Affiliation:
1. Queens College of the City University of New York
2. The Graduate Center of the City University of New York
3. Viavi Solutions Inc.
4. The City College of New York
Abstract
An efficient photovoltaic power converter is a critical element in laser power beaming systems for maximizing the end-to-end power transfer efficiency while minimizing beam reflections from the receiver for safety considerations. We designed a multilayer absorber that can efficiently trap monochromatic light from broad incident angles. The proposed design is built on the concept of a one-way coherent absorber with inverse-designed aperiodic multilayer front- and back-reflectors that enable maximal optical absorption in a thin-film photovoltaic material for broad angles. We argue that the broad bandwidth is achieved through an optimization search process that automatically engineers the modal content of the cavity to create multiple overlapping resonant modes at the desired angle or frequency range. A realistic design is provided based on GaAs thin films with inverse-designed multilayer binary AlAs/AlGaAs mirrors. The proposed device can pave the way for efficient optical power beaming systems.
Funder
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Air Force Office of Scientific Research
National Science Foundation
City University of New York
Subject
Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics