Harvesting light energy with optical rectennas
Résumé
This work presents investigations about the realisation and modelisation of rectenna solar cells. Rectennas are antennas coupled with a rectifier to convert the alternative current originating from the antenna into direct current that can be harvested and stored. By reducing the size of the antennas to the nano-scale, interactions with visible and near infrared light become possible. If techniques such as nano-imprint lithography make possible the fabrication of sufficiently small plasmonic structures to act as optical antennas, the concept of rectenna still faces several challenges. One of the most critical point is to achieve rectification at optical frequencies. To address this matter, we propose to use molecular diodes that can be self assembled on metallic surfaces. In this paper, we present basic rectenna theory as well as optical simulations of plasmonic structures and first experimental results of samples fabrication.
Domaines
Physique [physics]| Origine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
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