Thermally enhanced photoelectric emission from GaAs photocathode

•The combination of thermionic and photoelectric emission was studied.•Numerical calculation for TEPE conversion is proposed.•Experiments were done with a NEA GaAs vacuum photodiode.•Conversion efficiency 4.92% at 20 °C increases to 5.11% at 80 °C. Thermally enhanced photoelectric emission (TEPE) is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Solar energy 2018-11, Vol.174, p.352-358
Main Authors: Wang, Guiyuan, Chang, Benkang, Yang, Mingzhu, Wang, Kun, Tran, Hong Cam, Liu, Jian, Fu, Rongguo, Qian, Yunsheng, Shi, Feng, Cheng, Hongchang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Conversion
Diamond films
Diamonds
Efficiency
Energy conversion
Energy conversion efficiency
GaAs photocathode
Mathematical models
Phosphorus
Photocathodes
Photodiodes
Photoelectric emission
Photoelectricity
Solar energy
Solar energy conversion
Temperature
Thermally enhanced photoelectric emission
Thermionic emission
Vacuum
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Summary:•The combination of thermionic and photoelectric emission was studied.•Numerical calculation for TEPE conversion is proposed.•Experiments were done with a NEA GaAs vacuum photodiode.•Conversion efficiency 4.92% at 20 °C increases to 5.11% at 80 °C. Thermally enhanced photoelectric emission (TEPE) is a method for solar energy conversion, and it combines the quantum approach and the thermal approach. Different from photon-enhanced thermionic emission (PETE), TEPE is based on the photoelectric emission model rather than the thermionic emission model. In this paper, numerical calculations for the conversion is proposed under detailed balance condition. By using a double dipole layer surface model, the theoretical conversion efficiency of TEPE conversion from a GaAs photodiode is calculated. The emission current of TEPE increases with the temperature until all the excited electrons are emitted. An experimental setup with a NEA GaAs vacuum photodiode was applied. Assuming a phosphorus-doped diamond film with a work function of 0.9 eV as the anode, the energy conversion efficiency can be estimated, and it increases from 4.92% to 5.11% as the temperature rises from 20 °C to 80 °C.
ISSN:0038-092X
1471-1257
DOI:10.1016/j.solener.2018.09.021