March 11, 2024
SVC Foundation Scholarship Awarded to Paramita Bhattacharyya
Paramita received a Bachelor of Technology from West Bengal University of Technology in India before coming to McMaster University, where she is currently working on her Ph.D. in Engineering Physics.
Her doctoral research focuses on the design and fabrication (using ECR-PECVD and sputtering) of thin film optical filters capable of generating multiple colors for photovoltaic applications.
Paramita says, “Notch filters are special optical filters that reject a selected wavelength band while transmitting shorter and longer wavelengths. We are replacing the anti-reflective coating (ARC) in standard solar cells with a notch filter to give a distinct color rendering to solar-charged Electric Vehicles. My research primarily focuses on designing thin film optical filters with a minimal number of layers. During the fabrication of these filters, the material selection is based on their transparency within the solar cell’s targeted light spectrum.”
She says, “To enhance my industry-oriented understanding of vacuum technologies, I am currently working at Iridian Spectral Technologies, a division of IDEX corporation, as a research and development co-op student. Within this position, my focus involves refining and enhancing the evaporation and sputtering fabrication processes for diverse materials suitable for developing optical filters targeting the UV range.”
