Search

We report the design, fabrication, and characterization of silicon heterojunction microcells, a new type of photovoltaic cell that leverages high-efficiency bulk wafers in a microscale form factor, while also addressing the challenge of passivating microcell sidewalls to mitigate carrier recombination. We present synthesis methods exploiting either dry etching or laser cutting to realize microcells with native oxide-based edge passivation. Measured microcell performance for both fabrication processes is compared to that in simulations. We characterize the dependence of microcell open-circuit voltage (V_(oc)) on the cell area–perimeter ratio and examine synthesis processes that affect edge passivation quality, such as sidewall damage removal, the passivation material, and the deposition technique. We report the highest Si microcell V_(oc) to date (588 mV, for a 400 μm × 400 μm × 80 μm device), demonstrate V_(oc) improvements with deposited edge passivation of up to 55 mV, and outline a pathway to achieve microcell efficiencies surpassing 15% for such device sizes.

Silicon heterojunction (SHJ) microcells offer a promising photovoltaic (PV) device for a wide range of micro-electronic applications due to their high performance potential. We examine two separate techniques for dicing SHJ microcells from bulk wafers: deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) and micro-laser cutting. We present the challenges and optimizations for each technique, as well as microcell performance for a 400µm x 400µm x 80µm microcell. Given the thickness of silicon wafers and the low face-to-edge area ratio for SHJ microcells of these dimensions, we consider varied illumination conditions for this structure. SHJ microcells are able to absorb photons along all surfaces; as such, we study microcell performance at each edge interface. We examine both modeled and experimental data of microcells across various lighting conditions and present high-performances for both sets of measurements.

We report the design, fabrication and outdoor characterization of a tandem luminescent solar concentrator/Si multi-junction photovoltaic module. Our tandem LSC/Si device consists of an InGaP LSC functioning as a top cell and a passivated contact Si bottom cell. The LSC comprises of an InGaP microcell array coupled to a polymer waveguide, loaded with CdSe/CdS core-shell quantum dot luminophores. The light trapping efficiency of the LSC waveguide is enhanced by encapsulation with photoluminescence trapping mirrors consisting of dielectric multilayer thin films. We demonstrate the performance of the LSC/Si device through a series of outdoor tests under various irradiance conditions conducted at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. We report the first outdoor testing data of an LSC/Si tandem module, displaying maintained performance across varied diffusivity conditions for the LSC component. Finally, we model the tandem module performance using a ray optic simulation-based multiphysics model and forecast a pathway for high efficiency tandem LSC/Si module performance.

Commercial smart window technologies for dynamic light and heat management in building and automotive environments traditionally rely on electrochromic (EC) materials powered by an external source. This design complicates building-scale installation requirements and substantially increases costs for applications in retrofit construction. Self-powered photoelectrochromic (PEC) windows are an intuitive alternative wherein a photovoltaic (PV) material is used to power the electrochromic device, which modulates the transmission of the incident solar flux. The PV component in this application must be sufficiently transparent and produce enough power to efficiently modulate the EC device transmission. Here, we propose Si solar microcells (μ-cells) that are i) small enough to be visually transparent to the eye, and ii) thin enough to enable flexible PEC devices. Visual transparency is achieved when Si μ-cells are arranged in high pitch (i.e. low-integration density) form factors while maintaining the advantages of a single-crystalline PV material (i.e., long lifetime and high performance). Additionally, the thin dimensions of these Si μ-cells enable fabrication on flexible substrates to realize these flexible PEC devices. The current work demonstrates this concept using WO₃ as the EC material and V₂O₅ as the ion storage layer, where each component is fabricated via sol-gel methods that afford improved prospects for scalability and tunability in comparison to thermal evaporation methods. The EC devices display fast switching times, as low as 8 seconds, with a modulation in transmission as high as 33%. Integration with two Si μ-cells in series (affording a 1.12 V output) demonstrates an integrated PEC module design with switching times of less than 3 minutes, and a modulation in transmission of 32% with an unprecedented EC:PV areal ratio.

The development of methods to synthesize and physically manipulate extremely thin, single-crystalline inorganic semiconductor materials, so-called nanomembranes, has led to an almost explosive growth of research worldwide into uniquely enabled opportunities for their use in new "soft" and other unconventional form factors for high-performance electronics. The unique properties that nanomembranes afford, such as their flexibility and lightweight characteristics, allow them to be integrated into electronic and optoelectronic devices that, in turn, adopt these unique attributes. For example, nanomembrane devices are able to make conformal contact to curvilinear surfaces and manipulate strain to induce the self-assembly of various 3D nano/micro device architectures. Further, thin semiconductor materials (e.g., Si-nanomembranes, transition metal dichalcogenides, and phosphorene) are subject to the impacts of quantum and other size-dependent effects that in turn enable the manipulation of their bandgaps and the properties of electronic and optoelectronic devices fabricated from them. In this Perspective, nanomembrane synthesis techniques and exemplary applications of their use are examined. We specifically describe nanomembrane chemistry exploiting high-performance materials, along with precise/high-throughput techniques for their manipulation that exemplify their growing capacities to shape outcomes in technology. Prominent challenges in the chemistry of these materials are presented along with future directions that might guide the development of next generation nanomembrane-based devices.

Herein we describe the fabrication and characterization of Ag and Au bimetallic plasmonic crystals as a system that exhibits improved capabilities for quantitative, bulk refractive index (RI) sensing and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as compared to monometallic plasmonic crystals of similar form. The sensing optics, which are bimetallic plasmonic crystals consisting of sequential nanoscale layers of Ag coated by Au, are chemically stable and useful for quantitative, multispectral, refractive index and spectroscopic chemical sensing. Compared to previously reported homometallic devices, the results presented herein illustrate improvements in performance that stem from the distinctive plasmonic features and strong localized electric fields produced by the Ag and Au layers, which are optimized in terms of metal thickness and geometric features. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations theoretically verify the nature of the multimode plasmonic resonances generated by the devices and allow for a better understanding of the enhancements in multispectral refractive index and SERS-based sensing. Taken together, these results demonstrate a robust and potentially useful new platform for chemical/spectroscopic sensing.

Luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) tandem-on-silicon (Si) provides a route towards achieving higher than 30% overall efficiency which can overcome the theoretical efficiency limit of a single junction Si cell. Here, we present optical coupling and performance of high V oc passivated contact Si bottom cell for LSC tandem-on-Si where the top module consists of highly efficient luminophores and an array of micro InGaP cells embedded in a poly (lauryl methacrylate) waveguide. In this device configuration, InGaP cell area coverage is only ~0.5% of the total LSC area which significantly reduces the high cost III-V material usage. The performance of Si sub-cell is investigated under LSC spectrum and is compared against the measurement done under 1 μm thick InGaP filter which mimics the spectrum seen by Si bottom cell in a conventional III-V/Si tandem. V oc of greater than 700 mV has been observed for the passivated contact Si bottom cell in these tandem applications.

© 2018 IEEE. Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) harness light generated by luminophores embedded in a light-trapping waveguide to concentrate onto smaller cells. LSCs can absorb both direct and diffuse sunlight, and thus can operate as flat plate receivers at a fixed tilt and with a conventional module form factor. However, current LSCs experience significant power loss through parasitic luminophore absorption and incomplete light trapping by the optical waveguide. Here, we introduce a tandem LSC device architecture that overcomes both of these limitations, consisting of a poly(lauryl methacrylate) polymer layer with embedded cadmium selenide core, cadmium sulfide shell (CdSe/CdS) quantum dot (QD) luminophores and an InGaP microcell array, which serves as high bandgap absorbers on the top of a conventional Si photovoltaic. We investigate the design space for a tandem LSC, using experimentally measured performance parameters for key components, including the InGaP microcell array, CdSe/CdS QDs, and spectrally selective waveguide filters. Using a Monte Carlo ray-tracing model, we compute the power conversion efficiency for a tandem LSC module with these components to be 29.4% under partially diffuse illumination conditions. These results indicate that a tandem LSC-on-Si architecture could significantly improve upon the efficiency of a conventional Si photovoltaic cell.

Solar energy-powered water electrolysis is a cost-effective and scalable method to produce hydrogen, an environment-friendly and potentially sustainable energy carrier. To this end, we report a microchannel water electrolyzer with a planar design that can be integrated with a photovoltaic cell, where the electrolyzer utilizes the waste heat generated during the photoelectric process to enhance the production of hydrogen (and oxygen) via the electrochemical splitting of water. We performed a systematic parametric investigation to study the effect of the channel dimensions, electrolyte temperature and flow rate, and the mode of operation (pulsed vs. continuous) on the electrolyzer's performance. The balance between mass, heat and ion/charge transport limitations acts to determine an optimal geometry and specific operating conditions for the device. The highest hydrogen production rate was observed for pulsed operation (15 s pulses) at a temperature of 60 °C, and a potential of 2.0 V, for a 400-μm tall electrolyzer chamber. We also show that tuning of the geometry and operating conditions can yield an almost 7-fold increase in the hydrogen production rate. This study not only reports a new and improved approach over existing photovoltaic thermal systems but also presents design and operational considerations for microfluidic-based electrochemical energy devices.

The use of photovoltaic thermal (PVT) technologies enables improvement in the electrical efficiency of a photovoltaic (PV) module by reducing the temperature of the PV module via active waste heat removal. In current PVT systems, the removed heat is mainly used for specific applications, such as water and/or room heating, but their need is intermittent and seasonal. For a more efficient and versatile use of the removed waste heat, we propose a new architecture where the PV module is integrated with a dual-functional electrolyzer that removes the waste heat by active cooling and produces hydrogen via electrolysis. The excess heat from the PV cell is utilized to enhance the reaction kinetics of the electrolysis process (due to an increase in temperature) inside an electrolyzer, which is located below the PV module. In this paper, we used finite-element analysis (FEA) simulations to optimize the geometry and operating conditions of an electrolyzer to maximize overall energetic efficiency and hydrogen production. To evaluate the practical feasibility of the approach, we performed a comprehensive energy analysis of the PVTE system using data from Phoenix, AZ. The energetic efficiency of the proposed PVTE system was calculated to be 56–59%, which is comparable to those of current PVT systems. Additionally, the integration of the electrolyzer with the PV module led to an almost 2.5-fold increase in hydrogen production compared to a stand-alone electrolyzer operated at ambient temperature. The analyzed hybrid approach potentially represents a viable and useful alternative for utilization of waste heat energy from PV cells. This approach may further increase the use of photovoltaic technologies as a renewable energy source.

Escape cone loss is one of the primary limiting factors for efficient photon collection in large-area luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs). The Stokes shift of the luminophore, however, opens up an opportunity to recycle the escaped luminescence at the LSC front surface by utilizing a photonic band-stop filter that reflects photons in the luminophore’s emission range while transmitting those in its absorption range. In this study, we examine the functional attributes of such photonic filter designs, ones realized here in the form of a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) fabricated by spin-coating alternating layers of SiO2 and SnO2 nanoparticle suspensions onto a supportive glass substrate. The central wavelength and the width of the photonic stopband were programmatically tuned by changing the layer thickness and the refractive index contrast between the two dielectric materials. We explore the design sensitivities for a DBR with an optimized stopband frequency that can effectively act as a top angle-res...

Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems, where incident direct solar radiation is tightly concentrated onto high-efficiency multi-junction solar cells by geometric optical elements, exhibit the highest efficiencies in converting the sun’s energy into electric power. Their energy conversion efficiencies are greatly limited, however, due to Fresnel reflection losses occurring at three air/optics interfaces in the most sophisticated dual-stage CPV platforms. This paper describes a facile one-step wet-etching process to create a nanoporous surface with a graded-index profile on both flat and curved glasses, with capabilities of achieving ~99% average transmission efficiency in a wide wavelength range from 380 nm to 1.3 µm and for a wide range of incident angles up to ±40° regardless of the polarization state of incident sunlight. The simplicity of the etching process remarkably increases their versatility in various optical elements that require unconventional form factors such as Fresnel lenses and microlens arrays, and/or demanding curvatures along with much reduced dimensions such as ball lenses. Etched glass surfaces on two-stage optical concentrating systems yield enhancements in total optical transmission efficiencies by 13.8% and in the photocurrent by 14.3%, as experimentally determined by measurements on microscale triple-junction solar cells. The presented strategy can be widely adapted in a variety of applications such as image sensors, display systems, and other optoelectronic devices.

We describe the use of light in a lithographic form of grayscale patterning as a means to program the properties and folding mechanics of flat, thin-film-polymeric materials. In this process, a finely dispersed (phase-separated) mixture of photoresist (SU-8 50) in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is irradiated with ultraviolet light through a photomask. The subsequent photoresist cross-linking in the exposed regions causes changes in the material’s chemo-mechanical properties (notably making it stiffer and more resistant to solvent-induced swelling in the area of exposure). Light scattering due to the dispersed, non-index-matched photoresist domains leads to an intrinsic grayscale profile of the pattern width through the depth of the exposure field, a feature bringing significant and previously unexplored consequences for strain-induced folding dynamics. Solvent induced swelling, where PDMS absorbs a nonpolar solvent, is used to actuate folding mechanics with complex temporal and spatial profiles that explicitly follow the design rules established by the gradient cross-link density, features that elicit a programmable swelling (and therefore, folding) of the two-dimensional sheets. During investigation and optimization of the system, we observed an interesting temporal and biomimetic folding phenomenon that distinguishes the current results from other forms of strain induced folding reported in the literature. Under specific fabrication parameters, an evolution through an intermediate metastable state is observed, one in which the material will fold in one direction, then flatten and fold in the opposite direction. Mechanics modeling and finite element simulations have led to a detailed understanding of the system and the dynamics that allow a temporal evolution of 3-D structure through a double mode of folding. Insights into these mechanisms provide an advanced understanding of strain-induced folding in the field of soft materials.

Quantum dots (QDs) integration into photonic devices requires varied approaches to control and modulate their emission. We demonstrate voltage-tunable PC structures with integrated QDs over suspended piezoelectric aluminum nitride thin film resonators that modulate PC enhancement at MHz frequencies. When the piezoelectric device is actuated at its resonant mechanical frequency, the extracted QD emission direction is likewise modulated via the optical resonant frequency of the PC. Modulation uses nanometer-scale mechanical displacements, offering the potential for greater switching speed and improved mechanical robustness that is not subject to the effects of stiction with a scalable fabrication approach.

Concentrator photovoltaics achieve high efficiency but have so far been impractical for use on rooftops. Here, Price et al. develop a flat-panel concentrating photovoltaic system based on a triple-junction solar cell that operates at fixed tilt over a full day with…

We propose a design for a concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) module with features that can capture both direct and diffuse sunlight. This approach uses a luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) sheet that includes quantum dots, and a tailored optical coating that enhances concentration and delivery of sunlight to the micro-PV cells. In addition, the light not captured by the quantum dots impinges on a tandem solar cell beneath the LSC sheet. The design of the LSC focuses on lowering the number of expensive micro-PV cells needed within the concentrator waveguide, thus reducing system costs while maintaining high efficiency. The design also allows the module to be effective without a tracking system, making it attractive to all PV markets.

High efficiency concentrating photovoltaics (CPV) can reduce the cost of photovoltaic power in a market dominated by balance of system and soft costs. Planar microtracking aims to provide a CPV solution for rooftops by laterally tracking a dense array of solar cells within a concentrator module having the form factor of standard PV panels. Here, we demonstrate a small-scale proof-of-concept system that reaches 30% power conversion efficiency at over $600\times$ concentration, resulting in 54% more energy generated per unit area than a commercial silicon cell. This represents a milestone for planar microtracking CPV toward a larger scale, fully integrated panel prototype.

© 2016, National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Emerging classes ofconcentrator photovoltaic (CPV) modules reach efficiencies that are far greater than those of even the highest performance flat-plate PV technologies, with architectures that have the potential to provide the lowest cost of energy in locations with high direct normal irradiance (DNI). A disadvantage is their inability to effectively use diffuse sunlight, thereby constraining widespread geographic deployment and limiting performance even under the most favorable DNI conditions. This study introduces a module design that integrates capabilities in flat-plate PV directly with the most sophisticated CPV technologies, for capture of both direct and diffuse sunlight, thereby achieving efficiency in PV conversion of the global solar radiation. Specific examples of this scheme exploit commodity silicon (Si) cells integrated with two different CPV module designs, where they capture light that is not efficiently directed by the concentrator optics onto large-scale arrays of miniature multijunction (MJ) solar cells that use advanced III-V semiconductor technologies. In this CPV+scheme ("+" denotes the addition of diffuse collector), the Si and MJ cells operate independently on indirect and direct solar radiation, respectively. On-sun experimental studies of CPV+modules at latitudes of 35.9886° N (Durham, NC), 40.1125° N (Bondville, IL), and 38.9072° N (Washington, DC) show improvements in absolute module efficiencies of between 1.02% and 8.45% over values obtained using otherwise similar CPV modules, depending on weather conditions. These concepts have the potential to expand the geographic reach and improve the cost-effectiveness of the highest efficiency forms of PV power generation.

We review progress in designing and transforming multi-functional yield-stress fluids and give a perspective on the current state of knowledge that supports each step in the design process. We focus mainly on the rheological properties that make yield-stress fluids so useful and the trade-offs which need to be considered when working with these materials. Thinking in terms of “design with” and “design of” yield-stress fluids motivates how we can organize our scientific understanding of this field. “Design with” involves identification of rheological property requirements independent of the chemical formulation, e.g. for 3D direct-write printing which needs to accommodate a wide range of chemistry and material structures. “Design of” includes microstructural considerations: conceptual models relating formulation to properties, quantitative models of formulation-structure-property relations, and chemical transformation strategies for converting effective yield-stress fluids to be more useful solid engineering materials. Future research directions are suggested at the intersection of chemistry, soft-matter physics, and material science in the context of our desire to design useful rheologically-complex functional materials.

We utilize CdSe/CdS seeded nanorods as a tunable lumophore for luminescent concentration. Transfer-printed, ultrathin crystalline Si solar cells are embedded directly into the luminescent concentrator, allowing the study of luminescent concentrators with an area over 5000 times the area of the solar cell. By increasing the size of the CdS rod with respect to the luminescent CdSe seed, the reabsorption of propagating photons is dramatically reduced. At long luminescence propagation distances, this reduced reabsorption can overcome the diminished quantum yield inherent to the larger semiconductor structures, which is studied with lifetime spectroscopy. A Monte Carlo ray tracing model is developed to explain the performance of the luminescent concentrator and is then used as a design tool to determine the effect of luminescence trapping on the concentration of light using both CdSe/CdS nanorods and a model organic dye. We design an efficient luminescence trapping structure that should allow the luminescent concentrator based on CdSe/CdS nanorods to operate in the high-concentration regime.

Studies of the interactions between cells and surrounding environment including cell culture surfaces and their responses to distinct chemical and physical cues are essential to understanding the regulation of cell growth, migration, and differentiation. In this work, we demonstrate the capability of a label-free optical imaging technique-surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-to quantitatively investigate the relative thickness of complex biomolecular structures using a nanoimprinted plasmonic crystal and laboratory microscope. Polyelectrolyte films of different thicknesses deposited by layer-by-layer assembly served as the model system to calibrate the reflection contrast response originating from SPRs. The calibrated SPR system allows quantitative analysis of the thicknesses of the interface formed between the cell culture substrate and cellular membrane regions of fixed Aplysia californica pedal ganglion neurons. Bandpass filters were used to isolate spectral regions of reflected light with distinctive image contrast changes. Combining of the data from images acquired using different bandpass filters leads to increase image contrast and sensitivity to topological differences in interface thicknesses. This SPR-based imaging technique is restricted in measurable thickness range (∼100-200 nm) due to the limited plasmonic sensing volume, but we complement this technique with an interferometric analysis method. Described here simple reflection imaging techniques show promise as quantitative methods for analyzing surface thicknesses at nanometer scale over large areas in real-time and in physicochemical diverse environments.

An analytical model is developed to study the thermal properties of microscale, inorganic light-emitting diodes (μ-ILEDs) with ultra-thin geometries and layouts. The predicted surface and μ-ILED temperatures agree well with experiments and finite-element simulations. A simple scaling law is obtained for the normalized μ-ILED temperature versus the normalized μ-ILED size. This study provides a theory to guide the design of layouts that minimize adverse thermal effects on the performance of μ-ILEDs not only for solid-state lighting but also for applications integrating μ-ILED devices on complex/soft substrate as are currently of interest in optogenetics and other emerging areas in biology.

Luminescent solar concentrators doped with CdSe/CdS quantum dots provide a potentially low-cost and high-performance alternative to costly high-band-gap III–V semiconductor materials to serve as a top junction in multijunction photovoltaic devices for efficient utilization of blue photons. In this study, a photonic mirror was coupled with such a luminescent waveguide to form an optical cavity where emitted luminescence was trapped omnidirectionally. By mitigating escape cone and scattering losses, 82% of luminesced photons travel the length of the waveguide, creating a concentration ratio of 30.3 for blue photons in a waveguide with a geometric gain of 61. Further, we study the photon transport inside the luminescent waveguide, showing unimpeded photon collection across the entire length of the waveguide.

Shape-morphing systems can be found in many areas, including smart textiles, autonomous robotics, biomedical devices, drug delivery and tissue engineering. The natural analogues of such systems are exemplified by nastic plant motions, where a variety of organs such as tendrils, bracts, leaves and flowers respond to environmental stimuli (such as humidity, light or touch) by varying internal turgor, which leads to dynamic conformations governed by the tissue composition and microstructural anisotropy of cell walls. Inspired by these botanical systems, we printed composite hydrogel architectures that are encoded with localized, anisotropic swelling behaviour controlled by the alignment of cellulose fibrils along prescribed four-dimensional printing pathways. When combined with a minimal theoretical framework that allows us to solve the inverse problem of designing the alignment patterns for prescribed target shapes, we can programmably fabricate plant-inspired architectures that change shape on immersion in water, yielding complex three-dimensional morphologies.

Inorganic light-emitting diodes and photodetectors represent important, established technologies for solid-state lighting, digital imaging and many other applications. Eliminating mechanical and geometrical design constraints imposed by the supporting semiconductor wafers can enable alternative uses in areas such as biomedicine and robotics. Here we describe systems that consist of arrays of interconnected, ultrathin inorganic light-emitting diodes and photodetectors configured in mechanically optimized layouts on unusual substrates. Light-emitting sutures, implantable sheets and illuminated plasmonic crystals that are compatible with complete immersion in biofluids illustrate the suitability of these technologies for use in biomedicine. Waterproof optical-proximity-sensor tapes capable of conformal integration on curved surfaces of gloves and thin, refractive-index monitors wrapped on tubing for intravenous delivery systems demonstrate possibilities in robotics and clinical medicine. These and related systems may create important, unconventional opportunities for optoelectronic devices.

Photovoltaic devices used in conjunction with functional optical elements for light concentration and spectrum splitting are known to be a viable approach for highly efficient photovoltaics. Conventional designs employ discrete optical elements, each with the task of either performing optical concentration or separating the solar spectrum. In the present work, we examine the performance of a compact photovoltaic architecture in which a single lens plays a dual role as both a concentrator and a spectrum splitter, the latter made possible by exploiting its intrinsic dispersion. A four-terminal two-junction InGaP/GaAs device is prepared to validate the concept and illustrates pathways for improvements. A spectral separation in the visible range is demonstrated at the focal point of a plano-convex lens with a geometric concentration ratio of 1104X with respect to the InGaP subcell.

This paper describes soft lithography methods that expand current fabrication capabilities by enabling high-throughput patterning on nonplanar substrates. These techniques exploit optically dense elastomeric mask elements embedded in a transparent poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) matrix by vacuum-assisted microfluidic patterning, UV–ozone-mediated irreversible sealing, and chemical etching. These protocols provide highly flexible photomasks exhibiting either positive- or negative-image contrasts, which serve as amplitude masks for large-area photolithographic patterning on a variety of curved (and planar) surfaces. When patterning on cylindrical surfaces, the developed masks do not experience significant pattern distortions. For substrates with 3D curvatures/geometries, however, the PDMS mask must undergo relatively large strains in order to make conformal contact. The new methods described in this report provide planar masks that can be patterned to compliantly compensate for both the displacements and distortions of features that result from stretching the mask to span the 3D geometry. To demonstrate this, a distortion-corrected grid pattern mask was fabricated and used in conjunction with a homemade inflation device to pattern an electrode mesh on a glass hemisphere with predictable registration and distortion compensation. The showcased mask fabrication processes are compatible with a broad range of substrates, illustrating the potential for development of complex lithographic patterns for a variety of applications in the realm of curved electronics (i.e., synthetic retinal implants and curved LED arrays) and wide field-of-view optics.

This work provides plasmonic crystal platforms for quantitative imaging mode biosensing and multispectral immunoassays, establishing and validating both the optical and equilibrium bases for their operation. We investigated the distance-dependent refractive index sensitivity of full 3D plasmonic crystals to thin polymeric films formed using layer by layer (LbL) assembly of polyelectrolytes as a model system. LbL was also used to determine the preferred gold thickness and plasmonic crystal design rules (nanowell diameter and periodicity) for improved thin-film sensitivity, and full 3D finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations were used to quantitatively model and confirm the experimentally observed thin film sensitivities. The integrated multispectral response of the crystals increases approximately linearly with film thickness for values70 nm, which enables the use of molecular rulers with known thicknesses (such as self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols on gold) to calibrate these optics for quantitative detection and speciation of surface binding events in a multiplexed imaging format. The utility of these sensors and multispectral analysis for applications in quantitative biosensing was further demonstrated by measuring the equilibrium response curve of an antibody/antigen pair (rabbit antigoat IgG/goat IgG) at increasing antigen concentrations. Fitting the integrated response to a Langmuir isotherm yielded a calculated binding constant on the order of approximately 10(7) M(-1), which is in agreement with the affinity constants reported in the literature for anti-IgG/IgG binding pairs and provides intrinsic detection limits of approximately 400 pM for such unamplified assays.

We study the refractive index sensitive transmission of a 3D plasmonic crystal that consists of a square array of subwavelength cylindrical nanowells in a polymer conformally coated with a gold film. Using extensive 3D finite-difference time-domain simulations, we investigate the effect of system parameters such as periodicity, well diameter and depth, and metal thickness on its refractive index sensitivity. These theoretical results are also confirmed experimentally in some cases. Our calculations predict an enhancement in sensitivity by an order of magnitude when the plasmonic crystal characteristics are optimized.

a device form factor that can enable powerfulnew forms of multispectral, spectroscopic, and multiplexedimaging-mode assays.For example, we recently demonstrated one-dimensionalplasmonic imaging with micrometer spatial resolution andmonolayer sensitivity using quasi-three-dimensional (quasi-3D) plasmonic crystals as sensing optic.

CMOS inverters and three-stage ring oscillators were formed on flexible plastic substrates by transfer printing of p-type and n-type single crystalline ribbons of silicon. The gain and the sum of high and low noise margins of the inverters were as high as ~150 and 4.5 V at supply voltages of 5 V, respectively. The frequencies of the ring oscillators reached 2.6 MHz at supply voltages of 10 V. These results, as obtained with devices that have relatively large critical dimensions (i.e., channel lengths in the several micrometer range), taken together with good mechanical bendability, suggest promise for the use of this type of technology for flexible electronic systems.

We describe a plasmonic crystal device possessing utility for optically transducing chemical forces. The device couples complex plasmonic fields to chemical changes via a chemoresponsive, surface-bound hydrogel. We find that this architecture significantly enhances the spectroscopic responses seen at visible wavelengths while enabling capacities for sensitive signal transduction, even in cases that involve essentially no change in refractive index, thus allowing analytical detection via colorimetric assays in both imaging and spectroscopic modes.

We demonstrate a replica molded photonic crystal structure with embedded quantum dots in which electrohydrodynamic jet printing is used to control the position of the quantum dots within the device structure. This results in significantly less waste of the quantum dot material and the targeted placement of the quantum dots minimizes any emission outside of the resonant enhancement field, enabling an 8X output enhancement and highly polarized emission from the photonic crystal structure.

The production of integrated electronic circuits provides examples of the most advanced fabrication and assembly approaches that are generally characterized by large-scale integration of high-performance compact semiconductor elements that rely on rigid and essentially planar form factors. New methods of fabricating semiconductor membranes of nanoscale thickness with intrinsic mechanical flexible features are beginning to provide a set of means to lift these constraints by engendering deformable, three-dimensional device configurations that are difficult to achieve with bulkscale materials while retaining capacities for high (or altogether new forms of) electronic and/or optoelectronic performance. Together with enabling means of deterministic assembly realized via the advancing technology of transferprinting, these light-weight nanomembrane elements can be distributed over large areas on a soft, bendable, and even biocompatible secondary substrates with high throughput and yields to realize interesting new functionalities in technology. Exemplary cases include: large-area integrated electro-optical systems laminated onto curvilinear or other 3-D surfaces for use in sensing and imaging with capacities for accommodating demanding forms of mechanical flexure; and unconventional hybrid systems for lighting and photovoltaic energy conversion that provide a potentially transformational approach to supplant current technologies with high performance, low cost alternatives. Taken together, the results of recent research efforts illustrate important opportunities for exploiting advances in materials in synergy with physical means of patterning, fabrication and assembly. In this review, we explore several exemplary applications taken from this work, and specifically highlight scalable approaches to high performance integrated systems for low cost energy technologies.

We developed a simple approach to combine broad classes of dissimilar materials into heterogeneously integrated electronic systems with two- or three-dimensional layouts. The process begins with the synthesis of different semiconductor nanomaterials, such as single-walled carbon nanotubes and single-crystal micro- and nanoscale wires and ribbons of gallium nitride, silicon, and gallium arsenide on separate substrates. Repeated application of an additive, transfer printing process that uses soft stamps with these substrates as donors, followed by device and interconnect formation, yields high-performance heterogeneously integrated electronics that incorporate any combination of semiconductor nanomaterials on rigid or flexible device substrates. This versatile methodology can produce a wide range of unusual electronic systems that would be impossible to achieve with other techniques.

The surface-induced alignment and electrooptical (EO) dynamics of a 50-nm-thick liquid crystalline (4-n-pentyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl; 5CB) film were studied at three temperatures: 25 and 33 degrees C (near the crystalline-nematic and nematic-isotropic transition temperatures, respectively) and 29 degrees C (a median temperature in the stability region of the nematic phase). The ZnSe surfaces that entrap the liquid crystal (LC) film have been polished unidirectionally to produce a grooved surface presenting nanometer-scale corrugations, a structure that induces a planar and homogeneous orientation in the nematic phase. The present work attempts to understand the influences of temperature on the surface-induced alignment and corresponding EO dynamics of the material. Step-scan time-resolved spectroscopy measurements were made to determine the rate constants for the electric-field-induced orientation and thermal relaxation of the 5CB film. The field-driven orientation rates vary sensitively with temperature across a range that spans the stability limits of the nematic phase; the relaxation rates, however, vary very little across this same temperature range. We propose that these differences in LC behavior arise as consequence of the interplay of the temperature dependence of the elastic constants, viscosity, and degree of orientational order of the LC medium. A simple theoretical model provides some understanding of these behaviors.

The present invention provides methods, systems and system components for transferring, assembling and integrating features and arrays of features having selected nanosized and/or microsized physical dimensions, shapes and spatial orientations. Methods of the present invention utilize principles of ‘soft adhesion’ to guide the transfer, assembly and/or integration of features, such as printable semiconductor elements or other components of electronic devices. Methods of the present invention are useful for transferring features from a donor substrate to the transfer surface of an elastomeric transfer device and, optionally, from the transfer surface of an elastomeric transfer device to the receiving surface of a receiving substrate. The present methods and systems provide highly efficient, registered transfer of features and arrays of features, such as printable semiconductor element, in a concerted manner that maintains the relative spatial orientations of transferred features.

This article describes the fabrication of durable metallic patterns that are embedded in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and demonstrates their use in several representative applications. The method involves the transfer and subsequent embedding of micrometer-scale gold (and other thin-film material) patterns into PDMS via adhesion chemistries mediated by silane coupling agents. We demonstrate the process as a suitable method for patterning stable functional metallization structures on PDMS, ones with limiting feature sizes less than 5 μm, and their subsequent utilization as structures suitable for use in applications ranging from soft-lithographic patterning, non-planar electronics, and microfluidic (lab-on-a-chip, LOC) analytical systems. We demonstrate specifically that metal patterns embedded in both planar and spherically curved PDMS substrates can be used as compliant contact photomasks for conventional photolithographic processes. The non-planar photomask fabricated with this technique has the same surface shape as the substrate, and thus facilitates the registration of structures in multilevel devices. This quality was specifically tested in a model demonstration in which an array of one hundred metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) devices was fabricated on a spherically curved Si single-crystalline lens. The most significant opportunities for the processes reported here, however, appear to reside in applications in analytical chemistry that exploit devices fabricated using the methods of soft lithography. Toward this end, we demonstrate durably bonded metal patterns on PDMS that are appropriate for use in microfluidic, microanalytical, and microelectromechanical systems. We describe a multilayer metal-electrode fabrication scheme (multilaminate metal–insulator–metal (MIM) structures that substantially enhance performance and stability) and use it to enable the construction of PDMS LOC devices using electrochemical detection. A polymer-based microelectrochemical analytical system, one incorporating an electrode array for cyclic voltammetry and a microfluidic system for the electrophoretic separation of dopamine and catechol with amperometric detection, is demonstrated.

Nano/microwires of semiconducting materials (e.g., GaAs and InP) with triangular cross-sections can be fabricated by "top-down" approaches that combine lithography of high-quality bulk wafers (using either traditional photolithography or phase-shift optical lithography) with anisotropic chemical etching. This method gives good control over the lateral dimensions, lengths, and morphologies of free-standing wires. The behaviors of many different resist layers and etching chemistries are presented. It is shown how wire arrays with highly ordered alignments can be transfer printed onto plastic substrates. This "top-down" approach provides a simple, effective, and versatile way of generating high-quality single-crystalline wires of various compound semiconductors. The resultant wires and wire arrays have potential applications in electronics, optics, optoelectronics, and sensing.

The orientation and dynamics of two 40-nm thick films of 4-n-pentyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (5CB), a nematic liquid crystal, have been studied using step-scan Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The films are confined in nanocavities bounded by an interdigitated electrode array (IDA) patterned on a zinc selenide (ZnSe) substrate. The effects of the ZnSe surface morphology (specifically, two variations of nanometer-scale corrugations obtained by mechanical polishing) on the initial ordering and reorientation dynamics of the electric-field-induced Freedericksz transition are presented here. The interaction of the 5CB with ZnSe surfaces bearing a spicular corrugation induces a homeotropic (surface normal) alignment of the film confined in the cavity. Alternately, when ZnSe is polished to generate fine grooves along the surface, a planar alignment is promoted in the liquid crystalline film. Time-resolved FTIR studies that enable the direct measurement of the rate constants for the electric-field-induced orientation and thermal relaxation reveal that the dynamic transitions of the two film structures are significantly different. These measurements quantitatively demonstrate the strong effects of surface morphology on the anchoring, order, and dynamics of liquid crystalline thin films.

Ultrathin silicon solar microcells (μ-cells) afford a means to reduce semiconductor material consumption and can be integrated with concentration optics to improve their power density. A μ-cell design is described that optimizes electron and photon collection with enhanced efficiency for solar concentration applications. An interdigitated back contact (IBC) design improves carrier collection partially due to larger contact coverage while further enabling optimization of the μ-cell front surface. To do so, a silicon nitride antireflection thin film coating is utilized to enhance photon absorption and improve surface passivation. Performance of IBC μ-cells is compared to an optimized top contact design and improves μ-cell conversion efficiencies from 9.9 to 13.7%. Improvements at 1 Sun are amplified under concentration and increase power densities at 20 Suns to 346 from 192 mW cm−2 due to minimized series resistance. Benefits afforded by IBC μ-cells are exemplified following their integration into a dual concentrator system, affording photon collection capacities for direct and diffuse irradiance. A traditional lens concentrates direct light while a luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) collects diffuse photons otherwise not utilized by passive optics. Addition of the LSC increases maximum power densities on clear and cloudy days, providing concentration for the latter and further increasing the power density.

Conventional multi-junction (MJ) cells are limited by requirements in epitaxial growth and current-matching. Mechanically stacked MJ cells circumvent these disadvantages, but existing approaches lack scalable manufacturing processes and suitable interfaces between the stacked cells. Here we present materials and strategies designed to bypass these limitations. The schemes involve (1) printing of microscale solar cells, (2) advanced optical/electrical/thermal interface materials and (3) packaging techniques, electrical matching networks, and compact ultrahigh concentration optics. We demonstrate quadruple junction, four-terminal solar cells with measured efficiencies of 43.9% at concentrations exceeding 1000 suns, and modules with efficiencies of 36.5%.