NanoTex: III-V Nanotexturing for Enhanced Light Trapping in Photonic Applications

光子功率转换器是一种光电器件，其设计目的是将激光直接转换为电能，理论效率接近100%。高科技生态系统，如航空航天、航空电子、国防、医药和电信，将大大受益于更实惠、效率更高的光子电源转换器。NanoTex计划提出设计、制造和表征具有纹理表面的光子功率转换器。这些纹理在亚微米尺度上形成图案，以便在设备内捕获光线。光捕获使更薄、更灵活的设备具有更高的转换效率和降低制造成本的潜力。NanoTex在渥太华大学（UO）和亚利桑那州立大学（ASU）之间建立了一个新的国际合作项目。UO目前正在开发光子功率转换器微加工工艺和亚微米尺度的III-V半导体图像化来制造纹理。亚利桑那州立大学将以其专业知识和工具来补充UO的工作，以设计，生长和表征III-V半导体结构。该项目利用数值模拟来快速评估纹理几何的性能，以获得有效捕获光线的最佳设计。微观和纳米加工工艺将被开发，以创建亚微米纹理与最佳几何形状从数值模拟中获得。钝化工艺将被开发，以减少由纹理产生的表面缺陷密度。最后，微纳米加工工艺将被开发和应用于实现高性能、鲁棒的纳米纹理光子功率变换器。

Photonic power converters are photovoltaic devices designed to convert laser light directly into electrical power with a theoretical efficiency approaching 100%. High technology ecosystems such aerospace, avionics, defense, medicine, and telecommunications would greatly benefit from more affordable photonic power converters with a higher efficiency.The NanoTex project proposes to design, fabricate, and characterize photonic power converters with a textured surface. These textures are patterned at a sub-micrometric scale to trap light within the device. Light trapping enables thinner and flexible devices with higher conversion efficiencies and the potential for reduced manufacturing costs.NanoTex creates a new international collaboration between the University of Ottawa (UO) and Arizona State University (ASU). UO is currently developing photonic power converter microfabrication processes and III-V semiconductor patterning at a sub-micrometric scale to manufacture the textures. ASU will complement UO's work with its expertise and tools to design, grow and characterize III-V semiconductor structures.The project leverages numerical simulations to quickly assess the performance of texture geometries to obtain an optimal design that traps light efficiently. Micro- and nanofabrication processes will be developed to create sub-micrometric textures with optimal geometry obtained from numerical simulations. Passivation processes will be developed to reduce the surface defect density created by the texturing. Finally, micro- and nanofabrication processes will be developed and applied to realize high-performance, robust nanotextured photonic power converters.