Sanjay K. Ram's Personal Website
Past Research Areas
The areas of my past research include:
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Silicon thin films and nanomaterials: synthesis, characterization and applications
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Third generation silicon photovoltaics
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Light management in solar cells: nanophotonic structures, plasmonics and spectrum upconversion
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Transparent conducting oxides for photovoltaic and plasmonic applications
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Light upconverting materials for sensor applications
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Photonic nanostructures and interaction of light with matter at the nanoscale
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Transferable thin film solar cells and their integration with ocular contact lens
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Novel nanofabrication techniques – benchtop, hybrid techniques, shrink polymers
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Carbon thin films and nanomaterials: carbon nanotubes and diamond like carbon
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Magnesium oxide thin films
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Organic semiconductor thin films
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Nanofabrication techniques
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Plasma display panels
Details of Past Research
2016 - 2017
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University
1. Associated with the SUNTUNE Project: High-efficiency solar cells by spectral transformation using nano-optical enhancement
Other activities:
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Work function measurements of solar cell layers using Kelvin probe atomic force microscopy
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Study on the plasmonic properties of transparent conducting oxides
2011 - 2016
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University
My research was focused on developing low cost and high efficiency silicon thin film solar cells by employing novel light management strategies in the solar cell device architecture. I executed the project that established thin film silicon cell research in Denmark.
1. THINC Project: Thin-film solar cell based on nanocrystalline silicon and structured backside reflectors (2011 – 2016).
A multinational (Denmark, Portugal and Italy) collaborative project, funded by the Danish Strategic Research Council.
2. Raman spectroscopy in advanced materials science (2014), funded by Carlsberg Foundation, Denmark.

2010 – 2011
CENIMAT, New University of Lisbon, Portugal
Research Projects:
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Solar Tiles (2010) development by a consortium of nine Portuguese entities including ceramic companies, universities, and technological centers
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High deposition rates of nanomorph solar cells (2010), funded by FCT, Portugal.
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Hybrid Si-nanoparticle/polymer layers for solar cells (2010), funded by I3N, Portugal.
2008 – 2009
LPICM, Ecole Polytechnique, France
Research Project:
ATOS - “Association Tandem Optimisees pour le Solaire” (2005 – 2008)
Funded by National Agency for Research, France, involving three research laboratories and three industrial partners Saint Gobain Recherche, Total Gas & Power and Solems.
The project involved the installation and optimization of a new MDERC-PECVD deposition system, for ultra-fast fabrication of thin film silicon solar cells. I conducted and interpreted plasma diagnostics using optical emission spectroscopy for the optimized high-growth-rate fabrication of microcrystalline silicon layers in the MDECR PECVD system.

2006 - 2008
Samtel Center for Display Technologies, IIT Kanpur, India
Research Projects:
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Next generation high definition plasma display panels (HDPDPs) (New Millennium Initiative of the CSIR)
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Development of MgO and novel dielectric coatings for flat panel plasma displays (Ministry of Communication & Information Technology)
2004 - 2006
Dept. of Physics, Indian Institute of Kanpur, India
Research Project:
Diamond like carbon thin films
1998 - 2006
Dept. of Physics, Indian Institute of Kanpur, India
Ph.D. Thesis
1998 - 2006
Dept. of Physics, Indian Institute of Kanpur, India
Other Projects:
Organic Semiconductors (small molecules)
Structural and Optoelectronic Properties of Nanostructured Porous Silicon