Optical Simulation for Multi-Striped Orthogonal Photon-Photocarrier-Propagation Solar Cell (MOP3SC) with Redirection Waveguide

• Published in: 3D research 2016-12, Vol.7 (4), p.1-5, Article 33
• Main Authors: Ishibashi, Akira, Kobayashi, H., Taniguchi, T., Kondo, K., Kasai, T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3DR Express; Absorption cross sections; Computer Imaging; Electricity; Electromagnetic absorption; Engineering; Lasers; Low temperature; Optical Devices; Optics; Pattern Recognition and Graphics; Photonics; Photons; Photovoltaic cells; Propagation; Signal,Image and Speech Processing; Solar cells; Vision; Waveguides
• ISSN: 2092-6731; 2092-6731
• DOI: 10.1007/s13319-016-0109-4

We have calculated optical fields for waveguide-coupled orthogonal photon-photocarrier propagation solar cell (MOP 3 SC)in which the photons propagate in the direction orthogonal to that of the photocarriers’. By exploiting the degree of freedom along the photon propagation and using multi-semiconductor stripes in which the incoming photons first encounter the widest gap semiconductor, and the narrowest at last, we can convert virtually the whole spectrum of solar spectrum into electricity resulting in high conversion efficiency. The waveguide-coupled MOP 3 SC can not only optimize the absorption of light and the photocarrier collection independently converting virtually the whole spectrum of sunlight into electricity, but also can serve as a highly efficient concentration solar-cell system with low temperature rise thanks to its minimal thermal dissipation and the diffusive-light-convertibility when used with the parabola cross-section structure on top of the waveguide. The waveguide-coupled MOP 3 SC is also of potential interest as a high reliability system, because the high energy photons that can damage bonding of the materials, being converted into electricity already at upstream, never go into the medium or narrow gap semiconductors, resulting in low degradation of materials used in the MOP 3 SC.