NOA -

André Violas is a PhD candidate in Physics Engineering at Aveiro University, conducting research at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) in Portugal in collaboration with Uppsala University in Sweden. He was awarded a PhD scholarship from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia while completing his Master’s in Micro and Nanotechnology Engineering at NOVA University of Lisbon in 2020. He also works as an Application & Systems Integration Engineer at INL.
His research focuses on novel architectures for bifacial Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS)-based solar cells, supporting the market’s shift to bifacial photovoltaics. Leveraging expertise in nanofabrication techniques such as nanoimprint lithography (NIL), he has developed innovative rear contact designs. André has expertise in thin-film deposition, characterization (SEM, AFM, JV measurements), and optoelectronic simulations through SCAPS.
During a research stay at Uppsala University, André optimized the co-evaporation of ultrathin ACIGS absorbers and developed solar cells on novel architectures on Mo and ITO rear contacts.
His work has led to multiple peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, contributing to advances in bifacial CIGS-based solar cell technology.