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Unidirectional light transport in one-dimensional nanomaterials at the quantum level is a crucial goal to achieve for upcoming computational devices. We here employ a full-quantum mechanical approach based on master equation to describe…
The quantum efficiency and reflectivity of thick, back-illuminated CCD's being fabricated at LBNL for astronomical applications are modeled and compared with experiment. The treatment differs from standard thin-film optics in that (a)…
Thermionic converters generate electricity from thermal energy in a power cycle based on vacuum emission of electrons. While thermodynamically efficient, practical implementations are limited by the extreme temperatures required for…
We study the thermodynamic efficiency of a nano-sized photo-electric device and show that at maximum power output, the efficiency is bounded from above by a result closely related to the Curzon-Ahlborn efficiency. We find that this upper…
We report a reversal in negative capacitance and voltage modulated light emission from AlGaInP based multi-quantum well electroluminescent diodes under temperature variation. Unlike monotonically increasing CW light emission with decreasing…
Space applications require the highest performing photovoltaic devices. Typically these are multi-junction devices that are capable of converting a larger bandwidth of the solar spectrum. However, the conversion of longer wavelength photons…
Energy states below the bandgap of a semiconductor, such as trap states or charge transfer states in organic donor acceptor blends, can contribute to light absorption. Due to their low number density or ultrasmall absorption cross-section,…
The aerobic and thermal stability of quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) is an important factor for the practical applications of these devices under harsh environmental conditions. In this paper, we demonstrate all-solution-processed…
Revealing the quantum regime of photovoltaics is crucial to enhancing the internal quantum efficiency of a double quantum dots (DQDs) photocell housed in a cavity. In this study, the performance of a quantum photovoltaic is evaluated based…
We propose a new concept for the design of high-efficiency photocells based on ultra-thin (submicron) semiconductor films of controlled thickness. Using a microscopic model of a thin dielectric layer interacting with incident…
We present a comprehensive analysis of a dual, micro-gap thermionic-thermoelectric hybrid energy converter by developing a detailed theoretical model of the system. The Space-charge and near-field effects in thermionic conversion and the…
The selfconsistent model for the temperature dependence of photoconversion efficiency $\eta$ for highly efficient silicon solar cells (SCs) is developed. It is demonstrated that effect of the efficiency decrease due to increasing…
This work demonstrates photon emission gain, i.e., emission of multiple photons per injected electron, through impact excitation in Er-doped silicon light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Conventional methods for exciting Er ions in silicon suffer…
Frequency up-conversion of a few low-energy photons into a single high-energy photon contributes to imaging, light sources, and detection. However, the up-converting of many photons exhibits negligible efficiency. Up-conversion through…
Solid-state heat-to-electrical power converters are thermodynamic engines that use fundamental particles, such as electrons or photons, as working fluids. Virtually all commercially available devices are thermoelectric generators, in which…
Photovoltaic energy conversion in photovoltaic cells has been analyzed by the detailed balance approach or by thermodynamic arguments. Here we introduce a network representation to analyze the performance of such systems once a suitable…
The importance of considering near-field effects on photon recycling and spontaneous emission in a thermophotovoltaic device is investigated. Fluctuational electrodynamics is used to calculate external luminescence from a photovoltaic cell…
The photoelectric effect induced by blackbody radiation could be a mechanism to harvest ambient thermal energy at a uniform temperature. Here, I describe (without going too much into mathematical details) the theoretical model I developed…
We study how much the efficiency of a solar cell as a quantum heat engine could be enhanced by quantum coherence. In contrast to the conventional approach that a quantum heat engine is in thermal equilibrium with both hot and cold…
We investigate the performance of a micro gap vacuum thermionic energy converter considering the loss mechanisms due to the space charge effect and interelectrode radiative heat transfer. The dependencies of the space charge effect and…