Collaborative Research: Integrated Optoelectronic Optimization of Thin-Film Solar Cells with Light-Trapping Structures

合作研究：具有光捕获结构的薄膜太阳能电池的集成光电优化

• 批准号: 2011996
• 负责人: Akhlesh Lakhtakia
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-08-15 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2011996&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Integrated; Optoelectronic; Optimization

Although recent years have seen a rapid drop in the cost of standard thick crystalline-silicon solar-cells, small-scale photovoltaic generators of energy (solar cells) must become ubiquitous for human progress to become truly unconstrained by energy economics. Using an integrated optoelectronic computer model developed under a previous NSF grant, the Principal Investigators (PIs), have shown that thin-film solar cells containing absorber layers with optimally graded electrical properties can have theoretical electrical generation efficiencies of over 34%, a large increase over previous designs and competitive with heavier standard solar cells. Once manufactured, such solar cells could be incorporated in wearables, textiles, car roofs, etc, and deployed with less infrastructure than current crystalline-silicon devices. Further improvement to the design requires the incorporation of light-trapping structures, such as antireflection coatings to improve the absorption of light, that are jointly optimized with the composition of the electricity generating layers by grading the bandgap parameters. In addition, simplified designs better suited to manufacture need to be investigated. These additional steps require mathematical improvement to the optoelectronic model, and the investigation of several new combinations of materials with simplified bandgap grading. This is a multidisciplinary project with two major goals: mathematical and physical. The mathematical goal is to enhance the integrated optoelectronic model by (i) using modern methods of numerical analysis to improve the efficiency of the photonics solver, and (ii) improving the robustness and reliability of the Hybridizable Discontinuous Galerkin method (HDG) finite element method applied to the drift-diffusion system for charged-particle transport. In particular, the PIs will analyze and implement a completely new approach by hybridizing the rigorous coupled-wave approach (RCWA) with the C method for solving Maxwell’s equations in 2D and 3D. As the HDG solver for the drift-diffusion problem needs improved robustness and efficiency to handle layered designs more suitable for manufacturing, the PIs will analyze and implement a dual-weighted residual approach to a posteriori error estimation of the total current and investigate the use of Anderson acceleration for the non-linear solver. It is expected that the software developed on this project will be useful to the wider photonics community. The physical goal is to use the newly developed fast and adaptive solver so that the improved algorithms can be used to simultaneously optimize light-trapping structures and bandgap grading parameters. The light-trapping structures will include multilayered antireflection coatings, nanocone arrays, and combinations of both. The PIs expect to spur the development of colored solar cells to power miniature electronic and optical devices on clothes, car roofs, tents, etc. Wearable solar cells could be designed to perform not only in sunlight but also in indoor light.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

尽管近年来，标准厚的晶体硅太阳能电池的成本迅速下降，但小规模的能量发电机（太阳能电池）必须变得无处不在，因为人类的进步才能真正不受能量经济学的影响。使用先前NSF拨款下开发的集成光电计算机模型，首席研究人员（PIS）表明，含有最佳分级电特性的吸收层的薄膜太阳能电池可以使理论上发电效率超过34％，比以前的设计大大增加，并且与先前的设计相比，与Heatier Standare Solar Cells相比具有较大的增长。一旦制造，此类太阳能电池就可以将其纳入可穿戴设备，纺织品，汽车屋顶等中，并与当前的Crystalline-Silicon设备相比，基础设施较少。对设计的进一步改进需要库存轻捕获结构，例如抗反射涂层，以改善光线的荒谬，这些光线通过对带隙参数进行分级，可以通过电动产生层的组成共同优化。此外，需要研究更适合制造的简化设计。这些额外的步骤需要对光电模型进行数学改进，并将几种新的材料组合和简化的带隙分级投资。这是一个具有两个主要目标的多学科项目：数学和物理。数学目标是通过（i）使用现代的数值分析方法来增强集成的光电模型，以提高光子学求解器的效率，以及（ii）提高可将混合不连续的胶素方法（HDG）有限元方法应用于漂流下降系统的稳健性和可靠性。特别是，PIS将通过将严格的耦合波方法（RCWA）与C求解2D和3D的Maxwell方程的C方法分析和实施全新的方法。由于用于漂移扩散问题的HDG求解器需要提高鲁棒性和效率以处理更适合制造的分层设计，因此PIS将分析和实施双重加权的残留方法，以对总电流进行后验误差估计，并调查Anderson Acceleration对非线性求解器的使用。预计该项目开发的软件将对更广泛的光子学界有用。物理目标是使用新开发的快速和自适应求解器，以便可以使用改进的算法来同时优化轻型捕获结构和带隙分级参数。轻型捕获结构将包括多层抗反射涂层，纳米酮阵列以及两者的组合。 PI希望刺激有色太阳能电池的开发，以在衣服，车顶，数十个等上为微型电子设备和光学设备提供动力。可穿戴的太阳能电池不仅可以在阳光下而且在室内光中执行。该奖项反映了NSF的法规任务，并通过对基金会的知识优点和广泛的criitia进行评估而被认为是珍贵的。

项目成果

Hybridization of the rigorous coupled-wave approach with transformation optics for electromagnetic scattering by a surface-relief grating

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cam.2022.114338
• 发表时间: 2022-04
• 期刊: J. Comput. Appl. Math.
• 作者: B. Civiletti;A. Lakhtakia;P. Monk

Enhanced efficiency of graded-bandgap thin-film solar cells due to concentrated sunlight

由于集中阳光而提高了分级带隙薄膜太阳能电池的效率

• DOI: 10.1364/ao.442590
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: Applied Optics
• 影响因子: 1.9
• 作者: Ahmad, Faiz;Lakhtakia, Akhlesh;Monk, Peter B.
• 通讯作者: Monk, Peter B.