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Based on thin film optics (TFO) and finite element method (FEM), we have theoretically investigated improving external quantum efficiency (EQE) by anti-reflection (AR) films constructed from subwavelength nano multi-layers (NML) of low and high index materials, where the low and high index materials are MgF2 and Ta2O5, respectively. This kind of NML dielectric structures have the advantages of low-cost and flexible. Three kinds of substrates have been studied here, which are glass, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), respectively. TFO theory has been used to obtain the transmittance and reflectance, which agrees well with FEM results. For NML structure, TFO is more efficient than FEM in terms of calculation time and accuracy. The average AR effects (AAREs) are about 3.69%, 3.46% and 3.07% on glass substrate, about 6.15%, 5.56% and 5.02% on PEN substrate, and about 5.06%, 4.62% and 4.17% on PET substrate, for AR bands (ARBs) 350~800 nm, 350~1100 nm and 350~1500 nm, respectively. The results also reflect that wider AR bandwidth needs more NML layers. In practice, this kind of AR films can be widely applicable to enhance the EQE of the optoelectronic devices (OEDs).

In this paper, synthetically using refraction, diffraction, and interference effects to achieve free manipulation of the focused optical field, we firstly present a photonic nanojet (PNJ) generated by a micropyramid, which is combined with multilayer thin films. The theory of total internal reflection (TIR) was creatively used to design the base angle of the micropyramid, and the size parameters and material properties of the microstructure were deduced via the expected optical field distribution. The as-designed bilayer micropyramid array was fabricated by using the single-point diamond turning (SPDT) technique, nanoimprint lithography (NIL), and proportional inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching. After the investigation, the results of optical field measurement were highly consistent with those of the numerical simulation, and they were both within the theoretical calculation range. The bilayer micropyramid array PNJ enhanced the interference effect of incident and scattered fields, thus, the intensity of the focused light field reached 33.8-times that of the initial light, and the range of the focused light field was extended to 10.08λ. Moreover, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the focal spot achieved was 0.6λ, which was close to the diffraction limit.

Deep learning (DL) has emerged as a promising tool for photonic inverse design. Nevertheless, despite the initial success in retrieving spectra of modest complexity with nearly instantaneous readout, DL-assisted design methods often underperform in accuracy compared with advanced optimization techniques and have not proven competitive in handling spectra of practical usefulness. Here, we introduce a tandem optimization model that combines a mixture density network (MDN) and a fully connected (FC) network to inversely design practical thin-film high reflectors. The multimodal nature of the MDN gives access to infinite candidate designs described by probability distributions, which are iteratively sampled and evaluated by the FC network to allow for rapid optimization. We show that the proposed model can retrieve the reflectance spectra of 20-layer thin-film structures. More interestingly, it reproduces with high precision the periodic structures of high reflectors derived from physical principles, even though no such information is included in the training data. Improved designs with extended high-reflectance zones are also demonstrated. Our approach combines the high-efficiency advantage of DL with the optimization-enabled performance improvement, enabling efficient and on-demand inverse design for practical applications.

The generalized Brewster angle (GBA) is the incidence angle at polarization by reflection for p- or s-polarized light. Realizing an s-polarization Brewster effect requires a material with magnetic response, which is challenging at optical frequencies since the magnetic response of materials at these frequencies is extremely weak. Here, we experimentally realize the GBA effect in the visible using a thin-film absorber system consisting of a dielectric film on an absorbing substrate. Polarization by reflection is realized for both p- and s-polarized light at different angles of incidence and multiple wavelengths. We provide a theoretical framework for the generalized Brewster effect in thin-film light absorbers. We demonstrate hydrogen gas sensing using a single-layer graphene film transferred on a thin-film absorber at the GBA with ∼1 fg/mm2 aerial mass sensitivity. The ultrahigh sensitivity stems from the strong phase sensitivity near the point of darkness, particularly at the GBA, and the strong light–matter interaction in planar nanocavities. These findings depart from the traditional domain of thin films as mere interference optical coatings and highlight its many potential applications including gas sensing and biosensing.

Accurate determination of the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of molecules is crucial in many areas including molecular diagnostics, genome analysis, and organic electronics. However, interpretation of experimental spectra from thin films can be complicated by phenomena extrinsic to the site of photon emission such as optical interference and self-absorption. In this study, the alteration of fluorescence spectral lineshape is modeled from a thin film due to extrinsic factors as function of film thickness, incident angle, bandgap, and Stokes shift. The method is experimentally verified for thin (

The world of organic solar cells (OSC) have been taken by storm by the recent developments in non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) with record efficiencies being published in close succession. However, not all polymers that previously performed well in fullerene based devices are suitable for use in a blend with NFAs. This seems to be especially the case for diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) based polymers and currently there is a lack of understanding as to why. In our research we aim to improve on solar cell performance of DPP-NFA blends and elucidate the reason behind their suboptimal performance in order to extend the range of useful polymers in high efficiency (near infra-red absorbing) NFA OSCs. Preliminary results look promising with over 50% EQE improvement using a ternary solvent system which we currently attribute to better packing in the IEICO-4F phase.

I will summarize current work in my team to better understand and harness effects of molecular orientation, light extraction and thin film optics OLEDs. The orientation of emissive molecules strongly influences the efficiency of light extraction in OLEDs. However, finding links between chemical design and orientation remains an open challenge. This is in part because current measurement methods only determine an average orientation value but provide no information about the orientation distribution. We propose to overcome this limitation by a single-molecule imaging approach. This allowed us to obtain statistics of the orientation distribution in TADF host-guest systems.

This paper summarizes our results and findings made throughout the past years on the way towards a one millimeter thin, flexible, and scalable foil camera. The sensor part of the camera consists of multiple thin-film luminescent concentrator (LC) layers, each of which is sensitive to a different band of the light spectrum. A special optical micro-structure cut into the edges of the LC layers multiplexes the transported light signal into a variant of the Radon transform of the image focused on the LC surface. For increasing the camera’s depth of field beyond the sensor surface, various thin-film imaging layers, such as optical Söller collimators realized by means of X-ray lithography on a PMMA wafer, have been investigated. The flexibility and scalability of our thin-film camera has the potential to lead to new human–computer interfaces that are unconstrained in shape and sensing-distance. Applications such as contact-less sensing, smart skin sensors for autonomous robots and industrial machines, and environment sensing for vehicles are imaginable.

We demonstrate a concept and fabrication of lithography-free layered metal-SiO2 thin-film structures which have reduced reflectivity (black appearance), to as low as 0.9%, with 4.9% broadband reflectance (8.9% for soda lime) in the 500&ndash, 1400 nm range. The multi-layered (four layers) thin-film metamaterial is designed so that optical impedance matching produces minimal reflectance and transmittance within the visible and infra-red (IR) spectral region for a range of incident angles. The structure has enhanced absorbance and is easily tuned for reduced minimal transmission and reflection. This approach should allow for novel anti-reflection surfaces by impedance matching to be realized.

Photoluminescence spectroscopy is a simple and powerful characterization technique to determine material properties and dynamic effects in metal–halide perovskite optoelectronic systems. However, self-absorption and thin film cavity effects, amplified due to their high refractive indices, can have a significant impact on spectral lineshapes, affecting the inferences drawn from such characterization. In this work, key variables extrinsic to the perovskite material influencing the photoluminescence spectrum of perovskite thin films are identified and an optical model to account for these factors is proposed. The model is used to extract the intrinsic spectrum of a film using complex refractive indices and film thickness as input variables. Lastly, the use of the model is extended to multilayer systems to demonstrate its applicability to complex device-relevant stacks.

The low absorptivity of monolayer or few-layer graphene is one of the key limitations for high performance. To improve the graphene absorption, highly nanostructured or metallic systems have been usually employed, which however rely on the advanced nanofabrication with high cost or strong metallic parasitic absorption. In this study, via thin-film optics, the photonic surface waves based on purely dielectric planar system are proposed to realize perfect optical absorption by monolayer graphene with the thickness of ~ 0.34 nm. The Bloch surface wave (BSW) is found to be excited efficiently from 7-layer dielectric system by carefully addressing the admittance matching conditions, electric/magnetic field confinement, and band structure. Coupling with the strongly localized BSW field, a monolayer graphene shows an absorption ~ 100% at the designed infrared band (1310 nm, which can be tuned readily). With detailedly addressing the excitation condition of BSW, it is found that the perfect absorber can also be realized based on the more generalized surface waves from aperiodic structure. It is believed that the thin-film and purely dielectric surface wave system provides two-dimensional devices a promising opportunity for low-cost and high-performance applications.

Chalcogenide glasses as nanoscale thin films have become leading candidates for several optical and photonic technologies, ranging from reflective displays and filters to photonic memories. Current material systems, however, show strong optical absorption which limits their performance efficiencies and complicates device level integration. Herein, we report sputter deposited thin films of GeSe3, which are low loss and in which the flexible nature of the atomic structure results in thermally activated tunability in the refractive index as well as in the film’s physical volume. Such changes, which occur beyond a threshold temperature are observed to be accumulative and directed towards a more equilibrium amorphous state of the film, instead of crystallization. Our results provide insights into a new type of configurability that is based on strong coupling in the material’s opto-structural properties. The low optical losses in this material system combined with the tunability in the optical properties in the visible and near-infrared have direct application in higher performing optical coatings and in corrective optics.

Thin film optics, based on light interference characteristics, are attracting increasing interest because of their ability to enable a functional color coating for various applications in optical, electronic, and solar industries. Here, we report on the dependence of coloring characteristics on single-layer TiO2 thicknesses and alternating TiO2/Al2O3 multilayer structures prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) at a low growth temperature. The ALD TiO2 and Al2O3 thin films were studied at a low growth temperature of 80°C. Then, the coloring features in the single-layer TiO2 and alternating TiO2/Al2O3 multilayers using both the ALD processes were experimentally examined on a TiN/cut stainless steel sheet. The Essential Macleod software was used to estimate and compare the color coating results. The simulation results revealed that five different colors of the single TiO2 layers were shown experimentally, depending on the film thickness. For the purpose of highly uniform pink color coating, the film structures of TiO2/Al2O3 multilayers were designed in advance. It was experimentally demonstrated that the evaluated colors corresponded well with the simulated color spectrum results, exhibiting a uniform pink color with wide incident angles ranging from 0° to 75°. This article advances practical applications requiring highly uniform color coatings of surfaces in a variety of optical coating areas with complex topographical structures.

To date, there is no ideal anti-reflection (AR) coating available on solar glass which can effectively transmit the incident light within the visible wavelength range. However, there is a need to develop multifunctional coating with superior anti-reflection properties and self-cleaning ability meant to be used for solar glass panels. In spite of self-cleaning ability of materials like TiO2 and ZnO, these coatings on glass substrate have tendency to reduce light transmission due to their high refractive indices than glass. Thus, to infuse the anti-reflective property, a low refractive index, SiO2 layer needs to be used in conjunction with TiO2 and ZnO layers. In such case, the optimization of individual layer thickness is crucial to achieve maximum transmittance of the visible light. In the present study, we propose an omni-directional anti-reflection coating design for the visible spectral wavelength range of 400–700 nm, where the maximum intensity of light is converted into electrical energy. Herein, we employ the quarter wavelength criteria using SiO2, TiO2 and ZnO to design the coating composed of single, double and triple layers. The thickness of individual layers was optimized for maximum light transmittance using essential Mcleod simulation software to produce destructive interference between reflected waves and constructive interference between transmitted waves.

We prepare photonic crystal (PC) films both on rigid silicon (Si) and flexible plastic substrates by a vacuum coating method. The PC films are designed for far-infrared and laser-compatible camouflage, and we calculate their reflectance spectra by means of the characteristic matrix method using thin film optics theory. The reflectance of the 8–12 μm band and the defect locations are affected slightly, but the far-infrared and laser-compatible camouflage are still excellent. Also we prepare the PC films on polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalates (PET), which exhibit outstanding flexibility and remarkable optical properties with a reflectance of >0.95 in the far-infrared and ∼0.08 at the defect wavelength. These results provide new materials to fabricate PC films for far-infrared and laser-band applications with high flexibility and excellent camouflage compatibility.

With the increment of awareness of health, people now pay more and more attention to the safety of sunscreen products. Inorganic sunscreen agents, such as nano- TiO 2 , nano- SiO 2 , nano- ZnO , and nano- Al 2 O 3 are very popular among consumers for their advantages, such as the nontoxic, the odorless, not easy to decompose, not easy to undergo metamorphism, and a good ability of resisting. Based on the theory of thin film optics, two kinds of nano-films are researched and designed on the basis of the structure of photonic crystal in this paper. We conduct the simulation calculation to the transmittance of the films in the ultraviolet region with the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method and theoretically validate that these films can keep the ultraviolet radiation off well. Besides, the superposition of two film stacks effectively expands the width of the forbidden band against ultraviolet light. This provides a theoretical basis for the inorganic sunscreen agents applied to umbrellas coating, sunscreen coating, and anti-UV fabric and so on.

Holography can offer unique solutions to the specific problems faced by automotive optical systems. Frequently, when possibilities have been exhausted using refractive and refractive designs, diffraction can come to the rescue by opening a new dimension to explore. Holographic optical elements (HOEs), for example, are thin film optics that can advantageously replace lenses, prisms, or mirrors. Head up display (HUD) and LIDAR for autonomous vehicles are two of the systems where our group have used HOEs to provide original answers to the limitations of classical optic. With HUD, HOEs address the problems of the limited field of view, and small eye box usually found in projection systems. Our approach is to recycle the light multiple times inside a waveguide so the combiner can be as large as the entire windshield. In this system, a hologram is used to inject a small image at one end of a waveguide, and another hologram is used to extract the image several times, providing an expanded eye box. In the case of LIDAR systems, non-mechanical beam scanning based on diffractive spatial light modulator (SLM), are only able to achieve an angular range of few degrees. We used multiplexed volume holograms (VH) to amplify the initial diffraction angle from the SLM to achieve up to 4π steradian coverage in a compact form factor.

Perovskite/silicon tandems have the potential to surpass the efficiencies possible with single-junction silicon solar cells. Recently, perovskites with wide bandgaps have been demonstrated that can reduce the thermalization losses and make it feasible to boost the efficiency. However, perovskite/silicon tandems on planar silicon cells are multi-layered devices that exhibit strong interference which makes current matching difficult to achieve in two-terminal devices. We perform comprehensive optical modeling of perovskite/silicon tandems with a range of different bandgap perovskites and textures to determine the top-cell thicknesses necessary to achieve current matching for varying top-cell bandgap. Our results show it is possible to achieve 27% efficiency with 1.67 eV bandgap perovskite, and even higher efficiency is possible by minimizing parasitic losses.

Localized rapid heating process utilizing carbide-bonded graphene-coated silicon molds is a high-efficiency and energy-saving technique for high-volume fabrication of polymer optics. The graphene coating is used as a rapid heating element because of its high thermal conductivity and low electrical resistivity. However, the optical property of molded polymer and its dependence on process conditions such as heat transfer have not been thoroughly investigated. In this research, finite element method (FEM) simulation was utilized to interpret temperature changes of the graphene coating and heat transfer between graphene and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) in localized rapid heating. Experiments were then carried out under different voltages to validate the numerical model. In addition, refractive index variation of the PMMA lens resulting from nonuniform thermal history in molding was demonstrated by simulation modeling as well. Finally, wavefront variation of a PMMA lens molded by localized rapid heating was first studied using an FEM model and then verified by optical measurements with a Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWFS). The wavefront variation in a PMMA lens molded by conventional method was also measured. Compared with conventional molding process, localized rapid heating is shown to be a possible alternative for better optical performance with a much shorter cycle time.

Optical interference thin films designed and fabricated for use in a Cassegrain telescope were deposited by ion-beam-assisted deposition. The optical parameters of optical interference filters array and the protection layers of silver reflector were simulated and optimized by using admittance loci analysis. The patterned multispectral assembly containing blue, green, red, near infrared, and panchromatic multilayer high/low alternated dielectric band-pass filter arrays in a single chip was fabricated by photolithography process. The corresponding properties of the films were measured by in situ optical monitor and spectrometry. It was found that the average transmittances were above 90% for the multispectral assembly, with a rejection transmittance of less than 1% in the spectral range of 350–1100 nm. The average reflectance of the large area silver mirror (with three layers protective interference coating) is boosted above 99% in visible spectrum. In addition, the equivalent admittance of the three protection layer has been derived.

Highly transparent electrodes are demonstrated based on thermally evaporated calcium:silver blend thin–films, which show unusually high transmission well above the expectations from bulk material properties and thin film optics. These electrodes exhibit a low sheet resistance of 27.3 Ω/, combined with an extraordinarily high mean transmittance of 93.0% in the visible spectral range (σdc/σopt = 186.7), superior to the commonly used inorganic electrodes made from indium tin oxide (ITO). Additionally, the metal blend electrode is flexible, showing a constant sheet resistance down to a bending radius of 10 mm and can be employed on top of organic devices without causing damage to the organic material. The spontaneously formed unique microstructure of a polycrystalline Ag network with randomly distributed nanoapertures, surrounded by a calcium shell, enables broadband transmittance enhancement due to amplified plasmonic coupling. Consequently, top-illuminated organic solar cells using such metal blend electrodes achieve a power conversion efficiency of 7.2% (which defines a new record for top illuminated organic solar cells) and even exceed the efficiency of similar bottom-illuminated reference solar cells (6.9%) employing common ITO electrodes.

A simulation of room temperature spectral emissivity of an industry standard VOx-based microbolometer structure, with x equal to 1·8, is presented in this study. The simulation is based on Multi-Rad, a package that implements thin film optics in the form of matrix method of multilayers and assumes the layers to be optically smooth, parallel to each other and optically isotropic. The simulated results are shown to be in good accord with the available experimental data in the literature. The calculations show that bare VOx, that is VO2, V2O3 and V2O5, with different thicknesses, exhibits wavelength-dependent emissivity that scales almost linearly with thickness. In the wavelength range of 8–14 µm, the spectral emissivity of bare VOx, consisting of the stacked layers of the thin films of VO2, V2O3 and V2O5, of total thickness of 500 Å, behaves as a mixed system. The Si3N4 overlayer does not change the spectral emissivity of Al/Si while it decreases the spectral emissivity of the VOx/Si3N4/Air/Al/Si system. Calculations show that the Si3N4 layer provides the much-desired linear performance of the VOx-based microbolometer.

The effect of a commonly used hole injection layer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT–PSS), on polymer light-emitting diode (PLED) performance has been investigated. A series of four different types of commercial PEDOT–PSS, with varying resistivity and work function were examined in devices with the structure Indium Tin Oxide (ITO)/PEDOT–PSS/High Molecular Weight Poly(n-vinylcarbazole) (PVKH): 30% N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-N,N′-diphenylbenzidine (TPD)/Low molecular Weight Poly(n-vinylcarbazole) (PVKL): 40% 2-(4-Biphenyl)-5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole (PBD): 8% Ir(ppy)3. It was found that the PEDOT–PSS with the highest work function and resistivity produced the devices with the highest efficiencies; this is due to the improved hole injection effect, the decrease in electron leakage current and the prevention of pixel crosstalk. A maximum device current efficiency of 33.4 cd A−1 has been achieved for the most resistive PEDOT; this corresponded to an external quantum efficiency (E.Q.E.) of 11%. Increasing the work function of the PEDOT used resulted in a 60% increase in E.Q.E. and device efficiency for PEDOTs in the same resistivity range. Drift–diffusion simulations, carried out using SEmiconducting Thin Film Optics Simulation software (SETFOS) 3.2, produced J–V curves in good agreement with the experimentally observed results; this allowed us to extract qualitative values for the effective device mobility along with the PEDOT work function and resistivity.

Structural effects contribute to the coloration of many animals. Whereas extremely complex structures have evolved, often coloration is due to the most simple structure, namely a thin film. Here we present a number of examples where thin film optics plays a prominent role, namely in insect wings and bird feathers. Most butterfly wing scales have a lower lamina that prominently determines the color. Damselfly wings with protrusions have reduced thin film reflections. A limited stack of multilayers features also distinct thin film properties, as is shown for feather barbules of the bird of paradise, Lawes’ parotia. A simple method to derive the thickness of the wing structures is described.

Large aperture thin film optics typically have substantial shape errors which are difficult to quantify with conventional measurement methods, such as interferometry. The interferograms are normally too complex and contain too much information to discern relevant shape information pertinent to (for example) solar energy collection. This has led to the development of the laboratory-oriented, less expensive and less complex measurement procedure presented here. The method is based on well-defined geometric relationships and provides a novel approach to measuring the shape of large optics that are known to have substantial surface distortion. Once the local reflection (surface tilt) angles are determined, the overall shape can be reconstructed and further analyzed using ray tracing software to obtain aberration coefficients if desired. This technique lends itself to being easily scalable to very large membrane structures and the measurement precision is only limited by the equipment chosen.

In search of next-generation solar cells, silicon nanowire arrays have attracted great attention since they are cost-effective and may absorb more light compared to current thin-film silicon solar cells. Theoretical studies using finite-difference time-domain and transfer matrix methods have been performed to investigate the optical properties of silicon nanowire (SiNW) arrays. However, these methods are computationally intensive and require periodic conditions, which may not be satisfied with most fabricated samples. In the present study, an effective medium analysis considering the anisotropic nature of vertically aligned SiNWs is performed to study their optical properties in the wavelength range from 310 nm to 1100 nm, which is of the most importance for solar photovoltaic cells. The effective dielectric functions of the SiNW layer for both ordinary and extraordinary waves are obtained from the Bruggeman approximation. Thin-film optics formulae incorporating the anisotropic wave propagation in uniaxial media are employed to calculate the reflectance and absorptance of the SiNWs on silicon substrates for different polarizations. The effect of geometric parameters such as filling ratio and wire length is investigated. In addition to modeling the directional radiative properties at various angles of incidence, the hemispherical properties are also calculated to understand the light absorption and to facilitate the optimal design of high-performance SiNW solar cells.