CAREER: Scalable Nanopatterning to Enable High Efficiency Photovoltaics

该学院早期职业发展（CAREER）奖提供资金，使纳米结构的成本效益制造的方式是可扩展到足够大的光伏应用领域。太阳能的高成本是其广泛采用的主要障碍。纳米结构通过增强光捕获和提高效率来降低成本具有巨大的希望。然而，不存在用于在足够大的面积（~ 1 m2）上制造复杂纳米结构以在太阳能应用中感兴趣的可行方法。该项目旨在通过大规模并行光学方法克服这些限制，该方法将实现具有近分子分辨率的快速纳米图案化。当与廉价的复制技术相结合时，可扩展的纳米制造的新框架变得可行。这种方法的另一个令人信服的核心是证明了150年前的远场衍射极限可以在低光强下克服。该项目旨在：（1）研究用于光学纳米图案化的优化分子系统，（2）组装能够快速纳米图案化的光学系统，以及（3）应用该系统来构建太阳能电池，其效率使用纳米光子结构来增强。 在大面积上以精确的保真度雕刻纳米结构的能力将推动太阳能电池以外的领域，特别是在纳米电子学和纳米光子学领域。这一系统将提供给学术界和工业界的用户，以便早日广泛采用。这一项目应导致创造知识产权和商业化，同时创造高价值的就业机会。为了将教育与研究结合起来，该项目包括两个专门为高中生和大学生设计的新型太阳能示范模块。教育工作的一个主要组成部分是将代表性不足的学生纳入太阳能研究。

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.