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This book highlights developments in the field of solar cells. The chapters in this book address a wide range of topics including the spectrum of light received by solar cell devices, the basic functioning of a solar cell, and the evolution of solar cell technology during the last 50 years. It places particular emphasis on silicon solar cells, CIGS-based solar cells, organic solar cells, perovskite solar cells and hybrid solar cells. The book describes in detail the fabrication processes employed for different categories of solar cells. It also provides the characterization techniques utilized in this sector to evaluate the performance of solar cells and the scope of this domain in the future. Overall, it presents the essential theoretical and practical concepts of solar cells in an easy-to-understand manner.

What are the physical mechanisms that underlie the efficient generation and transfer of energy at the nanoscale? Nature seems to know the answer to this question, having optimised the process of photosynthesis in plants over millions of years of evolution. It is conceivable that humans could mimic this process using synthetic materials, and organic semiconductors have attracted a lot of attention in this respect. Once an organic semiconductor absorbs light, bound pairs of electrons with positively charged holes, termed `excitons', are formed. Excitons behave as fundamental energy carriers, hence understanding the physics behind their efficient generation and transfer is critical to realising the potential of organic semiconductors for light-harvesting and other applications, such as LEDs and transistors. However, this problem is extremely challenging since excitons can interact very strongly with photons. Moreover, simultaneously with the exciton motion, organic molecules canvibrate in hundreds of possible ways, having a very strong effect on energy transfer. The description of these complex phenomena is often beyond the reach of standard quantum mechanical methods which rely on the assumption of weak interactions between excitons, photons and vibrations. In this thesis, Antonios Alvertis addresses this problem through the development and application of a variety of different theoretical methods to the description of these strong interactions, providing pedagogical explanations of the underlying physics. A comprehensive introduction to organic semiconductors is followed by a review of the background theory that is employed to approach the relevant research questions, and the theoretical results are presented in close connection with experiment, yielding valuable insights for experimentalists and theoreticians alike.

This book first provides readers with an introduction to the underlying physics and state-of-the-art application of photon counting detectors for X-ray imaging. The authors explain that a photon-counting imaging detector can realize quantitative analysis because the detector can derive X-ray attenuation information based on the analysis of intensity changes of individual X-ray. To realize this analysis, it is important to consider the physics of an object and detector material. In this book, the authors introduce a novel analytical procedure to create quantitative X-ray images for medical diagnosis.

This book outlines various synthetic approaches, tuneable physical properties, and device applications of core/shell quantum dots (QDs). Core/shell QDs have exhibited enhanced quantum yield (QY), suppressed photobleaching/blinking, and significantly improved photochemical/physical stability as compared to conventional bare QDs. The core-shell structure also promotes the easy tuning of QDs'band structure, leading to their employment as attractive building blocks in various optoelectronic devices. The main objective of this book is to create a platform for knowledge sharing and dissemination of the latest advances in novel areas of core/shell QDs and relevant devices, and to provide a comprehensive introduction and directions for further research in this growing area of nanomaterials research.

This monograph provides an introductory discussion of evanescent waves and plasmons, describes their properties and uses, and shows how they are fundamental when operating with nanoscale optics. Far field optics is not suitable for the design, description, and operation of devices at this nanometre scale. Instead one must work with models based on near-field optics and surface evanescent waves. The new discipline of plasmonics has grown to encompass the generation and application of plasmons both as a travelling excitation in a nanostructure and as a stationary enhancement of the electrical field near metal nanosurfaces.The book begins with a brief review of the basic concepts of electromagnetism, then introduces evanescent waves through reflection and refraction, and shows how they appear in diffraction problems, before discussing the role that they play in optical waveguides and sensors. The application of evanescent waves in super-resolution devices is briefly presented, before plasmons are introduced. The surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are then treated, highlighting their potential applications also in ultra-compact circuitry. The book concludes with a discussion of the quantization of evanescent waves and quantum information processing. The book is intended for students and researchers who wish to enter the field or to have some insight into the matter. It is not a textbook but simply an introduction to more complete and in-depth discussions. The field of plasmonics has exploded in the last ten years, and most of the material treated in this book is scattered in original or review papers. A short comprehensive treatment is missing; this book is intended to provide just that.

This book systematically introduces the single frequency semiconductor laser, which is widely used in many vital advanced technologies, such as the laser cooling of atoms and atomic clock, high-precision measurements and spectroscopy, coherent optical communications, and advanced optical sensors. It presents both the fundamentals and characteristics of semiconductor lasers, including basic F-P structure and monolithic integrated structures; interprets laser noises and their measurements; and explains mechanisms and technologies relating to the main aspects of single frequency lasers, including external cavity lasers, frequency stabilization technologies, frequency sweeping, optical phase locked loops, and so on. It paints a clear, physical picture of related technologies and reviews new developments in the field as well. It will be a useful reference to graduate students, researchers, and engineers in the field.