Events
Optical Devices and Materials for Solar Energy and Solid-state Lighting (PVLED)
26 July 2021 – 29 July 2021
The meeting covers the latest developments in optics, photonics and advanced materials for the next generation of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells and light emitting diodes (LEDs). This includes all aspects of novel optical materials, nanostructures and devices; ranging from surface coatings, textures and diffraction gratings to topics such as plasmonics, nanowires, quantum dots for application in solar cells and LEDs - both conventional and emerging types alike. It also explores the range of optical elements for collecting, guiding, concentrating, coupling, trapping, transforming and absorbing sunlight – particularly for concentrating solar power (CSP). As optical components typically constitute the largest fraction of cost of such systems, the scope includes research devoted to improving all optical aspects of solar systems to enhance the performance, such as reducing levelized costs and maximizing long-term reliability.
Attendees will be presented with overarching topics such as the techno-economic analysis of the impact of optics on photovoltaic and solid-state lighting systems. The aim is to bring together solar energy researchers with LED researchers and connect them with the broader global optical research community to identify and promote synergies.
Essential Links
Advanced Photonics Congress
Topics
Cross-Cutting Categories:
- Optical nanostructures for solar and solid-state lighting applications, such as thin films, nanowires, and quantum dots
- Design, and fabrication of light-management and light-outcoupling structures
- Up and down conversion of photons
- Optoelectronic materials and devices based on group IV, III-V, and II-VI semiconductors
- Optoelectronic devices based on organic semiconductors and perovskites
- Optoelectronic devices with quantum dots
- Advanced characterization and measurement techniques
- Reliability assessment and study of failure mechanisms
- Lifecycle and economic analyses of solar energy and lighting products and systems
- Optics for thermal management such as radiative cooling
- Theoretical modelling of light emitting and photovoltaic materials and devices
- LEDs and solar cells on flexible substrates
- Novel strategies for daylighting
Solar Energy Categories:
- Optics for tandem and multi-junction solar cells
- Advanced wafer-based silicon solar cells and modules
- Optics for integrated photovoltaics for applications in buildings, roadways, railways and vehicles
- Optics for concentrating solar power (CSP)
- Field performance and reliability of concentrator optics, degradation and soiling effects
- Energy-yield analysis of conventional and emerging PV technologies
- Bifacial solar modules
- Space-based solar power
- Energy-yield modelling of photovoltaic systems
- Optics for photochemical and photoelectrochemical applications
- Materials and photonic structures for perovskite solar cells
- Semitransparent solar cells
- Solar cells for monochromatic light
- Thermophotovoltaics
- Economics of solar power
LED Categories:
- Spectral tailoring for human-centric lighting and circadian lighting applications
- Visual perception and color science of solid-state lighting
- Laser-based solid-state lighting
- Optical outcoupling strategies for solid-state lighting devices
- Novel luminaire concepts for solid-state lighting devices
- LEDs with emission outside the visible spectrum (e.g. UV, NIR, MIR)
- Solid-state lighting with embedded communication capabilities (LiFI)
- Solid-state lighting devices with actively controllable emission spectrum and/or directionality
- Emerging applications of solid-state lighting (e.g. healthcare, water purification, surface disinfection, etc.)
- Thermophotonic LEDs (i.e. electroluminescent cooling)
- Advances in LED and OLED manufacturing for lighting applications
Speakers
- Eli Yablonovitch, University of California Berkeley, United States
Light Trapping in Perspective; Not Just for Current, it Boosts Voltage Too Keynote - Amran Al-Ashouri, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Germany
Boosting Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells and Exploring Charge Carrier Dynamics through Hole-selective Layer Design - Harry Atwater, California Institute of Technology, United States
New Directions for Fuels from Sunlight - James Blakesley, National Physical Laboratory (UK), United Kingdom
Assessment of Ground Reflectance Measurements for Bifacial Gain Estimation in PV Systems - Benedikt Bläsi, Fraunhofer Inst Solare Energie Systeme, Germany
The MorphoColor Concept for Colored Photovoltaic Modules and Solar Thermal Collectors - Thomas Cooper, York University
Design of Non-tracking Solar Concentrators via Source/Acceptance Map Matching - Stefaan De Wolf, King Abdullah Univ of Sci & Technology, Saudi Arabia
Monolithic Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells on Textured Wafers: Fabrication and Outdoor Performance - Bruno Ehrler, NWO-Institute AMOLF
Carrier Multiplication to Enhance Solar Cell Efficiency - Paul Fassl, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
Revealing the Internal Luminescence Quantum Efficiency of Perovskite Films via Accurate Quantification of Photon Recycling - Åsa Haglund, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Out of the Blue: Ultraviolet VCSELs - Gwénaëlle Hamon, Universite de Sherbrooke, Canada
New Architectures of Concentrated Photovoltaics (CPV) Solar Cells - Olindo Isabella, Technische Universiteit Delft, Netherlands
Light Trapping in Si-based Optical Systems for PV Applications - Yizheng Jin, Zhejiang University, China
Quantum-dot Light-emitting Diodes: Device Physics and Device Chemistry - Janez Krc, Univerza v Ljubljani, Slovenia
Modelling-assisted Optimization of Light In-coupling, Out-coupling and Waveguiding in Photonic Devices - Jacob Krich, University of Ottawa, Canada
Requirements for High Efficiency Intermediate Band Solar Cells - Simone Lenk, Institute for Applied Physics, Germany
Organic Microdisplays for Visual Feedback - Yolanda Salinas, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, Austria
Highly Fluorescent Thin Films Formation by Water-enhanced Colloidal Perovskite Nanoparticles - Pratibha Sharma, Violumas, Canada
Design and Development of a High-Power UVC LED Disinfection Device Using Integrated Thermal Management - Byungha Shin, Korea Advanced Inst of Science & Tech, Republic Of Korea
Efficient, Stable Silicon Tandem Cells Enabled by Anion-engineered Wide-bandgap Perovskites - Elizabeth Tennyson, University of Maryland, United States
Investigating the Local Optoelectronic Response of Textured Multi-junction Solar Cells - Hiroko Yamada, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Japan
Alkyl Substituent Engineering for Efficient Photoconversion Efficiency in Small Molecular Organic Photovoltaics - Baodan Zhao, Zhejiang University, China
Suppressing Interfacial Nonradiative Losses for Perovskite Light-emitting Diodes
Committee
- Klaus Jaeger, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Germany, Chair
- Rebecca Saive, Universiteit Twente, Netherlands, Chair
- Hany Aziz, University of Waterloo, Canada, Program Chair
- Hairen Tan, Nanjing University, China, Program Chair
- Nicklas Anttu, Aalto Yliopisto, Finland
- Hiroyuki Fujiwara, Gifu University, Japan
- Shaolong Gong, Wuhan University, China
- Hongwei Han, Wuhan Nat Lab for Optoelectics (CHIPS), China
- Karin Hinzer, University of Ottawa, Canada
- Ray-Hua Horng, NCTU National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan
- Hironori Kaji, Kyoto University, Japan
- Guillaume Lheureux, University of California Santa Barbara, United States
- Wojciech Lipinski, The Australian National University, Australia
- Caroline Murawski, Kurt Schwabe Institute Meinsberg, Germany
- Bryce Richards, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Germany
- Alexander Sprafke, Martin-Luther University Halle, Germany
- Giulia Tagliabue, Rcole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland
- Ayse Turak, McMaster University, Canada
- Malte Ruben Vogt, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
- Jianpu Wang, Nanjing Tech University Library, China
- Emily Warren, NREL, United States
- Zhanhua Wei, Huaqiao University, China
- Thomas White, Australian National University, Australia
- Seunghyup Yoo, Korea Advanced Inst of Science & Tech, Republic Of Korea
- Jingbi You, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Plenary Session
Shanhui Fan
Stanford University
Synthetic Dimension: Topological Physics and Optical Computing
About the Speaker
Shanhui Fan is a Professor of Electrical Engineering, a Professor of Applied Physics (by courtesy), a Senior Fellow of the Precourt Institute for Energy, and the Director of the Edward L. Ginzton...
Anna Fontcuberta i Morral
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
New Materials and Structures for Photodetection
Some compound semiconductors such as GaAs and InGaAsP exhibit a high absorption coefficient in the photon energy of interest for solar energy conversion. The direct bandgap associated with strong tuneability of emission wavelength, renders compound semiocnductors the material of choice for optoelectronic applications. Their commercial potential in high production volume applications is reduced due to the scarcity (and thus high cost) of group III elements such as In and Ga. In this talk we present approaches to render the use this kind of materials sustainable: a strong reduction in material use through nanostructures and the replacement of III-V compounds by GeSn or Zn3P2 that contain much more abundant elements. We find nanostructures also provide a path to increase light collection and provide some instructions for optimal devices[1,2]. We explain how these materials can be fabricated with high crystal quality, opening the path for the creation of alternative and sustainable compound semiconductor solar cells [3-5].
References:
[1] P. Krogstrup et al Nature Photon 7, 306 (2013)
[2] A. Dorodnyy et al IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics 24, 1-13 (2018)
[3] S. Escobar Steinvall et al Nanoscale Horizons 5, 274-282 (2020)
[4] R. Paul et al, Crys. Growth. Des. 20, 3816–3825 (2020)
[5] S. Escobar Steinval et al. Nanoscale Adv. 3, 326 (2021)
About the Speaker
Anna Fontcuberta i Morral is Spanish physicist and materials scientist. Her research focuses on nanotechnology applied in the production of solar cells. She is a Full Professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and the head of the Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials.
Son Thai Le
Nokia Bell Labs
Progress on Optical Single-sideband Transmission
There are only two modulation schemes which have been commercially deployed in fiber optical communications, namely the intensity modulation (IM) and the dual-polarization Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) schemes. These two modulation schemes, however, are very different in term of spectral efficiency, implementation’s complexity, transmission performance and reliability. Compared to the IM scheme, single sideband (SSB) modulation scheme can offer enhanced transmission performance and spectral efficiency. While SSB scheme has lower spectral efficiency than dual-polarization QAM scheme, it can provide additional functionalities, lower complexity and higher reliability. Because of these unique features, SSB modulation can be a suitable modulation format for several emerging applications such as dispersion tolerant DWDM regional and access networks, data center interconnect, optical network monitoring and 5G mobile fronthaul. In this talk, we will review the recent progress of optical SSB modulation for these applications and discuss its potential for commercialization in the near future.
About the Speaker
Son Thai Le is an optical transmission systems researcher at Nokia Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ, USA. He obtained his PhD in January 2016 from Aston University, UK. After that he joined the Digital Signal Processing department at Nokia Bell Labs in Stuttgart Germany. From May 2019, Son Thai Le has been with Nokia Bell Labs in NJ, USA. Son Thai Le has demonstrated many transmission records in reach, capacity and spectral efficiency of Nonlinear Frequency Division Multiplexed and short-reach direct detection systems. His current research interests include optical single-sideband modulation, short-reach direct detection and new signaling and architecture for 5G mobile fronthaul. In 2018, Son Thai Le was awarded as “Innovator under 35 Europe” and “Innovator of the year (Germany)” by MIT Technology Review for his contributions in fiber optical communications. He was the recipient of the “Best Paper Award” prizes at the German Information Technology Association (ITG) in 2018 and at NICS in 2019.
Keynote Speaker: Eli Yablonovitch
University of California, Berkeley
Light Trapping in Perspective; Not Just for Current, it Boosts Voltage Too
Almost all commercial solar panels use Light Trapping which increases the internal optical path length by 4(n squared), increasing the current, where n is refractive index. In spite of numerous ingenious attempts, that classical enhancement factor has not been superseded. It is sometimes over-looked that operating point Voltage also increases, by (kT/q)ln{4(n squared)}~100mVolts.
About the Speaker
Eli Yablonovitch is Director of the NSF Center for Energy Efficient Electronics Science (E3S), a multi-University Center headquartered at Berkeley. Yablonovitch introduced the idea that strained semiconductor lasers could have superior performance due to reduced effective mass (holes). With almost every human interaction with the internet, optical telecommunication occurs by strained semiconductor lasers. He is regarded as a Father of the Photonic BandGap concept, and he coined the term "Photonic Crystal". The geometrical structure of the first experimentally realized Photonic bandgap, is sometimes called “Yablonovite”. He was elected to NAE, NAS, NAI, AmAcArSci, and as Foreign Member, UK Royal
Special Events
Symposium: Forty Years of Light Management
Forty years ago, in December 1981, Eli Yablonovitch submitted his seminal paper on “Statistical Ray Optics,” which was one of the first papers investigating light management for solar cells from a fundamental physics perspective.
Light management has mainly been performed with antireflective coatings and textures, which enhance the average light path and hence, absorption in the solar cells. In the last twenty years highly innovative concepts were also investigated, such as (quasi)periodic structures, plasmonic nanostructures, Bragg reflectors, and photonic up- and downconversion. On the other hand, state-of-the-art silicon solar cells have almost perfect light trapping with external quantum efficiencies close to 100% for a broad wavelength range using only conventional light trapping techniques.
With this symposium, we aim to bring together leading experts in the field representing all the light management concepts investigated during the past forty years. We will critically review different light trapping techniques developed in the past decades and discuss, how the field may and should develop further.
Bioinspired Optics: From Fundamental Biology to Tools and Applications
NOMA Symposium outline:
The thematic focus of this symposium will be on the interdisciplinary area of bioinspired optics: specifically, understanding nature’s optical design principles and leveraging them for the development of novel optical tools. The talks will cover various approaches in biomolecular engineering and nanofabrication methodologies, which strive to emulate some of the unique light-manipulating capabilities of living systems, as well as the implementation of new optical characterization strategies. The symposium aims to encourage interdisciplinary discussion, with the simultaneous hope of identifying new research opportunities in bioinspired optics and photonics, advancing fundamental biological understanding, and accelerating next-generation optical tool development. Through our cross-disciplinary focus, we are striving to cultivate a cohesive and inclusive community of scientists at all career stages and from across all demographic groups.
Symposia Chairs: Woei Ming Steve Lee, Australian National University, Alon Gorodetsky, University of California Irvine
Keynote: Roger Hanlon “The Octopus as Tech: Exploring the biology and technological potential of nature’s master of color change” Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, USA
Session 1 – Bio-inspired systems
- Sonke Johnsen, "The diverse structures underlying ultrablack coloration in tropical butterflies and deep-sea fish" Duke University, USA
- Dan Morse “Bioinspired biophotonics” University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
- Silvia Vignolini, “Biomimetic colour engineering form nature to applications” University of Cambridge, UK
- Thomas Cronin, “Biological Optics: Evolutionary Inventiveness in Light Control University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA
Session 2 – Bio-inspired tools
- Viktor Gruev, “Bioinspired Polarization and Multispectral Imagers for Image Guided Cancer Surgery and Underwater Geolocalization”, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA
- Francesca Palombo, “Optical measurement of mechanical and chemical properties of biomaterials and tissues” University of Exeter, UK
- Mathias Kolle, “Biological growth and optical manufacture of structurally-colored materials” Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Tutorial: Optoelectronic Neural Interfaces - Fundamentals and Applications
Speaker: Sedat Nizamoglu, Koc University, Turkey
