The high-efficiency conversion of photonic power into electrical power is of broad-range applicability to many industries due to its electrical isolation from the surrounding environment and immunity to electromagnetic interference which affects the performance and reliability of sensitive electronics. A photonic power converter, or phototransducer, can absorb several watts of infrared laser power transmitted through a multimode fiber and convert this to electrical power for remote use. To convert this power into a useful voltage, we have designed, simulated, and fabricated a photovoltaic phototransducer that generates >5 V using a monolithic, lattice-matched, vertically-stacked, single-cell device that eliminates complex fabrication and assembly steps. Experimental measurements have demonstrated a conversion efficiency of up to 60.1% under illumination of ~11 W/cm² at a wavelength of 835 nm, while simulations indicate that efficiencies reaching 70% should be realistically achievable using this novel design.

Date Published: 16 March 2015
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 9358, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices IV, 93580E (16 March 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2079824

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9358:
Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices IV
Alexandre Freundlich; Jean-François Guillemoles; Masakazu Sugiyama, Editor(s)