Function :                Intern

Contract :               CNRS internship agreement

Starting date:        Spring/Summer 2026

Duration:                 6 months

Workplace:             IPVF – 18 boulevard Thomas Gobert, 91120 Palaiseau

Education:              Master 1 or Master 2

IPVF – Institut Photovoltaïque d’Île-de-France

IPVF is a scientific and technical pole dedicated to the research and development of solar technologies. It permanently hosts its own staff, as well as the employees of its partners and external companies. IPVF aims to become one of the world’s leading centers for research, innovation, and training in the field of energy transition.
IPVF primary objective is to improve the performance and competitiveness of photovoltaic cells and develop breakthrough technologies by relying on four levers:

• Ambitious research program.
• The hosting of more than 200 researchers and their laboratories on its Paris-Saclay site.
• A state-of-the-art technology platform (8,000 m²) open to the photovoltaic industry actors, with more than 100 state-of-the-art equipment units located in clean rooms.
• A training program mainly based on a master’s degree, the supervision of PhD students, and continuing education.

CONTEXT

Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) is a highly promising thin-film photovoltaic technology, renowned for its excellent power conversion efficiency, long-term stability, and potential for low-cost manufacturing. With record efficiencies recently reaching 23.6%, CIGS remains one of the most efficient and versatile solar absorber materials.

This internship is part of a Horizon Europe project dedicated to developing the next generation of ultrathin Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) solar cells. The project aims to dramatically reduce absorber thickness, and thus material consumption, through breakthrough innovations in device architecture and fabrication processes. A key research direction focuses on replacing the conventional molybdenum (Mo) back contact with novel passivating and/or nanostructured back contacts that are either transparent or reflective, with the ambitious goal of achieving a 25% conversion efficiency.

The central objective of this internship is to engineer and optimize these highly passivated, transparent, or reflective back-contact architectures, and to study their impact on the performance of ultrathin CIGS solar cells. Particular attention will be given to minimizing interfacial defect states and optimizing energy-level alignment between the new back contacts and the absorber layer, in order to enhance the open-circuit voltage (Voc) and overall device efficiency.

MAIN MISSIONS

The internship will focus on optimizing innovative back-contact and interface architectures for thin-film CIGS solar cells. Using characterization techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GD-OES), current–voltage (I–V) measurements, External Quantum Efficiency (EQE), and photo- and electroluminescence imaging, the candidate will investigate how various thermal and chemical treatments, as well as nanostructuring of reflective or transparent back contacts by lithography, affect the key optoelectronic performance parameters of the solar cells. The work will involve analyzing structure–property relationships to guide material and device optimization.

This project offers hands-on experience at the intersection of materials science, semiconductor physics, and renewable energy research, within an international research consortium.

PROFILE

📖 Knowledge

• Master in material science, physical chemistry or related fields
• Solid foundation in semiconductors physics and chemistry
• Strong experimental and analysis skills
• Proficient English required

💡 Self-management skills

• Curious and challenge-driven
• Autonomous

CONTACT

Cover letter and résumé to be sent to: javid.hajhemati@cnrs.fr and negar.naghavi@cnrs.fr