CAREER: Scalable Nanopatterning to Enable High Efficiency Photovoltaics

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This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award provides funding to enable the cost-effective manufacture of nanostructures in a manner that is scalable to areas large enough for photovoltaic applications. The high cost of solar energy is the main impediment to its widespread adoption. Nanostructures hold great promise to lower this cost via enhanced light trapping and increased efficiencies. However, there exist no viable approach for the manufacture of complex nanostructures over areas large enough (~1m2) to be of interest in solar applications. This project aims to overcome these limitations via a massively parallel, optical approach that will enable fast nanopatterning with near-molecular resolution. When combined with inexpensive replication technologies, a new framework for scalable nanomanufacturing becomes feasible. Another intellectually compelling core of this approach is the demonstration that the 150-year old far-field diffraction limit can be overcome at low-light intensities. This project aims to: (1) study optimized molecule systems for optical nanopatterning, (2) assemble an optical system that is capable of fast nanopatterning, and (3) apply this system to build a solar cell, whose efficiency is enhanced using nanophotonic structures. The ability to sculpt nanostructures over large areas with exquisite fidelity will advance fields beyond solar cells, especially in nanoelectronics and nanophotonics. This system will be made available to users in academia and industry, enabling early and widespread adoption. This project should lead to the creation of intellectual property and to commercialization with concomitant generation of high-value jobs. In order to integrate education with research, this project includes two novel demonstration modules in solar energy specifically designed to appeal to high school students and undergraduates. A primary component of the education effort is the integration of under-represented students in solar-energy research.