Research Areas

Professor Carter's primary area of expertise is thin-film, solution deposited semiconducting films. Solution-based processes include spin-coating, doctor blading, screen printing, and inkjet deposition, and offer room temperature atmospheric deposition of semiconducting thin-films. These processes offer lower manufacturing costs than traditional thin-film deposition like molecular beam epitaxy.

Nanoparticle inogranic materials such as CdTe and ZnS, and conjugated polymers such as MEH-PPV can all be deposited from solution. Thin-films of nanoparticles can exhibit quantum confinement effects, or can be sintered to promote grain growth to exhibit bulk-like properties.

Our lab's principle focus is in energy related research including photovoltaics, solid-state lighting, and luminescent solar concentrators. Collaborations with UCSC faculty in physics, chemistry and electrical engineering promote opportunities for combining exciting deposition processes and unique spectroscopic techniques to understand the basic and applied physics of novel thin-film semiconductors.