Search results for "Toe"
showing 10 items of 3824 documents
Efficient Hot Electron Transfer in Quantum Dot-Sensitized Mesoporous Oxides at Room Temperature
2018
Hot carrier cooling processes represent one of the major efficiency losses in solar energy conversion. Losses associated with cooling can in principle be circumvented if hot carrier extraction toward selective contacts is faster than hot carrier cooling in the absorber (in so-called hot carrier solar cells). Previous work has demonstrated the possibility of hot electron extraction in quantum dot (QD)-sensitized systems, in particular, at low temperatures. Here we demonstrate a room-temperature hot electron transfer (HET) with up to unity quantum efficiency in strongly coupled PbS quantum dot-sensitized mesoporous SnO2. We show that the HET efficiency is determined by a kinetic competition b…
Size control of InAs∕InP(001) quantum wires by tailoring P∕As exchange
2004
The size and emission wavelength of self-assembled InAs∕InP(001) quantum wires (QWrs) is affected by the P∕As exchange process. In this work, we demonstrate by in situ stress measurements that P∕As exchange at the InAs∕InP interface depends on the surface reconstruction of the InAs starting surface and its immediate evolution when the arsenic cell is closed. Accordingly, the amount of InP grown on InAs by P∕As exchange increases with substrate temperature in a steplike way. These results allow us to engineer the size of the QWr for emission at 1.3 and 1.55 μm at room temperature by selecting the range of substrate temperatures in which the InP cap layer is grown.
Impedance analysis of perovskite solar cells: a case study
2019
Metal halide perovskites are mixed electronic-ionic semiconductors with an extraordinary rich optoelectronic behavior and the capability to function very efficiently as active layers in solar cells, with a record efficiency surpassing 23% nowadays. In this work, we carry out an impedance spectroscopy analysis of two perovskite solar cells with quite distinct optical and electrical characteristics, i.e. MAPbI3 and CsPbBr3-based devices. The main aim of the analysis is to establish how, regardless the inherent complexity of the impedance spectrum due to ionic effects, information like ideality factors, recombination losses and the collection efficiency can be qualitative and quantitatively as…
Increasing Nanoparticles’ Refractive Index Sensitivity
2012
Since the plasmon resonance of nanoparticles depends on the refractive index of the immediate environment, these particles form the basis of many sensing schemes . The sensitivity of plasmon sensors for the detection of changes in the environment varies greatly and depends on the particle material and its morphology (size and shape). To further increase this sensitivity by chemical modifications was another goal of my work.
Spectral and temperature sensitivity of area de-coupled tandem modules
2015
- Area de-coupling is a recently suggested method for current- or voltage-matching two-terminal tandem modules. It has previously been shown that under standard conditions, area de-coupled modules have the same theoretical efficiency as four-terminal tandem cells for any combinations of band gaps. In this work, the spectral and temperature sensitivity of ideal area de-coupled modules is investigated by detailed balance modeling. Voltage-matched area de-coupled modules are found to be considerably less sensitive to changes in the spectrum than current-matched modules. Current-matched modules are, on the other hand, found to be less sensitive to changes in the temperature. Under normal condit…
A high-accuracy calibration method for temperature dependent photoluminescence imaging
2019
This work demonstrates a novel technique for calibrating temperature dependent photoluminescence (PL) images of silicon wafers with high accuracy. The PL signal is calibrated using a heat-controlled photoconductance (PC) stage integrated into the PL imaging system. The PC signal is measured in true steady state condition and used to determine the calibration constant under the same temperature and illumination as the PL image, thus providing a high-precision calibration. This results in a robust method for imaging of important physical parameters, such as the minority carrier lifetime and the implied voltage at different temperatures, as well as the temperature coefficients and the recombin…
Potentialities of microfibers for non linear optics
2010
Micro- and nanofibers present attractive optical properties and may be used in a variety of structures and devices. We report in this work the first global study on the non linear properties of these microfibers: an adequate source is built and its characteristics are described, our first results with a silica loop resonator are presented. Third harmonic generation is obtained in these conditions, however, the low intrinsic non linear index prevents the generation of large non linear effects. The use of highly non linear materials, such as soft glasses, is therefore discussed, with their potentialities and the challenges their integration with standard microfibers represent.
Narrow Band Solid-Liquid Composite Arrangements: Alternative Solutions for Phononic Crystal-Based Liquid Sensors
2019
Periodic elastic composite structures attract great attention. They offer the ability to design artificial properties to advance the control over the propagation of elastic/acoustic waves. In previous work, we drew attention to composite periodic structures comprising liquids. It was shown that the transmission spectrum of the structure, specifically a well-isolated peak, follows the material properties of liquid constituent in a distinct manner. This idea was realized in several liquid sensor concepts that launched the field of phononic crystal liquid sensors. In this work we introduce a novel concept&mdash
The Wide Field Imager of the International X-ray Observatory
2010
The International X-ray Observatory (IXO) will be a joint X-ray observatory mission by ESA, NASA and JAXA. It will have a large effective area (3 m 2 at 1.25 keV) grazing incidence mirror system with good angular resolution (5 arcsec at 0.1–10 keV) and will feature a comprehensive suite of scientific instruments: an X-ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer, a High Time Resolution Spectrometer, an X-ray Polarimeter, an X-ray Grating Spectrometer, a Hard X-ray Imager and a Wide-Field Imager. The Wide Field Imager (WFI) has a field-of-view of 18 ft � 18 ft. It will be sensitive between 0.1 and 15 keV, offer the full angular resolution of the mirrors and good energy resolution. The WFI will be imple…
Polystyrene nanoparticle-templated hollow titania nanosphere monolayers as ordered scaffolds
2018
We report a novel multi-step method for the preparation of ordered mesoporous titania scaffolds and show an illustrative example of their application to solar cells. The method is based on (monolayer) colloidal nanosphere lithography that makes use of polystyrene nanoparticles organised at a water–air interface and subsequently transferred onto a solid substrate. A titania precursor solution (titanium(IV) isopropoxide in ethanol) is then drop-cast onto the monolayer and left to “incubate” overnight. Surprisingly, instead of the expected inverse monolayer-structure, a subsequent calcination step of the precursor yields an ordered monolayer of hollow titania nanospheres with a wall thickness …