Multi-source optimal reconfigurable energy harvester

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9768338-B2
Application number	US-201314373687-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2013
Priority date	Jan 23, 2012
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

Provided is an energy harvesting device, including a solar cell including at least one active layer for receiving a first range of electromagnetic frequencies, at least one layer including antenna structures for receiving RF energy and formed on a first side of the solar cell, and at least one semiconductor for absorbing IR energy, and formed on a second side of the solar cell opposite the first side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An energy harvesting device, comprising:
a solar cell comprising at least one active layer for receiving a first range of electromagnetic frequencies;
an RF harvester comprising at least one layer comprising antenna structures for receiving RF energy and formed on a first side of the solar cell, and
a thermophotovoltaic cell comprising at least one semiconductor for absorbing IR energy and formed on a second side of the solar cell opposite the first side,
wherein the at least one semiconductor comprises epitaxially grown, ring-shaped spectral response structures.

2. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna structures comprise spiral antenna structures capable of capturing RF energy with frequencies of 700 MHz up to 3 GHz.

3. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein the spectral response structures comprise diameters in a range of 700 nm to 1000 μm.

4. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein the spectral response structures comprise crystalline Ge.

5. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein the active layer comprises an inorganic semiconductor.

6. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one semiconductor includes
a first semiconductor for absorbing a first range of IR frequencies and
a second semiconductor for absorbing a second range of IR frequencies.

7. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein the first range of electromagnetic frequencies comprises a range including ultraviolet and visible light.

8. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 wherein the at least one semiconductor layer comprises Si.

9. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one semiconductor comprises
a first IR absorber layer comprising Ge ring structures formed on Si; and
a second IR absorber layer comprising GaAs on GaSb.

10. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one layer of RF harvester comprises a semiconductor.

11. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein active layer comprises an organic semiconductor.

12. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein the spectral response structures comprise multiple sizes of Ge rings for absorbing different IR frequencies.

Assignees

• Stc Unm

Inventors

• Lavrova Olga A
• Christodoulou Christos G
• Han Sang M
• Balakrishnan Ganesh

Classifications

• Y02E10/547

  Monocrystalline silicon PV cells · CPC title

• H02S10/30

  Thermophotovoltaic systems (photovoltaic cells specially adapted for conversion or sensing of infrared [IR] radiation H10F10/00; thermoelectric devices H10N10/00) · CPC title

• H02J50/27

  characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas · CPC title

• H02J50/20

  using microwaves or radio frequency waves · CPC title

• H01Q9/27

  Spiral antennas · CPC title