Roger Harquail French | |
---|---|
Occupation(s) | Materials scientist, engineer, academic and author |
Academic background | |
Education | BS., Materials Science and Engineering PhD., Materials Science and Engineering |
Alma mater | Cornell University Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Academic work | |
Institutions | Case Western Reserve University |
Roger Harquail French is a materials scientist,engineer,academic and author. He is the Kyocera Professor in the Case School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). [1]
French's research interests at CWRU span optical properties and electronic structure,degradation science of materials in outdoor-exposed technologies such as photovoltaics,and employing data science and deep learning using distributed and high-performance computing. [2] While at DuPont he worked on semiconductor lithography,phase shift masks,pellicles,and photoresists,registering multiple patents. [3] His publications comprise research articles and a book entitled Durability and Reliability of Polymers and Other Materials in Photovoltaic Modules. He received the 2020 Faculty Distinguished Research Award [4] and the 2023 Innovation Week Inventor Award from Case Western Reserve University, [5] in addition to being honored as a Senior Member of the IEEE and as a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society. [6]
French graduated with a Bachelor of Science with Distinction in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University in 1979,and in 1985 obtained a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,working with doctoral advisor Robert L. Coble. [7]
French began his research career in 1985 in Central Research and Development at DuPont. From 1993 to 2002,while still working at DuPont,he was a Visiting Scientist for a month a year in Manfred Rühle's lab at Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung in Stuttgart,Germany. His academic career began as an adjunct professor in the Materials Science Department at the University of Pennsylvania in 1996. In 2010,he joined Case Western Reserve University as the F. Alex Nason Professor and has been the Kyocera Professor of Ceramics at CWRU since 2016. [1] He is also the director of the DOE-NNSA Center of Excellence for Materials Data Science for Stockpile Stewardship, [8] [9] and a Co-Principal Investigator of both the NSF Materials Data Science for Reliability and Degradation Center (MDS-Rely) [10] and the NSF-sponsored IUCRC Center for Advancing Sustainable and Distributed Fertilizer Production (CASFER). [11]
French has studied optical properties and electronic structures of ceramics,polymers,and biomolecules,employing spectroscopy and computational optics,and has explored radiation durability,photochemical degradation,and data-driven approaches to predict lifetime performance and enhance energy efficiency in outdoor-exposed technologies. [2] His group has utilized VUV and optical spectroscopies, [12] [13] along with spectroscopic ellipsometry, [14] [15] to investigate the optical properties,electronic structure,and radiation durability of optical materials,polymers,ceramics,and liquids. He has earned patents for phase shift photomasks, [16] transparent fluoropolymers for pellicles, [17] photoresists [18] and immersion fluids,and optical elements for photovoltaics. [19] His research has contributed to the understanding of how these optical properties influence van der Waals quantum electrodynamical interactions,crucial in governing wetting phenomena and mesoscale assembly in nanotubes and biomolecular materials like DNA and proteins. [20] [21]
French has developed non-relational,distributed computing environments based on Hadoop,Hbase,Ozone,Impala,and Spark for data science and analytics of complex systems. Through this framework,he has integrated real-world performance data with lab-based experimental datasets to elucidate degradation mechanisms and pathways active over the lifespan of technologies. [22] His methods encompass network modeling, [23] structural equations,and graphs to quantify and simulate global spatio-temporal systems such as PV power plants. [24] [25]
In the area of Lifetime and Degradation Science (L&DS),French's focus has extended to examining long-lived environmentally-exposed materials,components,and systems,including PV technologies,roofing,and building exteriors. [26] For projects under DOE-SETO,he has researched the lifetime performance and reliability of mono- and bi-facial silicon PERC modules and modeling PV fleet performance using spatio-temporal Graph Neural Networks (stGNNs). [27] [28] Under his leadership,the SDLE Research Center has applied data science methodologies across a broad spectrum of energy and materials projects,including a DOE ARPA-E funded initiative on building energy efficiency. [29] [30]
He is the son of James Bruce French.
The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons from a material caused by electromagnetic radiation such as ultraviolet light. Electrons emitted in this manner are called photoelectrons. The phenomenon is studied in condensed matter physics,solid state,and quantum chemistry to draw inferences about the properties of atoms,molecules and solids. The effect has found use in electronic devices specialized for light detection and precisely timed electron emission.
Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets electromagnetic spectrum. In narrower contexts,spectroscopy is the precise study of color as generalized from visible light to all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect,a phenomenon studied in physics,photochemistry,and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially used for electricity generation and as photosensors.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the US specializes in the research and development of renewable energy,energy efficiency,energy systems integration,and sustainable transportation. NREL is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Department of Energy and operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy,a joint venture between MRIGlobal and Battelle. Located in Golden,Colorado,NREL is home to the National Center for Photovoltaics,the National Bioenergy Center,and the National Wind Technology Center.
Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is a stable crystalline compound formed from cadmium and tellurium. It is mainly used as the semiconducting material in cadmium telluride photovoltaics and an infrared optical window. It is usually sandwiched with cadmium sulfide to form a p–n junction solar PV cell.
A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by means of the photovoltaic effect. It is a form of photoelectric cell,a device whose electrical characteristics vary when it is exposed to light. Individual solar cell devices are often the electrical building blocks of photovoltaic modules,known colloquially as "solar panels". Almost all commercial PV cells consist of crystalline silicon,with a market share of 95%. Cadmium telluride thin-film solar cells account for the remainder. The common single-junction silicon solar cell can produce a maximum open-circuit voltage of approximately 0.5 to 0.6 volts.
Moser Baer was an Indian multinational manufacturer of optical discs,storage devices,CDs,DVDs,based in New Delhi. The company was present in over 100 countries,serviced through 15 marketing offices and representatives,and had tie-ups with other optical media storage manufacturers. Its products were manufactured at its three plants in New Delhi,which employed over 8,000 people. The company had subsidiaries that manufactured photovoltaic cells and modules using crystalline silicon and thin film technologies.
Applied spectroscopy is the application of various spectroscopic methods for the detection and identification of different elements or compounds to solve problems in fields like forensics,medicine,the oil industry,atmospheric chemistry,and pharmacology.
Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof,skylights,or façades. They are increasingly being incorporated into the construction of new buildings as a principal or ancillary source of electrical power,although existing buildings may be retrofitted with similar technology. The advantage of integrated photovoltaics over more common non-integrated systems is that the initial cost can be offset by reducing the amount spent on building materials and labor that would normally be used to construct the part of the building that the BIPV modules replace. In addition,BIPV allows for more widespread solar adoption when the building's aesthetics matter and traditional rack-mounted solar panels would disrupt the intended look of the building.
The William O. Baker Award for Initiatives in Research,previously the NAS Award for Initiatives in Research,is awarded annually by the National Academy of Sciences "to recognize innovative young scientists and to encourage research likely to lead toward new capabilities for human benefit. The award is to be given to a citizen of the United States,preferably no older than 35 years of age. The field of presentation rotates among the physical sciences,engineering,and mathematics."
Organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) are fabricated from thin films of organic semiconductors,such as polymers and small-molecule compounds,and are typically on the order of 100 nm thick. Because polymer based OPVs can be made using a coating process such as spin coating or inkjet printing,they are an attractive option for inexpensively covering large areas as well as flexible plastic surfaces. A promising low cost alternative to conventional solar cells made of crystalline silicon,there is a large amount of research being dedicated throughout industry and academia towards developing OPVs and increasing their power conversion efficiency.
An organic solar cell (OSC) or plastic solar cell is a type of photovoltaic that uses organic electronics,a branch of electronics that deals with conductive organic polymers or small organic molecules,for light absorption and charge transport to produce electricity from sunlight by the photovoltaic effect. Most organic photovoltaic cells are polymer solar cells.
Solid is one of the four fundamental states of matter along with liquid,gas,and plasma. The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount of kinetic energy. A solid is characterized by structural rigidity and resistance to a force applied to the surface. Unlike a liquid,a solid object does not flow to take on the shape of its container,nor does it expand to fill the entire available volume like a gas. The atoms in a solid are bound to each other,either in a regular geometric lattice,or irregularly. Solids cannot be compressed with little pressure whereas gases can be compressed with little pressure because the molecules in a gas are loosely packed.
Thin-film solar cells are a type of solar cell made by depositing one or more thin layers of photovoltaic material onto a substrate,such as glass,plastic or metal. Thin-film solar cells are typically a few nanometers (nm) to a few microns (μm) thick–much thinner than the wafers used in conventional crystalline silicon (c-Si) based solar cells,which can be up to 200 μm thick. Thin-film solar cells are commercially used in several technologies,including cadmium telluride (CdTe),copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS),and amorphous thin-film silicon.
There are currently many research groups active in the field of photovoltaics in universities and research institutions around the world. This research can be categorized into three areas:making current technology solar cells cheaper and/or more efficient to effectively compete with other energy sources;developing new technologies based on new solar cell architectural designs;and developing new materials to serve as more efficient energy converters from light energy into electric current or light absorbers and charge carriers.
Photoconductive atomic force microscopy (PC-AFM) is a variant of atomic force microscopy that measures photoconductivity in addition to surface forces.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE is an institute of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Located in Freiburg,Germany,the Institute performs applied scientific and engineering research and development for all areas of solar energy. Fraunhofer ISE has three external branches in Germany which carry out work on solar cell and semiconductor material development:the Laboratory and Service Center (LSC) in Gelsenkirchen,the Technology Center of Semiconductor Materials (THM) in Freiberg,and the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics (CSP) in Halle. From 2006 to 2016 Eicke Weber was the director of Fraunhofer ISE. With over 1,100 employees,Fraunhofer ISE is the largest institute for applied solar energy research in Europe. The 2012 Operational Budget including investments was 74.3 million euro.
David R. Clarke is a material scientist and the inaugural Extended Tarr Family Professor of Material Science and Applied Physics at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). He is the principal investigator of the Materials Discovery and Applications Group.
Multiple different photovoltaic module analysis techniques are available and necessary for the inspection of photovoltaic (PV) modules,the detection of occurring degradation and the analysis of cell properties.