Team Hwang lights up the AERTC laser lab
Team Hwang: Insoo Kim & Yiting Zheng
There’s never a dull moment in the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center’s Laser Solar Photovoltaic Laboratory, where intense energy beams and a toxic soup of deadly chemicals are always in play.
David Hwang, an associate professor in Stony Brook University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, has led the lab since it powered up in 2011, charting a steady course through energy manufacturing – not just cutting glass and metal to exacting specifications, but using the latest laser technologies to alter the molecular makeup of various substrates.
On the front lines of this advanced-manufacturing battlefield has been an army of Stony Brook University graduate students, making copious use of the Laser Solar Photovoltaic Laboratory’s top-grade equipment – in addition to the lasers themselves, the latest in vacuum chambers and safe gas-venting.
Among those currently lighting up the lab are Insoo Kim and Yiting Zheng, both on course to earn PhDs in mechanical engineering, with matching concentrations in fluid mechanics and thermal sciences, in 2024.
Kim’s attention is on the semiconductor industry, where he believes the “microscale thin films” he’s creating will find a wide range of applications. Using the lab’s delicately calibrated equipment, the young researcher “etches” various characteristics into thin films, “deposits” them onto semiconductor surfaces and measures their performance, with a particular focus on heat and mass transfer.
His research – right now centered on improving solar-cell efficiency – has benefitted greatly from Dr. Hwang’s leadership, according to Kim, who finds his mentor to be “very detail-oriented” with plenty of “experimental experience.”
“He brings many different but relevant topics, which helps students to combine all different ideas together and connect them as a whole story,” Kim adds.
Zheng is also knee-deep in thin films, solar cells and related laser/matter interactions. With all that teeny-tiny laser-patterning going on, his primary job is to “ensure an excellent solar-cell electrical connectivity with the minimal power waste,” while also assisting with patterning processes and finalizing specialized thin films.
Among the high-profile projects on Zheng’s plate is a current collaboration with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology’s Advanced Photovoltaics Research Center, which is working with the Laser Solar Photovoltaic Lab to test new levels of solar cell transparency, flexibility and function.
“All of these could be achieved with lasers, which are what make the magic happen,” Zheng notes.
Like Kim, Zheng offers the highest praise for the head of the Laser Solar Photovoltaic Laboratory.
“It is my honor to have Dr. Hwang as my mentor,” Zheng says. “He is a great mentor not only because of his extensive expertise but also his humble mindset.
“His diligence and passion in research deeply have influenced me in my professional growth,” Zheng adds. “During our frequent discussions, he’s taught me the importance of preparing a systematic investigation plan and being patient as a researcher.
“I’m very thankful for his mentorship.”
Both Kim and Zheng also praise the Laser Solar Photovoltaic Laboratory and other AERTC resources. Kim specifically appreciates the elbow room – “The building is clean and there is no stress about parking at all,” he notes – while Zheng compliments both the Advanced Energy Center’s facilities and its “very professional” staff.
“The AERTC is a great workplace,” Zheng says. “It has well-equipped ventilation and power-supply systems, which are essentials for some dedicated equipment in our lab.
“[The center] itself serves as a great platform for students like me meeting other talented people in all different research and/or industrial areas,” he adds. “I'm very grateful that I have encountered many nice people here.”