Extending the operational wavelength of thermophotovoltaic devices via superlattice and barrier engineering

Abigail S. Licht; Dante F. DeMeo; J. B. Rodriguez; Thomas E. Vandervelde

doi:10.1117/12.2040307

7 March 2014 Extending the operational wavelength of thermophotovoltaic devices via superlattice and barrier engineering

Abigail S. Licht, Dante F. DeMeo, J. B. Rodriguez, Thomas E. Vandervelde

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8981, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices III; 89811I (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2040307
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2014, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate extending the operational wavelength of thermophotovoltaic diodes. Our calculations demonstrate that employing a barrier structure can reduce the diffusion current by several orders of magnitude, reducing dark current and improving the overall function of the TPV diode for room temperature operation. We first investigated GaSb/InAs type–II superlattice structures with monovalent barriers targeting wavelength cut-offs of five microns. Simulations were used to optimize the band structure energy levels for superlattice materials and to align the energy bands between different layers in the device. We examine the difference in IV curves between barrier and non-barrier structures for a five micron (E_g=0.248 eV) diode with a barrier of 300 meV.

Citation Download Citation

Abigail S. Licht, Dante F. DeMeo, J. B. Rodriguez, and Thomas E. Vandervelde "Extending the operational wavelength of thermophotovoltaic devices via superlattice and barrier engineering", Proc. SPIE 8981, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices III, 89811I (7 March 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2040307

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available