Nanostructures and Metaphotonics for Thermophotovoltaic Generation of Electricity.
DeMeo, Dante.
2017-04-24T15:09:49.045Z
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Abstract: Thermophotovoltaics is an energy harvesting technology where infrared light, commonly experienced as heat, is converted into electricity using the photovoltaic effect. The three major components of a TPV device are a thermal emitter, filter, and photodiode. This work seeks to improve upon this technology by addressing each of these individual components. The emitter is improved upon by u... read moresing novel metamaterials and designs to create a selective, and highly tunable, radiator. This work is the first to test metamaterial emitters at high temperatures. The filter component is addressed by using photonic crystals to create a tunable, front-side filter, which shows good selectivity and light trapping abilities. The photodiode is explored twofold: First by using novel device designs including strained-layer type-II superlattices and unipolar barrier diodes this works shows that extending the operational wavelength of thermophotovoltaics is feasible, opening up a new range of applications. This is accomplished primarily through simulation of long-wavelength TPV devices. Secondly, interfacial misfit arrays have been investigated towards the goal of replacing gallium antimonide as the requisite substrate with cheaper, although lattice mismatched materials. By improving the subcomponents of a TPV device individually, this work enables greater device and system efficiencies and paves the way for a myriad of TPV devices and applications.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2013.
Submitted to the Dept. of Electrical Engineering.
Advisor: Thomas Vandervelde.
Committee: Shuchin Aeron, Matthew Panzer, and Ganesh Balakrishnan.
Keyword: Electrical engineering.read less - ID:
- bz60d7657
- Component ID:
- tufts:21897
- To Cite:
- DCA Citation Guide EndNote
