Periodic microstructures for improved lens-to-waveguide coupling efficiency in microlens array planar solar concentrators

Ravi S. Hegde; Hong-Son Chu; Kiansoo Ong; Lakshmi Kanta Bera; Ching Eng Png

doi:10.1117/1.JPE.5.052099

12 June 2015 Periodic microstructures for improved lens-to-waveguide coupling efficiency in microlens array planar solar concentrators

Ravi S. Hegde, Hong-Son Chu, Kiansoo Ong, Lakshmi Kanta Bera, Ching Eng Png

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Photonics for Energy, Vol. 5, Issue 1, 052099 (June 2015). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.5.052099

Abstract

Thin form-factor planar sunlight concentrators fabricated using low-cost materials in conjunction with high-efficiency solar cells may prove economically competitive with silicon photovoltaics. A periodic structure with planar interfaces employing an array of microlenses and coupling structures is amenable to high-volume imprint manufacturing and hence a drastic cost reduction. A numerical study of periodic prismatic void structures aligned with microlenses to efficiently couple incoming light into a constant cross-section channel waveguide is reported. Three different prism-like cut-out structures: a bare prism, a planar connected prism, and a pointed prism are proposed. Numerical results show that the proposed pointed prism design offers a high-efficiency coupling with one-sided output (90.8% and 85.4% peak efficiency at concentration ratios of 320× and 400×, respectively).

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Ravi S. Hegde, Hong-Son Chu, Kiansoo Ong, Lakshmi Kanta Bera, and Ching Eng Png "Periodic microstructures for improved lens-to-waveguide coupling efficiency in microlens array planar solar concentrators," Journal of Photonics for Energy 5(1), 052099 (12 June 2015). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.5.052099

Published: 12 June 2015

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