Dr. Vaqueiro Contreras currently holds an ACAP Postdoctoral fellowship at UNSW awarded in 2020 focusing on the applications of graphene oxide multilayer films for solar cells. She completed a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 2018 at the University of Manchester and working at the National Graphene Institute, focusing on the identification of light element impurities responsible for high minority carrier recombination in silicon and the application of graphene oxide as new passivation material. Her findings on the recombination mechanisms relating C-O-H interactions in silicon have proven to be of high impact to the solar cell industry as hydrogen introduction in silicon is mostly recognized as advantageous. She has extensive experience in a variety of electrical characterisation of defects in silicon, surface characterisation, micro-fabrication and dielectric deposition techniques. She is interested in novel passivation materials and processes compatible with large-scale manufacture for high-efficiency solar cells, as well as in the identification and mitigation of defects in silicon.
Contreras MV, 2024, 'Carrier-Induced Degradation', in Photovoltaic Solar Energy: From Fundamentals to Applications, Volume 2, pp. 103 - 122, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781119578826.ch9
Book Chapters | 2023
Contreras MV; Li J; Kim M; Green MA, 2023, 'Solar photovoltaic technologies for mitigating global climate change', in Handbook on Climate Change and Technology, Edward Elgar, pp. 58 - 81, http://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781800882119.00013
Book Chapters | 2021
Chen R; Ciesla A; Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Chen D; Wright M; Hallam B; Peaker T, 2021, 'Negative impacts of hydrogen in silicon', in Hydrogen Passivation and Laser Doping for Silicon Solar Cells, pp. 249 - 303, http://dx.doi.org/10.1049/pbpo134e_ch6
Book Chapters | 2021
Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Wright M; Chan C, 2021, 'Laser doping for rapid diffusion in silicon', in Hydrogen Passivation and Laser Doping for Silicon Solar Cells, Institution of Engineering and Technology, pp. 305 - 335, http://dx.doi.org/10.1049/pbpo134e_ch7
Journal articles | 2023
Juhl MK; Heinz FD; Coletti G; Rougieux FE; Sun C; Contreras MV; Niewelt T; Krich J; Schubert MC, 2023, 'On the Conversion between Recombination Rates and Electronic Defect Parameters in Semiconductors', IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, 13, pp. 524 - 534, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2023.3267173
Journal articles | 2023
Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Hallam B; Chan C, 2023, 'Review of Laser Doping and its Applications in Silicon Solar Cells', IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, 13, pp. 373 - 384, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2023.3244367
Journal articles | 2022
Zhou Z; Juhl MK; Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Rougieux F; Coletti G, 2022, 'Electronic Properties of Light- and Elevated Temperature-Induced Degradation in Float-Zone Silicon', IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, 12, pp. 1369 - 1376, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2022.3195098
Journal articles | 2022
Zhou Z; Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Juhl MK; Rougieux F, 2022, 'Electronic Properties of the Boron-Oxygen Defect Precursor of the Light-Induced Degradation in Silicon', IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, 12, pp. 1135 - 1141, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2022.3190769
Journal articles | 2021
Chen D; Vaqueiro Contreras M; Ciesla A; Hamer P; Hallam B; Abbott M; Chan C, 2021, 'Progress in the understanding of light- and elevated temperature-induced degradation in silicon solar cells: A review', Progress in Photovoltaics Research and Applications, 29, pp. 1180 - 1201, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pip.3362
Journal articles | 2019
Markevich VP; Vaqueiro-Contreras M; De Guzman JT; Coutinho J; Santos P; Crowe IF; Halsall MP; Hawkins I; Lastovskii SB; Murin LI; Peaker AR, 2019, 'Boron–Oxygen Complex Responsible for Light-Induced Degradation in Silicon Photovoltaic Cells: A New Insight into the Problem', Physica Status Solidi A Applications and Materials Science, 216, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201900315
Journal articles | 2019
Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Markevich VP; Coutinho J; Santos P; Crowe IF; Halsall MP; Hawkins I; Lastovskii SB; Murin LI; Peaker AR, 2019, 'Identification of the mechanism responsible for the boron oxygen light induced degradation in silicon photovoltaic cells', Journal of Applied Physics, 125, http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5091759
Journal articles | 2018
Markevich VP; Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Lastovskii SB; Murin LI; Halsall MP; Peaker AR, 2018, 'Electron emission and capture by oxygen-related bistable thermal double donors in silicon studied with junction capacitance techniques', Journal of Applied Physics, 124, http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5053805
Journal articles | 2018
Mullins J; Markevich VP; Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Grant NE; Jensen L; Jabłoński J; Murphy JD; Halsall MP; Peaker AR, 2018, 'Thermally activated defects in float zone silicon: Effect of nitrogen on the introduction of deep level states', Journal of Applied Physics, 124, http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5036718
Journal articles | 2018
Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Bartlam C; Bonilla RS; Markevich VP; Halsall MP; Vijayaraghavan A; Peaker AR, 2018, 'Graphene oxide films for field effect surface passivation of silicon for solar cells', Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 187, pp. 189 - 193, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2018.08.002
Journal articles | 2018
Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Markevich VP; Mullins J; Halsall MP; Murin LI; Falster R; Binns J; Coutinho J; Peaker AR, 2018, 'Lifetime degradation of n-type Czochralski silicon after hydrogenation', Journal of Applied Physics, 123, http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5011351
Journal articles | 2017
Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Markevich VP; Halsall MP; Peaker AR; Santos P; Coutinho J; Öberg S; Murin LI; Falster R; Binns J; Monakhov EV; Svensson BG, 2017, 'Powerful recombination centers resulting from reactions of hydrogen with carbon-oxygen defects in n-type Czochralski-grown silicon (Phys. Status Solidi RRL 8/2017)', physica status solidi (RRL) - Rapid Research Letters, 11, pp. 1770342 - 1770342, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssr.201770342
Journal articles | 2017
Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Markevich VP; Halsall MP; Peaker AR; Santos P; Coutinho J; Öberg S; Murin LI; Falster R; Binns J; Monakhov EV; Svensson BG, 2017, 'Powerful recombination centers resulting from reactions of hydrogen with carbon–oxygen defects in n-type Czochralski-grown silicon', Physica Status Solidi Rapid Research Letters, 11, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssr.201700133
Conference Papers | 2022
Zhou Z; Juhl MK; Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Rougieux F; Coletti G, 2022, 'Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy Study of Float-zone Silicon Degradation under Light and Elevated Temperature', in Aip Conference Proceedings, http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/5.0089221
Conference Papers | 2021
Zhou Z; Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Juhl MK; Rougieux F, 2021, 'Electronic Properties of the Boron-oxygen Defect Precursor in Silicon', in Conference Record of the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, pp. 269 - 271, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/PVSC43889.2021.9519027
Conference Papers | 2020
Halsall MP; Vaqueiro Contreras M; Markevich VP; Coutinho J; Santos P; Crowe IF; Hawkins I; Lastovskii SB; Murin LI; Peaker AR, 2020, 'Identification of a boron-oxygen complex as the origin of a non-radiative recombination process in silicon photodetectors and solar cells (Conference Presentation)', in Reed GT; Knights AP(ed.), Silicon Photonics XV, SPIE, pp. 33 - 33, presented at Silicon Photonics XV, 01 February 2020 - 06 February 2020, http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2543773
Conference Papers | 2019
Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Walton AS; Bartlam C; Byrne C; Bonilla RS; Markevich VP; Halsall MP; Vijayaraghavan A; Peaker AR, 2019, 'The surface passivation mechanism of graphene oxide for crystalline silicon', in Conference Record of the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, pp. 1931 - 1934, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/PVSC40753.2019.8980620
Conference Papers | 2017
Santos P; Coutinho J; Öberg S; Vaqueiro-Contreras M; Markevich VP; Halsall MP; Peaker AR, 2017, 'Theory of a carbon-oxygen-hydrogen recombination center in n-type Si', in Physica Status Solidi A Applications and Materials Science, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201700309
CONACyT-Manchester Scholarship of Quality Postgraduate Studies
CONACyT-SENER Scholarship of Quality Postgraduate Studies in Sustainable Energies
Distinguished Achievement Medal as Postgraduate of the Year at the University of Manchester (UK), given to one outstanding research student per faculty for research excellence during his/her postgraduate program.