High-efficiency rectenna solar cell based on quasi monochromatic conversion of sunlight

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K13395
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: General applied physics
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Yugami Hiroo 東北大学, 工学研究科, 教授 (60192803)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 金森 義明 東北大学, 工学研究科, 准教授 (10333858) ; 清水 信 東北大学, 工学研究科, 助教 (60706836)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): Iguchi Fumitada 東北大学, 大学院工学研究科, 准教授 (00361113)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 太陽光 / トンネルダイオード / アンテナ / 熱ふく射

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Optical rectenna is a new photo-voltaic conversion system that expected to break through the limit efficiency of existing system. The most important technology to realize this device is ultra-high speed diodes to rectify optical light frequency (>100THz) and controlling broad solar spectrum into narrow band emission. In this study, we developed a technique to control broad thermal radiation spectrum into quasi-monochromatic thermal emission. For the diode, we suppose to apply geometrical e-field enhancement in order to improve response frequency and quantum efficiency of Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) tunnel diode that is one of the most hopeful rectifier for optical rectenna.

Free Research Field

エネルギー変換工学