Research into the P-N Juntion Thermophotonic Effect

智力成果：本项目是研究和开发一种新型的热光子器件。智力上的优点包括在电荷控制量子威尔斯中的热和电荷传输物理学的研究，结合微腔物理学来实现废热吸收。热光子学长期以来一直被认为是实现接近100%的太阳能转换的潜在进步，因为它能够利用来自带隙吸收的废热。然而，未优化的器件结构和内部效率问题限制了整体效率。这些问题通过高质量量子威尔斯中的电荷控制和微腔物理来解决，以达到高提取效率。所提出的结构提供了一种新的装置路线，以克服过去在废热吸收效率方面的技术障碍。更广泛的影响：该研究项目是性别多样的，更广泛的影响包括提高妇女在科学和工程领域的地位，以及热光子器件技术对社会的影响。可以产生高效率的废热吸收的装置可以用于广泛的应用中，并且热光子装置非常适合于这些应用，因为它们原则上即使对于小的温差也可以产生热吸收。除了高效率的光伏电池，热光子器件还可以应用于消费电子产品，如计算机，手机和各种传感器。热光子器件可以大大提高这些电子器件的效率，并通过减少由于低效电子器件而产生的废热和温度升高来延长其电池寿命和工作寿命。

Intellectual Merit:This project is to research and develop a new type of thermophotonic device. The intellectual merit includes studies in the physics of heat and charge transport in charge controlled quantum wells combined with microcavity physics to achieve waste heat absorption. Thermophotonics has long been proposed as a potential advance to achieve solar energy conversion of close to 100%, due to its ability to utilize waste heat from above band gap absorption. However, nonoptimized device structures and internal efficiency problems have limited the overall efficiency. These problems are addressed through charge control in high quality quantum wells, and microcavity physics to reach high extraction efficiency. The proposed structures provide a new device route to overcoming past technology hurdles in the efficiency of waste heat absorption. Broader Impact:The research project is gender diverse, and the broader impacts include the advancement of women in science and engineering, as well as the impact that thermophotonic device technologies can make on society. Devices that can produce high efficiency absorption of waste heat can be used in a wide range of applications, and thermophotonic devices are well suited for these since they can in principle produce heat absorption even for small temperature differences. Besides high efficiency photovoltaic cells, thermophotonic devices could find applications in consumer electronics such as computers, cell-phones, and various sensors. The thermophotonic devices can greatly increase the efficiency of these electronics and extend their battery lifetimes and operating lifetimes by reducing waste heat and temperature rises due to inefficient electronics.