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

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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.