Thin film optoelectronic technologies have an important role to play in enabling clean growth through industrial competitiveness to deliver the European Green Deal priorities. Key energy technologies rely on thin film optoelectronics devices, including emerging photovoltaics, wide bandgap power electronics, and efficient lighting/displays. Multi-modal characterisation techniques offer a powerful approach that combines complementary measurement techniques with novel data analysis and modelling, allowing for unprecedented insight into the detailed structure of thin film materials. 

The development of novel optoelectronic materials and devices presents new characterisation challenges. Individual measurement modes typically excel at resolving a single physical property (structural, compositional or functional) with high sensitivity, spatial and/or temporal resolution, whereas correlative approaches to combine multiple measurement modes at the same location are gaining increased traction in device characterisation. The strengths of each technique can be combined to gain broader insights on the interplay between thin film morphology, device structure and the resulting operational functionality. These advanced characterisation techniques are critical enablers for research and innovation in thin films for energy applications. 

This mini-colloquium will focus on recent advances in the multi-modal characterisation of thin films for energy applications, seeking to reinforce connections between research communities developing advanced measurement capabilities and those applying them to develop new device technologies. 

The following topics are within scope: 

• Multi-modal characterisation of inorganic, organic, perovskite, hybrid and wide bandgap semiconductor thin film energy materials using 2 or more complementary techniques. 
• Emerging high resolution characterisation techniques including advanced modes of scanning probe microscopy, super-resolution spectroscopic imaging, electron microscopy, X-ray spectroscopy, and related techniques. 
• Spectrally and temporally resolved characterisation of thin films and devices to probe charge dynamics. 
• High throughput characterisation of large-area functional thin films for homogeneity and quality control. 
• High sensitivity optical characterisation including advanced spectroscopy, polarimetric measurements, synchrotron measurements, and metrological traceability. 

• Advanced sampling strategies, data fusion, modelling, and analysis of datasets using machine learning 
• Device characterisation in controlled environments for highly sensitive materials and for lifetime/degradation studies 
• In situ and ex situ characterisation to inform precisely controlled thin film deposition 

One important aim of this mini-colloquium is to bring together contributions from disparate disciplines (within the scope), in order to recognise common measurement challenges and identify new applications for advanced characterisation techniques.