefer, T. Schmidt, M. Wiesenfarth, F. Dimroth, and A. W. Bett, “43% Sunlight to Electricity Conversion Efficiency Using CPV” IEEE J. Photovolt., vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 1020–1024, (2016). This paper presents world record performance for a small concentrating photovoltaic module.
R. M. France, F. Dimroth, T. J. Grassman, and R. R. King, “Metamorphic epitaxy for multijunction solar cells” MRS Bulletin, vol. 41, no. 03, pp. 202–209, (2016).
F. Dimroth, T. N. D. Tibbits, M. Niemeyer, F. Predan, P. Beutel, C. Karcher, E. Oliva, G. Siefer, D. Lackner, P. Fus-Kailuweit, A. W. Bett, R. Krause, C. Drazek, E. Guiot, J. Wasselin, A. Tauzin, and T. Signamarcheix, “Four-Junction Wafer-Bonded Concentrator Solar Cells,” IEEE J. Photovolt., vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 343–349, (2016). World record performance concentratrator solar cell with 46.1% efficiency.
J. Wallentin, N. Anttu, D. Asoli, M. Huffman, I. Aberg, M.H. Magnusson, G. Siefer, P. Fuss-Kailuweit, F. Dimroth, B. Witzigmann, H.Q. Xu, L. Samuelson, K. Deppert and M.T. Borgström, InP Nanowire Array Solar Cells Achieving 13.8% Efficiency by Exceeding the Ray Optics Limit, Science, 2013. 339(6123): p. 1057-1060. World record performance for a nano-wire solar cell.
Links
Fraunhofer ISE
Department III-V Epitaxy and Solar Cells
