Publications by Nicolas Würsch

A Spatiotemporal analysis of photovoltaic electricity storage potential in electric vehicles

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Alejandro Pena Bello, Noémie Alice Yvonne Ségolène Jeannin, Jérémy Dumoulin

Decarbonizing mobility and integrating more renewable sources in electricity production are necessary levers to meet the climate targets. Coupling electric vehicle (EV) charging with photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation could help to provide clean elec ...

Aalborg University2025

Optimizing photon capture: advancements in amorphous silicon-based microchannel plates

Christophe Ballif, Claudio Bruschini, Edoardo Charbon, Nicolas Würsch, Luca Massimiliano Antognini, Samira Alexandra Frey, Emanuele Ripiccini

Microchannel plates are electron multipliers widely used in applications such as particle detection, imaging, or mass spectrometry and are often paired with a photocathode to enable photon detection. Conventional microchannel plates, made of glass fibers, ...

2025

Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Charge-Selective Contact Devices on a Polyimide Flexible Substrate for Dosimetry and Beam Flux Measurements

Sylvain Dunand, Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) devices on flexible substrates are currently being studied for application in dosimetry and beam flux measurements. The necessity of in vivo dosimetry requires thin devices with maximal transparency and flexibility. ...

MDPI2025

Cleopatra: a 12-channel recycling integrator ASIC for the readout of hydrogenated amorphous silicon detectors in radiotherapy dosimetry

Sylvain Dunand, Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet

The Cleopatra ASIC is a 12-channel prototype ASIC for the readout of hydrogenated amorphous silicon sensors used for real-time dosimetry in radiation diagnostic and radiation therapy. The architecture is based on a current to frequency conversion based on ...

2025

Embracing wind power in the solar PV-dominated Swiss landscape

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Alejandro Pena Bello, Marine Dominique Cauz

The Swiss energy transition, characterized by the nuclear phase-out, relies mainly on the integration of solar photovoltaic (PV), mostly because wind technology faces challenges in local public acceptance. This study aims to analyse Swiss PV and wind gener ...

Elsevier BV2025

Mapping the charging demand for electric vehicles in 2050 from mobility habits

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Alejandro Pena Bello, Noémie Alice Yvonne Ségolène Jeannin

This paper proposes a method to spatially model and compare charging needs on the European scale considering local disparities in population density, distance to city centres, car ownership and mobility habits. Mobility habits are modelled across Europe in ...

2024

A Front-End Circuit in 28 nm CMOS for Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Detectors in Clinical Dosimetry

Sylvain Dunand, Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet, Luca Massimiliano Antognini

This paper presents the design and the characterization of a front-end circuit, designed in 28 nm CMOS, for real-time dosimetry in radiation diagnostics and radiation therapy. The front-end circuit is optimized for sensors made of hydrogenated amorphous si ...

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.2024

Dosimetry of microbeam radiotherapy by flexible hydrogenated amorphous silicon detectors

Sylvain Dunand, Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet

Objective. Detectors that can provide accurate dosimetry for microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) must possess intrinsic radiation hardness, a high dynamic range, and a micron-scale spatial resolution. In this work we characterize hydrogenated amorphous silic ...

IOP Publishing Ltd2024

Mobility Gaps of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Related to Hydrogen Concentration and Its Influence on Electrical Performance

Sylvain Dunand, Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet

This paper presents a comprehensive study of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si)-based detectors, utilizing electrical characterization, Raman spectroscopy, photoemission, and inverse photoemission techniques. The unique properties of a-Si have sparked i ...

2024

Amorphous silicon detectors for proton beam monitoring in FLASH radiotherapy

Christophe Ballif, Sylvain Dunand, Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet, Luca Massimiliano Antognini

Ultra-high dose rate radiation therapy (FLASH) based on proton irradiation is of major interest for cancer treatments but creates new challenges for dose monitoring. Amorphous hydrogenated silicon is known to be one of the most radiation-hard semiconductor ...

Elsevier BV2024

Characterization of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Sensors on Polyimide Flexible Substrate

Sylvain Dunand, Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) is a material having an intrinsically high radiation hardness that can be deposited on flexible substrates such as polyimide (PI). For these properties, a-Si:H can be used for the production of flexible sensors. a-Si ...

2024

Characterization of a flexible a-Si:H detector for in vivo dosimetry in therapeutic x-ray beams

Sylvain Dunand, Nicolas Würsch, Jonathan Emanuel Thomet, Luca Massimiliano Antognini, Matthew James Large

BackgroundThe increasing use of complex and high dose-rate treatments in radiation therapy necessitates advanced detectors to provide accurate dosimetry. Rather than relying on pre-treatment quality assurance (QA) measurements alone, many countries are now ...

Wiley2024

From PV to EV: Mapping the Potential for Electric Vehicle Charging with Solar Energy in Europe

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Alejandro Pena Bello, Noémie Alice Yvonne Ségolène Jeannin, Jérémy Dumoulin

The electrification of the transport sector is a key element in decarbonizing our societies. However, energy systems will have to cope with additional electricity demand due to the charging needs of electric vehicles (EVs) together with the integration of ...

2024

Modeling the diffusion and depletion capacitances of a silicon pn diode in forward bias with impedance spectroscopy

Nicolas Würsch

We investigated the capacitance of a forward-biased silicon pn diode using impedance spectroscopy. Despite extensive research spanning decades, no single model in the literature adequately describes the impedance behavior for bias up to the built-in voltag ...

2024

The carbon intensity of integrated photovoltaics

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Alessandro Francesco Aldo Virtuani, Alejandro Borja Block

To assess the meaningfulness of installing solar photovoltaics in buildings and infrastructures, we consider a carbon intensity (CI) balance perspective and assess whether installing PV at different orientations acts as a net CO2 sink or source, when compa ...

2023

TCAD modelling of a-Si:H devices for particle detection applications

Sylvain Dunand, Nicolas Würsch, Luca Massimiliano Antognini, Giulia Rossi, Matthew James Large

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) has been proposed as a suitable material for particle detection applications thanks to its property to be deposited over a large area and above a variety of different substrates, including flexible materials. Moreove ...

Elsevier Sci Ltd2023

Distributed flexibility as a cost-effective alternative to grid reinforcement

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Jordan Holweger, Alejandro Pena Bello, Noémie Alice Yvonne Ségolène Jeannin

The deployment of distributed photovoltaics (PV) in low-voltage networks may cause technical issues such as voltage rises, line ampacity violations, and transformer overloading for distribution system operators (DSOs). These problems may induce grid reinfo ...

ELSEVIER2023

First dosimetric characterization of an a-Si:H dosimeter on flexible support

Nicolas Würsch

Clare2023

Reinforcement Learning for Joint Design and Control of Battery-PV Systems

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Laure-Emmanuelle Perret Aebi, Marine Dominique Cauz

The decentralisation and unpredictability of new renewable energy sources require rethinking our energy system. Data-driven approaches, such as reinforcement learning (RL), have emerged as new control strategies for operating these systems, but they have n ...

2023

Balancing DSO interests and PV system economics with alternative tariffs

Christophe Ballif, Nicolas Würsch, Alejandro Pena Bello, Robin Junod

Distributed rooftop photovoltaics (PV) is one of the pillars of the energy transition yet their widespread integration strains grids, leading to over-voltage, reverse power flow, and infrastructure strain. Furthermore, increased PV self-consumption reduces ...

Elsevier Sci Ltd2023