Enhancing the near-infrared spectral response of silicon optoelectronic devices via up-conversion

Bryce S. Richards, Avi Shalav

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

148 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A silicon-based optoelectronic device that exhibits an enhanced response to subbandgap light is described. The device structure consists of a bifacial silicon solar cell with an upconverting (UC) layer attached to the rear. Erbium-doped sodium yttrium fluoride (NaY0.8 F4: Er0.23+) phosphors are the optically active centers responsible for the UC luminescence. The unoptimized device is demonstrated to respond effectively to wavelengths (?) in the range of 1480-1580 nm with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 3.4% occurring at 1523 nm at an illumination intensity of 2.4 W/cm2 (EQE = 1.4 × 10-2 cm2/ W). An analysis of the optical losses reveals that the luminescence quantum efficiency (LQE) of the device is 16.7% at 2.4 W/cm2 of 1523-nm excitation (LQE = 7.0 × 10-2 cm2/ W), while further potential device improvements indicate that an EQE of 14.0% (5.8 × 10-2 cm2/W) could be realistically achieved. © 2007 IEEE.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2679-2684
Number of pages6
JournalIEEE Transactions on Electron Devices
Volume54
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2007

Keywords

  • Luminescence
  • Photovoltaics (PVs)
  • Silicon solar cells
  • Up-conversion (UC)

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