Related papers: Solar Superabsorption of Semiconductor Materials
Based on fundamental properties of light scattering by a particle we reveal the existence of the ultimate upper limit for the light absorption by any partial mode. First, we obtain this result for scattering of a plane wave by a symmetric…
We propose a back-reflecting scheme in order to enhance the maximum achievable current in one micron thick crystalline silicon solar cells. We perform 3-dimensional numerical investigations of the scattering properties of metallic…
Ideal absorption describes a particular means of optimizing light-matter interactions with a host of potential applications. This work presents new analytic formulas and describes semi-analytical methods for the design of electric or…
Epitaxially-grown quantum well and quantum dot solar cells suffer from weak light absorption, strongly limiting their performance. Light trapping based on optical resonances is particularly relevant for such devices to increase light…
It is of significance to incorporate spectral selectivity technology into solar thermal engineering, especially at high operational temperatures. This work demonstrates spectrally selective solar absorbers made of multilayer tungsten,…
The improvement of light absorption in Si/BeSe$_{0.41}$Te$_{0.59}$ heterostructures for solar cell applications is studied theoretically. First, using simple approaches we found that light absorption could be improved in a single…
Thin films are preferred for high photocurrent conversion efficiency, but strong photon absorption at photon energies below the bandgap (near and shortwave infrared) typically requires thicker semiconductor layers. To address this tradeoff,…
We address the question of the optimal broadband absorption of waves in an open, dissipative system. We develop a general framework for absorption induced by multiple overlapping resonances, based on quasi-normal modes and radiative and…
The perfect absorption of light in subwavelength thickness layers generally relies on exotic materials, metamaterials or thick metallic gratings. Here we demonstrate that total light absorption can be achieved in ultra-thin gratings…
We propose a design for an universal absorber, characterized by a resonance frequency that can be tuned from visible to microwave frequencies independently of the choice of the metal and the dielectrics involved. An almost resonant perfect…
Near perfect infrared light absorption at multi-spectral wavelengths has been experimentally demonstrated by using multiplexed metal square plasmon resonance structures. Optical power absorption over 95% has been observed in dual-band…
The absorption of light by materials is one of the most fundamental processes in optics and condensed-matter physics. Here we investigate whether laser light is absorbed by a crystalline material as an electromagnetic wave or as localized…
The design and fabrication of a metal-dielectric-metal absorber that achieves strong absorption from the ultraviolet (UV) to the near-infrared (near-IR) spectrum are presented. The proposed nanostructure consists of a periodic titanium (Ti)…
Highly directional radiation from photonic structures is important for many applications, including high power photonic crystal surface emitting lasers, grating couplers, and light detection and ranging devices. However, previous…
Modern nanophotonic and meta-optical devices utilize a tremendous number of structural degrees of freedom to enhance light--matter interactions. A fundamental question is how large such enhancements can be. We develop an analytical…
In this paper, we calculate the material specific absorption accurately using a modal method by determining the integral of the Poynting vector around the boundary of a specific material. Given that the accuracy of our method is only…
Semiconducting nanoparticles are the building blocks of optical nanodevices as their electronic states, and therefore light absorption and emission, can be controlled by modifying their size and shape. CdSe is perhaps the most studied of…
Photonic band structure of metal-dielectric and semiconductor-dielectric layered structures are studied in the presence of a strong absorption. It is shown that absorption can enlarge some gaps by as much as 50%.
Using metamaterial absorbers, we have shown that metallic layers in the absorbers do not necessarily constitute undesired resistive heating problem for photovoltaics. Tailoring the geometric skin depth of metals and employing the natural…
We present an ultra broadband thin-film infrared absorber made of saw-toothed anisotropic metamaterial. Absorbtivity of higher than 95% at normal incidence is supported in a wide range of frequencies, where the full absorption width at half…