Energy augmentation structures and their use in solar cells and other energy conversion devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11998760-B2
Application number	US-202017433827-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2020
Priority date	Mar 4, 2019
Publication date	Jun 4, 2024
Grant date	Jun 4, 2024

Abstract

An emission enhancement structure having at least one energy augmentation structure; and an energy converter capable of receiving energy from an energy source, converting the energy and emitting therefrom a light of a different energy than the received energy. The energy converter is disposed in a vicinity of the at least one energy augmentation structure such that the emitted light is emitted with an intensity larger than if the converter were remote from the at least one energy augmentation structure. Also described are various uses for the energy emitters, energy augmentation structures and energy collectors in a wide array of fields, especially in the field of solar cells and other energy conversion devices.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An energy collector comprising:
at least one energy augmentation structure capable of capturing one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic energy, and augmenting the one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic energy in at least one property, wherein the at least one energy augmentation structure is configured to resonate at a first wavelength λ/1 which is a frequency included within a radiant source of energy from which power is to be harvested, wherein the at least one energy augmentation structure comprises a ¾ λ/ folded resonator;
a conversion device capable of converting the energy from the radiant source into electrical power, wherein electric fields from the augmentation structure permeate into a region of the conversion device and augment energy conversion.

2. The collector of claim 1 , wherein the ¾ λ/ folded resonator forms a part of a fractal antenna.

3. The collector of claim 1 , wherein the conversion device comprises a photovoltaic device converting the energy from the radiant source into electricity.

4. The collector of claim 1 , wherein the conversion device comprises at least one rectifying device connected in series with the at least one energy augmentation structure for rectifying oscillating current induced in the at least one energy augmentation structure from the energy absorbed from the radiant source.

5. The collector of claim 4 , wherein
the at least one rectifying device comprises a tunneling or vacuum diode.

6. The collector of claim 1 , wherein the conversion device comprises a photovoltaic converter having,
a first collector,
a p-type material,
a n-type material,
a second collector,
at least one of the p-type material or the n-type material is in contact with the first collector,
a remaining one of the p-type material or the n-type material, not in contact with the first collector, is in contact with the second collector,
the p-type material and the n-type material form an intrinsic layer there in between, and
the ¾ λ/ folded resonator has opposing electrodes producing the electric fields, and the electric fields permeate into one or more of the p-type material, the n-type material, and the intrinsic layer.

7. The collector of claim 1 , wherein the conversion device comprises a cylindrical photovoltaic converter having,
a first collector extending along a longitudinal axis of the cylindrical photovoltaic converter,
a p-type material disposed around a collection electrode of the first collector,
a n-type material disposed around the collection electrode,
a peripheral second collector,
at least one of the p-type material or the n-type material is in contact with the first collector,
a remaining one of the p-type material or the n-type material, not in contact with the first collector, is in contact with the peripheral second collector,
the p-type material and the n-type material form a cylindrical intrinsic layer disposed around the longitudinal axis and extending along the longitudinal axis, and
the ¾ λ/ folded resonator has opposing electrodes producing the electric fields, and the electric fields permeate into one or more of the p-type material, the n-type material, and the cylindrical intrinsic layer.

8. The collector of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of an upconverter or a downconverter absorbing the energy from the radiant source and emitting respectfully light upconverted to higher energy or down converted to lower energy, and
wherein the at least one energy augmentation structure is disposed in a vicinity of the upconverter or the downconverter, and the electric fields permeate into the upconverter or the downconverter.

9. The collector of claim 1 , wherein
the conversion device comprises an array of solar collectors comprising a first set and a second set of photovoltaic cells,
the at least one energy augmentation structure comprises a first resonator dimensioned to be resonant with a first spectrum of solar radiation and a second resonator dimensioned to be resonant with a second spectrum of solar radiation,
the first set of photovoltaic cells is capable of converting the first spectrum of solar radiation into electrical power, and
the second set of photovoltaic cells is capable of converting the second spectrum of solar radiation into electrical power.

10. The collector of claim 9 , wherein the first set and the second set of photovoltaic cells are disposed such that the solar radiation scattered from one photovoltaic cell is collected by another photovoltaic cell.

11. The collector of claim 9 , wherein the first set and the second set of photovoltaic cells are disposed at different levels whereby the solar radiation scattered from one photovoltaic cell is collected by another photovoltaic cell at a lower level.

12. The collector of claim 1 , wherein the conversion device comprises an inorganic semiconductor or an organic semiconductor.

13. The collector of claim 1 , wherein the conversion device comprises amorphous, polycrystalline, of monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic cell.

14. The collector of claim 1 , wherein the conversion device comprises a direct gap material photovoltaic cell.

15. The collector of claim 14 , wherein the direct gap material photovoltaic cell comprises at least one of GaAs, AlGaAs, and InGaAs.

16. The collector of claim 1 , wherein the conversion device further comprises:
an upconverter including at least one of Tm 3+ doped flourozirconate glasses, LuPO 4 :Yb 3+ , Tm 3+ , and YbPO 4 :Er 3+ nanocrystals, tellurium and germanium oxides, tellurium and germanium oxides doped with at least one Tm, Yb, Ho, Er, or Pr, Yb 3+ doped BaZrO 3 , Nd 3+ :Cs 2 NaGdCl 6 , Nd 3+ , Yb 3+ :Cs 2 NaGdCl 6 , Nd 3+ and Ho 3+ co-doped—based ZrF 4 fluoride glasses, Tm 3+ /Yb 3+ -codoped TeO 2 -Ga 2 O 3 -R 2 O (R=Li, Na, K) glasses, and metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transition materials, and MLCT transition materials including [Ru(dmb) 3 ] 2+ (dmb=4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine).

17. The collector of claim 1 , wherein the conversion device comprises:
a down converter including at least one of Y 2 O 3 ; ZnS; ZnSe; MgS; CaS; Mn, Er ZnSe; Mn, Er MgS; Mn, Er CaS; Mn, Er ZnS; Mn, Yb ZnSe; Mn, Yb MgS; Mn, Yb CaS; Mn, Yb ZnS:Tb 3+ , Er 3+ ; ZnS:Tb 3+ ; Y 2 O 3 :Tb 3+ ; Y 2 O 3 :Tb 3+ , Er 3+ ; ZnS:Mn 2+ ; ZnS:Mn, Er 3+ .

18. The collector of claim 1 , wherein the conversion device comprises:
a mixture including,
1) at least one of Tm 3+ doped flourozirconate glasses, LuPO 4 :Yb 3+ , Tm 3+ , and YbPO 4 :Er 3+ nanocrystals, tellurium and germanium oxides, tellurium and germanium oxides doped with at least one Tm, Yb, Ho, Er, or Pr, Yb 3+ doped BaZrO 3 , Nd 3+ :Cs 2 NaGdCl 6 , Nd 3+ , Yb 3+ :Cs 2 NaGdCl 6 , Nd 3+ and Ho 3+ co-doped-based ZrF 4 fluoride glasses, Tm 3+ /Yb 3+ -codoped TeO 2 -Ga 2 O 3 -R 2 O (R=Li, Na, K) glasses, and metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transition materials, and MLCT transition materials including [Ru(dmb) 3 ] 2+ (dmb=4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine), and
2) at least one of Y 2 O 3 ; ZnS; ZnSe; MgS; CaS; Mn, Er ZnSe; Mn, Er MgS; Mn, Er CaS; Mn, Er ZnS; Mn, Yb ZnSe; Mn, Yb MgS; Mn, Yb CaS; Mn, Yb ZnS:Tb 3+ , Er 3+ ;
ZnS:Tb 3+ ; Y 2 O 3 :Tb 3+ ; Y 2 O 3 :Tb 3+ , Er 3+ ; ZnS:Mn 2+ ; ZnS:Mn, Er 3+ .

19. The collector of claim 1 , wherein the conversion device comprises:
a mixture including at least two or more of Tm 3+ doped flourozirconate glasses, LuPO 4 :Yb 3+ , Tm 3+ , and YbPO 4 :Er 3+ nanocrystals, tellurium and germanium oxides, tellurium and germanium oxides doped with a

Assignees

• Immunolight Llc

Inventors

• Bourke Jr Frederic A
• Walder Harold
• Fathi Zakaryae
• Beyer Wayne F
• Rudder Ronald A
• Becker Daniel I
• Simmons Joseph H

Classifications

• H10W74/15

  on active surfaces of flip-chip devices, e.g. underfills · CPC title

• H10W72/07141

  Means for applying energy, e.g. ovens or lasers · CPC title

• H10W72/071

  Connecting or disconnecting · CPC title

• H10W72/59

  Bond pads specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• H10W72/07338

  hardening the adhesive by curing, e.g. thermosetting · CPC title