公开(公告)号：US20190036473A1

公开(公告)日：2019-01-31

申请号：US15710947

申请日：2017-09-21

Applicant: U.S. Army Research Laboratory ATTN: RDRL-LOC-I

Inventor： Kimberly A. Sablon ,  Andrei V. Sergeyev ,  John W. Little

IPC: H02S10/30 ,  H01L31/054 ,  H01L31/056 ,  G02B5/28 ,  G02B1/115

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generally relates to photovoltaic, thermophotovoltaic, and laser power beaming devices which convert solar light, thermal radiation, or laser radiation into electric power. Said devices have a reflective interference “greenhouse” filter placed in front of a semiconductor cell and a reflective mirror on the back of the cell. The front filter is transparent for high energy (short wavelength) photons, but traps low energy (long wavelength) photons emitted by photocarriers accumulated near the semiconductor bandgap. In the optimized PV device, the chemical potential of photoelectrons near semiconductor bandgap exceeds the chemical potential of photoelectrons above the photonic bandgap established by the filter (i.e., the device is in chemical nonequilibrium). The greenhouse filter reduces the emission losses, decreases the semiconductor cell thickness, and provides PV conversion with reduced nonradiative losses. Said device converts radiative energy into electricity in a more efficient way than conventional cells.

公开(公告)号：US11152888B2

公开(公告)日：2021-10-19

申请号：US15710947

申请日：2017-09-21

Applicant: U.S. Army Research Laboratory ATTN: RDRL-LOC-I

Inventor： Kimberly A. Sablon ,  Andrei V. Sergeyev ,  John W. Little

IPC: H01L31/028 ,  H02S10/30 ,  H01L31/054 ,  H01L31/056 ,  G02B5/28 ,  G02B1/115 ,  H01L31/0216 ,  H01L31/032 ,  H01L31/0296 ,  H01L31/0304

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generally relates to photovoltaic, thermophotovoltaic, and laser power beaming devices which convert solar light, thermal radiation, or laser radiation into electric power. Said devices have a reflective interference “greenhouse” filter placed in front of a semiconductor cell and a reflective mirror on the back of the cell. The front filter is transparent for high energy (short wavelength) photons, but traps low energy (long wavelength) photons emitted by photocarriers accumulated near the semiconductor bandgap. In the optimized PV device, the chemical potential of photoelectrons near semiconductor bandgap exceeds the chemical potential of photoelectrons above the photonic bandgap established by the filter (i.e., the device is in chemical nonequilibrium). The greenhouse filter reduces the emission losses, decreases the semiconductor cell thickness, and provides PV conversion with reduced nonradiative losses. Said device converts radiative energy into electricity in a more efficient way than conventional cells.