Photonic systems for energy control

Thermophotovoltaic cells convert infrared thermal radiation into electricity. Their main components are a selective thermal emitter and a photovoltaic cell. The emitter operates at high temperature and selectively emits thermal radiation matched to the photovoltaic cell. Our research focuses on design and optimization of the relevant device components.

1. A Numerical Study of High-Temperature, Disk-Based Tungsten and Molybdenum Thermophotovoltaic Selective Thermal Emitters. Optics Express, 2025. doi:10.1364/OE.545130
2. High-temperature tungsten-hafnia optimized selective thermal emitters for thermophotovoltaic applications. Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, 2019. doi:10.1016/j.jqsrt.2019.04.008
3. Study of W/HfO2 grating selective thermal emitters for thermophotovoltaic applications. Optics Express, 2018. doi:10.1364/OE.26.00A929

Modern optical devices rely on precise electromagnetic control. Lasers, diodes, mirrors, filters, and gratings require accurate modeling and optimization. Our work develops and applies numerical techniques for high-performance optical components.

1. Uncertainty quantification in diffraction gratings: reliability analysis using a reduced basis method. JOSA A, 2025. doi:10.1364/JOSAA.547823
2. Diffraction efficiency optimization for multilayered parametric holographic gratings. Optics Letters, 2021. doi:10.1364/OL.431532
3. Optimization methods for achieving high diffraction efficiency with perfect electric conducting gratings. JOSA A, 2020. Editors' Pick. doi:10.1364/JOSAA.394204
4. Quantifying the impact of random surface perturbations on reflective gratings. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, 2017. doi:10.1109/TAP.2017.2780902

Radiative emitters can passively manage heat in photovoltaic systems and other devices. This work studies photonic structures for solar-cell cooling as well as thermal surfaces that combine hotspot cooling with atmospheric water collection.

1. From flat to structured: geometry-driven dual-mode radiative emitters for simultaneous hotspot cooling and water harvesting. Energy & Environmental Science, 2026 (in press). doi:10.1039/D6EE04674F
2. Numerical study of sodalime and PDMS hemisphere photonic structures for radiative cooling of silicon solar cells. Optics Express, 2022. doi:10.1364/OE.466335

Collaborative work on semiconductor surfaces, electronic structure, and high-frequency devices.

1. Insight mechanisms of complex roughening dynamics and investigation of fractal parameters, optical constant, and dispersion parameters of CdS thin films for p-n (n-CdS/p-Si) heterojunction-based photodetector. Emergent Materials, 2025. doi:10.1007/s42247-025-01018-7
2. Tuning the Electronic Bandgap of Penta-Graphene from Insulator to Metal Through Functionalization: A First-Principles Calculation. Nanomaterials, 2024. doi:10.3390/nano14211751
3. Polarization-Graded High-Electron-Mobility Transistors for Improved Johnson's Figure of Merit. physica status solidi (a), 2024. doi:10.1002/pssa.202300923