Towards Predictive Reliability: Correlative Characterisation of Buried Interfaces in Emerging Thin-Film Materials and Devices

Modern energy and electronic technologies increasingly rely on complex multilayer thin-film architectures containing buried interfaces, chemically heterogeneous materials, and dynamic transport phenomena. Device performance, stability, and reliability are frequently governed by processes occurring beneath the surface, yet many of these mechanisms remain poorly understood due to limitations in existing characterization approaches.

This PhD aims to develop, integrate and apply advanced and correlative characterization methodologies for investigating buried-interface chemistry, material redistribution, ion migration, degradation pathways, and reliability-limiting processes in functional thin-film materials and devices through complementary structural, compositional, chemical, and electrical characterization approaches. Particular emphasis will be placed on obtaining high-fidelity chemical information from complex multilayer structures through advanced depth profiling, chemical imaging, and complementary analytical techniques.

The developed methodologies will be applied primarily to advanced photovoltaic technologies and related thin-film material systems to identify the mechanisms governing degradation and long-term operational stability. Ultimately, the project seeks to establish characterization strategies and reliability-assessment frameworks that move beyond descriptive analysis toward predictive reliability engineering for next-generation technologies.