PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 29, 2012 — Solar cell efficiency, currently hovering in the 15 to 20 percent range, can theoretically be boosted to as high as 70 percent by printing specially engineered nanostructures on the cells, researchers say. It has long been thought that conversion efficiency of solar cells cannot exceed 34 percent for a single material or less than about 45 percent for the most efficient cells. A thermodynamic limit is responsible for this practical limitation. By clever light management, Harry Atwater, applied physicist at California Institute of Technology, and his colleague Albert Polman of the...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESFabrication Method Could Expand Perovskite ProductionA simple, synthetic process for fabricating stable perovskite solar cells has overcome a preventative challenge to large-scale production, and, as a result, to product commercialization. A team from...Photonics Spectra June 2021 IssueSemiconductors Manipulate Light for Drug Molecule CharacterizationA photonic effect in semiconducting helical particles, discovered through a collaboration between the University of Bath and the University of Michigan, could facilitate the use of robotic chemistry...Photonics.com 2/1/2022Programmable 2D Nanomaterial Captures Artificial Light for BioimagingA light-harvesting nanomaterial inspired by the hierarchically structured biominerals in nature could be used to build artificial light-harvesting systems for bioimaging, photovoltaics, and other...BioPhotonics Jul/Aug 2021 IssueResearch Reveals Surprising Behaviors of NanoparticlesA collaboration between scientists from the University of New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Institute of Optics (Spain) has developed a framework that enables the efficient and...Photonics Spectra August 2021 IssuePRODUCTSNanoimprinting PlatformThe Portis1100 standalone proprietary R2P nanoimprinting platform from Morphotonics BV can imprint at 1100 × 1300-mm GEN5 substrate sizes. Ideal for R&D, process development, and...Photonics Spectra November 2020 IssueThermal SensorThe Ophir F150(200)A-CM-16 thermal sensor from MKS Instruments Inc. measures high repetition rate lasers with short pulses in the nanosecond, picosecond, and femtosecond ranges. The compact,...BioPhotonics May/Jun 2022 IssueSWIR CameraThe Ninox 640 SU SWIR Camera from Raptor Photonics Ltd. is a vacuum-cooled, InGaAs-based camera with a 640 × 512 sensor and a 15 × 15-µm pixel pitch for high spatial resolution. ...BioPhotonics Mar/Apr 2021 IssuePulsed Green Fiber LaserThe Spectra-Physics® SPFL 532-40 pulsed green fiber laser from MKS Instruments Inc. features >40-W output power and up to 180 μJ pulse energy. The SPFL 532-40 features...Photonics Spectra October 2020 IssuePHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESPhysical Constants & Conversion FactorsPhysical Constants & Conversion Factors Length [I] 1 meter (m) = 39.3700 in. = 3.280833 ft = 1.093611 yd 1 kilometer (km) = 0.6213711 mi = 0.53996 nautical mi 1 micron (µm) =...Photonics HandbookLaser Safety: Important Considerations: Laser safety is nothing to scoff at; lasers can be hazardous. Enter Class 1 laser products — lasers that are so safe that the user doesn’t require specific laser safety training or protective eyewear. Some precautions still exist, though.When purchasing an industrial laser system, the astute buyer will look for a Class 1 laser product — a system where the laser beam hazard is completely enclosed and there is no potential laser...Photonics HandbookPositioning System Performance: Understanding the Rules: To make the right decisions and to ensure satisfactory performance in a positioning system, it is necessary to first have a grasp of performance parameters and an understanding of their definitions.Abbe Error — Linear off-axis errors introduced by angular deviations coupled to a moment arm at the point of interest on stage mounted devices (θ in Figure 1). The effect of Abbe error...Photonics HandbookIndustrial Lasers: An Introduction to Process Qualification: The step from successfully demonstrating a new laser process on a limited number of samples under laboratory conditions, to scaling that process up for high-volume industrial use is a big one. In particular, it’s necessary to determine how variations in process parameters affect end results, so that acceptable process input and operating ranges can be determined.Materials processing with lasers is actually a broad term for a diverse range of applications. The major categories of these uses, and the lasers that service them, are summarized Table 1. At one...Photonics HandbookWEBINARSCurrent Status of Solar Photovoltaic Technology Platforms, Manufacturing Issues and ResearchQuestions, Answers & Comments from the Webinar Current Status of Solar Photovoltaic Technology Platforms, Manufacturing Issues and Research Thursday, Sept. 27, 1 p.m. EDT ...Photonics.com 9/27/2012European Photonics Manufacturing Services Funded by ECThis event is supported by the European initiatives presented and is moderated by EPIC, the European Photonics Industry Consortium. The European Commission is helping companies access the...Photonics.com 6/30/2021Developments in Optics and Optical ComponentsFree Webinar Additional Questions & Answers from the Webinar below: Speakers: Dr. Robert R. McLeod Associate Professor and Graduate Director Electrical, Computer and Energy...Photonics.com 5/29/2013Concentrator Photovoltaics: Not Just Solar CellsAn efficiency of 46 percent has recently been achieved with four-junction solar cells under a concentration on the cell of 508 times the normal solar power flux on the Earth’s surface. Such...Photonics.com 3/18/2015PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSsingle-walled carbon nanotubesReferred to as SWCNTs, these cylindrical nanostructures composed of a folded sheet of graphene can be used as near-infrared markers for small animal multiplex imaging. Emitting at different...EDU.photonics.com 11/14/2016solar batteryA series of solar cells arranged to collect solar radiation and to generate a given amount of electrical energy.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009fluorescence decay systemA device, also called a fluorescence lifetime instrument, that measures decay curves of fluorescing samples. It generally consists of a gated pulsed flashlamp or a cavity dumped dye laser...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009four-level laserA solid-state laser consisting of active atoms or ions of a transition metal, rare-earth metal or actinide, imbedded in a crystal or glass material, often garnet. Excitation and transfer to different...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009MEDIAPhotonics on the Showroom Floor and in the Lab - LIGHT MATTERS 02.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you on a brief tour of the Higgins Laboratories at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Quinsigamond Community College and WPI received a $4M grant...Photonics.com 2/21/2018Fundamentally Different Photonics - LIGHT MATTERS 03.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you to the South by Southwest (SXSW) Trade Show in Austin, Texas, as new photonics innovations hit the show floor of the Austin Convention Center....Photonics.com 3/29/2018Light Matters Extra: Weird and Strange: Quantum Photonics - 03.2018In this month's Light Matters Extra, we take you to the Quantum Photonics Laboratory at MIT run by Dr. Dirk Englund. Dr. Englund's group, the Quantum Photonics Group, is made up of postdocs and...Photonics.com 3/29/2018PIC Fundamentals, Design at Heart of AIM Photonics Summer AcademyStudents from large and small size companies and bigger Department of Defense affiliates of the AIM Photonics Institute took part in the recent AIM Photonics Summer Academy at MIT. This was the third...Photonics.com 7/30/2018PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESSemiconductor NanotechnologySolar Cells and WafersSolar Photovoltaic SystemsSolar Energy CollectorsCOMPANIESOhara Corporation, Western OfficeOhara manufactures precision optical glasses: strip/slab, cut/molded blanks, pressings, high homogeneity blanks, fine gobs, polished ball lenses, near-UV transmitting i-Line glass, ceramic...Photonics Buyers' GuidePrior Scientific Inc.For over 100 years, Prior Scientific has been manufacturing precision optical and electro-mechanical equipment and instrumentation. Prior is a leader in the development of precision motion,...Photonics Buyers' GuideOphir, PhotonicsOphir is a brand within the MKS Instruments Light & Motion division. The Ophir product portfolio consists of laser and LED measurement products, including laser power and energy meters, laser...Photonics Buyers' GuideLaserPoint srlPhotonics Buyers' Guide