Understanding Bridging Sites and Accelerating Quantum Efficiency for Photocatalytic CO_(2) Reduction

We report a novel double-shelled nanoboxes photocatalyst architecture with tailored interfaces that accelerate quantum efficiency for photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)via Mo–S bridging bonds sites in S_(v)–In_(2)S_(3)@2H–MoTe_(2).The X-ray absorption near-edge structure shows that the formation of S_(v)–In_(2)S_(3)@2H–MoTe_(2) adjusts the coordination environment via interface engineering and forms Mo–S polarized sites at the interface.The interfacial dynamics and catalytic behavior are clearly revealed by ultrafast femtosecond transient absorption,time-resolved,and in situ diffuse reflectance–Infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy.A tunable electronic structure through steric interaction of Mo–S bridging bonds induces a 1.7-fold enhancement in S_(v)–In_(2)S_(3)@2H–MoTe_(2)(5)photogenerated carrier concentration relative to pristine S_(v)–In_(2)S_(3).Benefiting from lower carrier transport activation energy,an internal quantum efficiency of 94.01%at 380 nm was used for photocatalytic CO_(2)RR.This study proposes a new strategy to design photocatalyst through bridging sites to adjust the selectivity of photocatalytic CO_(2)RR.

Modeling and Simulation of Heterojunction Solar Cell with Mono Crystalline Silicon

The monocrystalline silicon is a promising material that could be used in solar cells that convert light into electricity. Although the cost of ordinary silicon (Si) solar cells has decreased significantly over the past two decades, the conversion efficiency of these cells has remained relatively high. While solar cells have a great potential as a device of renewable energy, the high cost they incur per Watt continues to be a significant barrier to their widespread implementation. As a consequence, it is vital to conduct research into alternate materials that may be used in the construction of solar cells. The heterojunction solar cell (HJSC), which is based on n-type zinc oxide (n-ZnO) and p-type silicon (p-Si), is one of the numerous alternatives of the typical Si single homojunction solar cell. There are many deficiencies that can be found in the published research on n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunction solar cell. Inconsistencies in the stated value of open circuit voltage (Voc) of the solar cell are one example of deficiency. The absence of a full theoretical study to evaluate the potential of the solar cell structure is another deficiency that can be found in these researches. A lower value of experimentally obtained VOC in comparison to the theoretical prediction based on the band-gap between n-ZnO and p-Si. There needs to be more consensus among scientists regarding the optimal conditions for the growth of zinc oxide. Many software’s are available for simulating and optimizing the solar cells based on these parameters. For this purpose, in this dissertation, I provide computational results relevant to n-ZnO/p-Si HJSC to overcome deficiencies that have been identified. While modeling and simulating the potential of the solar cell structure with AFORS-HET, it is essential to consider the constraints that exist in the real world. AFORS-HET was explicitly designed to mimic the multilayer solar cell arrangement. In AFORS-HET, we can add up to seven layers for solar cell layout. By using this software, we can figure out the open circuit voltage (VOC), the short circuit current (JSC), the quantum efficiency (QE, %), the heterojunction energy band structure, and the power conversion efficiency (PCE).

Calculation method of quantum efficiency to TiO_2 nanocrystal photocatalysis reaction

The quantum yield is an important factor to evaluate the efficiency of photoreactor. This article gives an overall calculation method of the quantum efficiency( Φ ) and the apparent quantum efficiency( Φ a) to the TiO 2/UV photocatalysis system. Furthermore, for the immobility system (IS), the formulation of the faction of light absorbed by the TiO 2 thin film is proposed so as to calculate the quantum efficiency by using the measured value and theoretic calculated value of transmissivity (T). For the suspension system(SS), due to the difficulty to obtain the absorption coefficient ( α ) of TiO 2 particulates, the quantum efficiency is calculated by means of the relative photonic efficiency ( ζ r) and the standard quantum yield ( Φ standard ).

Internal quantum efficiency drop induced by the heat generation inside of light emitting diodes (LEDs)

The reasons for low output power of AlGalnP Light Emitting Diodes （LEDs） have been analysed. LEDs with AlGaInP material have high internal but low external quantum efficiency and much heat generated inside especially at a large injected current which would reduce both the internal and external quantum efficiencies. Two kinds of LEDs with the same active region but different window layers have been fabricated. The new window layer composed of textured 0.5 μm GaP and thin Indium-Tin-Oxide film has shown that low external quantum efficiency （EQE） has serious impaction on the internal quantum efficiency （IQE）, because the carrier distribution will change with the body temperature increasing due to the heat inside, and the test results have shown the evidence of LEDs with lower output power and bigger wavelength red shift.

High Quantum Efficiency and High Concentration Erbium-Doped Silica Glasses Fabricated by Sintering Nanoporous Glasses

A new method was used to prepare erbium-doped high silica （SiO2 % 〉 96 % ） glasses by sintering nanoporous glasses. The concentration of erbium ions in high silica glasses can be considerably more than that in silica glasses prepared by using conventional methods. The fluorescence of 1532 nm has an FWHM （Full Wave at Half Maximum） of 50 nm, wider than 35 nm of EDSFA （erbium-doped silica fiber amplifer）, and hence the glass possesses potential application in broadband fiber amplifiers. The Judd-Ofelt theoretical analysis reflects that the quantum efficiency of this erbium-doped glass is about 0.78, although the erbium concentration in this glass （6 × 10^3） is about twenty times higher than that in silica glass. These excellent characteristics of Er-doped high silica glass will be conducive to its usage in optical amplifiers and microchip lasers.

Effects of polarization and p-type GaN resistivity on the spectral response of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well solar cells

Effects of polarization and p-type GaN resistivity on the spectral response of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well （MQW） solar cells are investigated. It is found that due to the reduction of piezoelectric polarization and the enhancement of tunneling transport of photo-generated carriers in MQWs, the external quantum efficiency （EQE） of the solar cells increases in a low energy spectral range （λ 〉 370 nm） when the barrier thickness value decreases from 15 nm to 7.5 nm. But the EQE decreases abruptly when the barrier thickness value decreases down to 3.75 nm. The reasons for these experimental results are analyzed. We are aware that the reduction of depletion width in MQW region, caused by the high resistivity of the p-type GaN layer may be the main reason for the abnormally low EQE value at long wavelengths （λ 〉 370 nm）.

Optical simulation of external quantum efficiency spectra of CuIn_(1-x)Ga_xSe_2 solar cells from spectroscopic ellipsometry inputs

Applications of in-situ and ex-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry （SE） are presented for the development of parametric expressions that define the real and imaginary parts （ε1, ε2） of the complex dielectric function spectra of thin film solar cell components. These spectra can then be utilized to analyze the structure of complete thin film solar cells. Optical and structural/compositional models of complete solar cells developed through least squares regression analysis of the SE data acquired for the complete cells enable simulations of external quantum efficiency （EQE） without the need for variable parameters. Such simulations can be compared directly with EQE measurements. From these comparisons, it becomes possible to understand in detail the origins of optical and electronic gains and losses in thin film photovoltaics （PC） technologies and, as a result, the underlying performance limitations. In fact, optical losses that occur when above-bandgap photons are not absorbed in the active layers can be distinguished from electronic losses when electron-hole pairs generated in the active layers are not collected. This overall methodology has been applied to copper indium-gallium diselenide （Culn1-xGaxSe2; CIGS） solar cells, a key commercialized thin film PV technology. CIGS solar cells with both standard thickness （〉2 μm） and thin （〈1 μm） absorber layers are studied by applying SE to obtain inputs for EQE simulations and enabling comparisons of simulated and measured EQE spectra. SE data analysis is challenging for CIGS material components and solar cells because of the need to develop an appropriate （ε1, ε2） database for the CIGS alloys and to extract absorber layer Ga profiles for accurate structural/compositional models. For cells with standard thickness absorbers, excellent agreement is found between the simulated and measured EQE, the latter under the assumption of 100% collection from the active layers, which include the CIGS bulk and CIGS/CdS heterojunction interface layers. For cells with thin absorbers, however, an observed difference between the simulated and measured EQE can be attributed to losses via carrier recombination within a- 0.15 μm thickness of CIGS adjacent to the Mo back contact. By introducing a carrier collection probability profile into the simulation, much closer agreement is obtained between the simulated and measured EQE. In addition to the single spot capability demonstrated in this study, ex-situ SE can be applied as well to generate high resolution maps of thin film multilayer structure, component layer properties and their profiles, as well as short-circuit current density predictions. Such mapping is possible due to the high measurement speed of 〈1 s per （ , 4） spectra achievable by the multichannel ellipsometer.

A quantum efficiency analytical model for complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor image pixels with a pinned photodiode structure

A quantum efficiency analytical model for complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor（CMOS） image pixels with a pinned photodiode structure is developed. The proposed model takes account of the non-uniform doping distribution in the N-type region due to the impurity compensation formed by the actual fabricating process. The characteristics of two boundary PN junctions located in the N-type region for the particular spectral response of a pinned photodiode, are quantitatively analyzed. By solving the minority carrier steady-state diffusion equations and the barrier region photocurrent density equations successively, the analytical relationship between the quantum efficiency and the corresponding parameters such as incident wavelength, N-type width, peak doping concentration, and impurity density gradient of the N-type region is established. The validity of the model is verified by the measurement results with a test chip of 160×160 pixels array,which provides the accurate process with a theoretical guidance for quantum efficiency design in pinned photodiode pixels.

Influence of wet chemical cleaning on quantum efficiency of GaN photocathode

GaN samples 1-3 are cleaned by a 2：2：1 solution of sulfuric acid（98%） to hydrogen peroxide（30%） to de-ionized water;hydrochloric acid（37%）;or a 4：1 solution of sulfuric acid（98%） to hydrogen peroxide（30%）.The samples are activated by Cs/O after the same annealing process.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy after the different ways of wet chemical cleaning shows：sample 1 has the largest proportion of Ga,N,and O among the three samples,while its C content is the lowest.After activation the quantum efficiency curves show sample 1 has the best photocathode performance.We think the wet chemical cleaning method is a process which will mainly remove C contamination.

The enhancement of light-emitting efficiency using GaN-based multiple quantum well light-emitting diodes with nanopillar arrays

The quest for higher modulation speed and lower energy consumption has inevitably promoted the rapid development of semiconductor-based solid lighting devices in recent years. GaN-based light-emitting diodes （LEDs） have emerged as promising candidates for achieving high efficiency and high intensity, and have received increasing attention among many researchers in this field. In this paper, we use a self-assembled array-patterned mask to fabricate InGaN/GaN multi- quantum well （MQW） LEDs with the intention of enhancing the light-emitting efficiency. By utilizing inductively coupled plasma etching with a self-assembled Ni cluster as the mask, nanopillar arrays are formed on the surface of the InGaN/GaN MQWs. We then observe the structure of the nanopillars and find that the V-defects on the surface of the conventional structure and the negative effects of threading dislocation are effectively reduced. Simultaneously, we make a comparison of the photoluminescence （PL） spectrum between the conventional structure and the nanopillar arrays, achieved under an experimental set-up with an excitation wavelength of 325 mm. The analysis demonstrates that MQW-LEDs with nanopillar arrays achieve a PL intensity 2.7 times that of conventional LEDs. In response to the PL spectrum, some reasons are proposed for the enhancement in the light-emitting efficiency as follows： 1） the improvement in crystal quality, namely the reduction in V-defects; 2） the roughened surface effect on the expansion of the critical angle and the attenuated total reflection; and 3） the enhancement of the light-extraction efficiency due to forward scattering by surface plasmon polariton modes in Ni particles deposited above the p-type GaN layer at the top of the nanopillars.

Combined effects of carrier scattering and Coulomb screening on photoluminescence in InGaN/GaN quantum well structure with high In content

Photoluminescence(PL) spectra of two different green InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well(MQW) samples S1 and S2,respectively with a higher growth temperature and a lower growth temperature of InGaN well layers are analyzed over a wide temperature range of 6 K-3 30 K and an excitation power range of 0.001 mW-75 mW.The excitation power-dependent PL peak energy and linewidth at 6 K show that in an initial excitation power range,the emission process of the MQW is dominated simultaneously by the combined effects of the carrier scattering and Coulomb screening for both the samples,and both the carrier scattering effect and the Coulomb screening effect are stronger for S2 than those for S1;in the highest excitation power range,the emission process of the MQWs is dominated by the filling effect of the high-energy localized states for S1,and by the Coulomb screening effect for S2.The behaviors can be attributed to the fact that sample S2 should have a higher amount of In content in the InGaN well layers than S1 because of the lower growth temperature,and this results in a stronger component fluctuation-induced potential fluctuation and a stronger well/barrier lattice mismatchinduced quantum-confined Stark effect.This explanation is also supported by other relevant measurements of the samples,such as temperature-dependent peak energy and excitation-power-dependent internal quantum efficiency.

Multi－diffused Reflection Spectroscopy of Rare Earths Doped LaOCl Powder Samples and the Calculation of Quantum Efficiency

The excitation and emission spectra, the relaxation time of principal spectral lines and multi-diffused reflection spectra in LaOCl: Er, LaOCl: Ho powder samples were measured. The diffused absorption spectrum was derived from the multi-diffused reflection spectrum. According to Judd-Ofelt theory,the intensity parameters, radiative transition probabilities and quantum efficiencies of luminescence emission were calculated. Then comparison with erbium and holmium doped floride glass and other matrices were made.

Graphene quantum dots assisted photovoltage and efficiency enhancement in CdSe quantum dot sensitized solar cells

CdSe quantum dot sensitized solar cells （QDSCs） modified with graphene quantum dots （GQDs） have been successfully achieved in this work for the first time. Satisfactorily, the optimized photovoltage （Voc） of the modified QDSCs was approximately 0.04 V higher than that of plain CdSe QDSCs, consequently improving the photovoltaic performance of the resulting QDSCs. Served as a novel coating on the CdSe QD sensitized photoanode, GQDs played a vital role in improving Voc due to the suppressed charge recombination which has been confirmed by electron impedance spectroscopy as well as transient photovoltage decay measure- ments. Moreover, different adsorption sequences, concentration and deposition time of GQDs have also been systematically investigated to boost the power conversion efficiency （PCE） of CdSe QDSCs. After the coating of CdSe with GQDs, the resulting champion CdSe QDSCs exhibited an improved PCE of 6.59% under AM 1.5G full one sun illumination.

2D Modeling of Solar Cell p-n Radial Junction: Study of Photocurrent Density and Quantum Efficiency in Static Mode under Monochromatic Illumination

A theoretical study of a polysilicon solar cell with a radial junction in static regime under monochromatic illumination is presented in this paper. The junction radial solar cell geometry is illustrated and described. The carriers’ diffusion equation is established and solved under quasi-neutral base assumption with boundaries conditions and Bessel equations. New analytical expressions of electrons and holes photocurrent density and quantum efficiency are found. The wavelength and structural parameters (base radius, base thickness and wavelength) influences on photocurrent density and quantum efficiency are carried out and examined.

InxGa1-xN/GaN Multiple Quantum Well Solar Cells with Conversion Efficiency of 3.77%

We report on fabrication and photovoltaic characteristics of InxGa1-xN/GaN multiple quantum well solar cells with different indium compositions and barrier thicknesses. The as-grown samples are characterized by high- resolution x-ray diffraction and reciprocal space mapping. The results show that the sample with a thick barrier thickness （lO.Onm） and high indium composition （0.23） has better crystalline quality. In addition, the dark current density-voltage （J-V） measurement of this device shows a significant decrease of leakage current, which leads to high open-circuit voltage Vow. Through the J-V characteristics under an Air Mass 1.5 Global （AM 1.5 G） illumination, this device exhibits a Voc of 1.89 V, a short-circuit current density Ysc of 3.92mA/cm2 and a fill factor of 50.96%. As a result, the conversion efficiency （77） is enhanced to be 3.77% in comparison with other devices.

Efficient and Secure Authenticated Quantum Dialogue Protocols over Collective-Noise Channels

Based on the deterministic secure quantum communication, we present a novel quantum dialogue protocol with- out information leakage over the collective noise channel. The logical qubits and four-qubit decoherence-free states are introduced for resisting against collective-dephasing noise, collective-rotation noise and all kinds of unitary collective noise, respectively. Compared with the existing similar protocols, the analyses on security and information-theoretical emciency show that the proposed protocol is more secure and emeient.

Antireflection Coating for Solar Cells Based on Graded-Index Materials

The conversion of sunlight into electricity via photovoltaics presents tremendous opportunities for the generation of renewable energy. However, solar cells still face several challenges and limitations to further reduce manufacturing costs and increase module efficiency. Photon management is paramount to increase the efficiency of the mainstream silicon-based cell and always includes a suitable antireflection coating (ARC) structure to decrease the reflectance (R) at the top surface. We propose a novel triple-layer anti-reflective coating (TLAR) consisting of three layers sandwiched between the upper cover (glass) and the substrate (silicon). The inner three layers are graded refractive index material (GIM) as an active layer, titanium dioxide (TiO2), and zinc sulfide (ZnS), respectively. The optical properties of the TLAR have been investigated using the transfer matrix method (TMM). The results of using GIM as the active medium lead to the reflection decaying to the minimum value, and the transmittance reaching the maximum values at a specific wavelength range. The proposed triple-layer anti-reflective coating (TLAR) structure presents a promising solution for enhancing the efficiency of solar cells. Its unique design and utilization of graded refractive index material (GIM) as the active layer make it a novel and innovative approach that holds great potential for advancing solar cell technology.

Luminescent properties of a new Nd^(3+)-doped complex with two different carboxylic acids and pyridine derivative

A new Nd3＋-doped organic complex featuring two different perfluorinated carboxylic acids as the first ligand and pyridine derivative 2-amino-3-chloro-5-（tri- fluoromethyl）pyridine as the second ligand was designed and synthesized. Successful coordination between the ligands and central rare earth ions was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR） spectra, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance （1H NMR） spectra, and UV spectra, and the synthesized complex is inferred to be eight-coordinate structure. Solution of the complex dis- solved in DMSO-d6 was prepared and then its fluorescence spectrum, UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectrum, and fluorescence decay curve were tested. The fluorescent lifetime is about 7 txs. Based on the above experimental research, Judd-Ofelt analysis was carried out, and the results indi- cate that appropriate coordination environment around Nd3＋ in this solution results in a high fluorescent quantum efficiency 2 % and a large stimulated emission cross-section about 3.2 × 10^-20 cm^2 at 1,064 nm.

Formamidinium Lead Bromide (FAPbBr_3) Perovskite Microcrystals for Sensitive and Fast Photodetectors

Because of the good thermal stability and superior carrier transport characteristics of formamidinium lead trihalide perovskite HC(NH_2)_2 PbX_3(FAPbX_3), it has been considered to be a better optoelectronic material than conventional CH_3NH_3-PbX_3(MAPbX_3). Herein, we fabricated a FAPbBr_3 microcrystal-based photodetector that exhibited a good responsivity of 4000 A W-1 and external quantum efficiency up to 106% under one-photon excitation, corresponding to the detectivity greater than 1014 Jones. The responsivity is two orders of magnitude higher than that of previously reported formamidinium perovskite photodetectors. Furthermore, the FAPbBr_3 photodetector's responsivity to two-photon absorption with an 800-nm excitation source can reach 0.07 A W^(-1), which is four orders of magnitude higher than that of its MAPbBr_3 counterparts. The response time of this photodetector is less than 1 ms.This study provides solid evidence that FAPbBr_3 can be an excellent candidate for highly sensitive and fast photodetectors.

Monte-Carlo simulation to determine detector efficiency of plastic scintillating fiber

Fundamental characteristics of the plastic scintillating fiber (PSF) as a detector for electromagnetic radiation (X & γ) are obtained by GEANT4 detector simulation tool package. The detector response to radiation with energy of 10~400 keV is found out. Energy deposition as well as detector efficiency (DE) of the PSF are studied. In order to make linear array of the PSF for imaging purpose, the optimum length of fiber is also estimated.