Goutam Paul joined the Analytical Microscopy and Imaging Science group of the Materials Science Center as a postdoctoral researcher in September 2022. His research focus on the application of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques for probing the surface properties of photovoltaic (PV) semiconducting materials and the interfaces of PV devices. Goutam received his doctorate in physics from Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, India, in 2022. During his doctoral studies, he used different SPM techniques (atomic force microscopy [AFM], Kelvin probe force microscopy, and scanning tunneling microscopy, etc.) to investigate the role of material and device engineering on the performance of PV devices. At NREL, he is carrying out in-situ and ex-situ AFM electrical characterization of crystalline and polycrystalline devices (e.g., silicon, perovskites, cadmium telluride, and  copper indium gallium diselenide) for renewable energy applications.

Research Interests

Scanning probe microscopy

Device physics

Solar cells 

Education

Ph.D., Physics, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science

M.Sc., Physics, University of Calcutta

B.Sc., Physics, University of Calcutta

Featured Work

Structure, Morphology, and Photovoltaic Implications of Halide Alloying in Lead-Free Cs3Sb2ClxI9-x2D-layered Perovskites, Solar RRL (2021)

Defect Passivation and Layered-Phase Formation in an Antimony-Based Hybrid Iodide Perovskite Derivative through Chlorine Incorporation, Journal of Physical Chemistry C (2019)

Self-Doping in Hybrid Halide Perovskites: To Probe Stoichiometry-Dependent Type of Conductivity Through Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy, Journal of Physical Chemistry C (2018)

Heterovalent Doping and Energy Level Tuning in Ag₂S Thin-Films Through Solution Approach: pn-Junction Solar Cells, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells (2018)

Voltage-Dependent Differential Conductance (dI/dV) Imaging of a Polymer:Fullerene Bulk-Heterojunction, Organic Electronics (2018)

Awards and Honors

Best Poster Presentation Award, Evolution of Electronic Structure Theory & Experimental Realization International Workshop and Conference (2020)

Bhaskara Advanced Solar Energy Internship Program, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (2019)

Junior Research Fellowship, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Government of India (2017)