Events Calendar

EE-Electrophysics Seminar

Speaker: Owen Miller, University of California, Berkeley

Talk Title: The Opto-Electronic Physics that is Breaking Solar Cell Efficiency Records, and Inverse Design as a New Computation Paradigm

Abstract: The first half of the talk will be devoted to the physics of high-efficiency solar cells. As solar cells approach fundamental efficiency limits, their internal physics transforms. Photonic considerations, instead of electronic ones, are the key to reaching the highest voltages and efficiencies. The single-junction efficiency record was stuck at 25.1% from 1990-2007; proper photon management led to Alta Device’s recent dramatic increase of the solar cell efficiency record to 28.3%.

The second half of the talk will introduce inverse design as a new computational paradigm in photonics. An assortment of techniques (FDTD, FEM, etc.) have enabled quick and accurate simulation of the “forward problem” of finding fields for a given geometry. However, scientists and engineers are typically more interested in the inverse problem: for a desired functionality, what geometry is needed? Answering this question breaks from the emphasis on the forward problem and forges a new path in computational photonics. The framework of shape calculus enables one to quickly find superior, non-intuitive designs. Novel designs for optical cloaking, nano-metallic antennas, and sub-wavelength solar cell applications will be presented.


Biography: Owen Miller is a Ph.D. candidate in the Yablonovitch group at UC Berkeley. He double-majored in Electrical Engineering and Physics at the University of Virginia, where he graduated first in his class. He was a recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship.

Host: EE-Electrophysics

More Info: ee.usc.edu/news

Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Marilyn Poplawski

Event Link: ee.usc.edu/news