Characterizations of high-voltage vertically-stacked GaAs laser power converter

To augment the intelligence and safety of a rocket or ammunition engine start, an intelligent initiation system needs to be included in the data link. A laser-controlled intelligent initiation system with inherent safety and a laser-controlled explosion-initiating device (LCEID) incorporating electromagnetic pulse (EMP) resistant, safe-and-arms fast-acting modular device based on photovoltaic power converter technology is designed and fabricated in this work. LCEID is an integrated multi-function module consisting of the optical beam expander, GaAs photovoltaic (PV) array, safe-and-arms integrated circuit, and low-energy initiator. These components contribute to EMP resistance, fast-acting, safe-and-arm, and reliable firing, respectively. To achieve intelligent initiation, each LCEID has a unique “identification information” and a “broadcast address” embedded in integrated-circuit read-only memory (ROM), which is controlled by encoded laser addressing. The GaAs PV array was investigated to meet the low-energy initiator firing voltage requirements. Experimental results show that the open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, and maximum power output of the four-junction GaAs PV array illuminated by a 5.5 W/cm2 laser beam were 220 mA, 21.5 V, and 3.70 W, respectively. When the voltage of the 22 μF energy storage capacitor exceeds 20 V, the laser charging time is found to be shorter than 2.5 s. Other aspects of LCEID, such as laser energy coupling efficiency, the firing process, and the energy-boosting mechanism, were explored. Measurements show that the coupling efficiency of the micro lens with a radius of curvature D = 20 μm and size of r = 50 μm reaches a maximum of 93.5%. Furthermore, for more than 18 V charge voltage, the LCEID is found to perform reliably. The fabricated LCEID demonstrated a high level of integration and intrinsic safety, as well as a finely tailored initiation performance that could be useful in military applications.

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“… Laser storage and fire circuit of LCEID. Annotation: each PV consists of ten-junction vertically-stacked GaAs cells, as in reference [ 21 ]. …”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Design, Fabrication, and Characterization of a Laser-Controlled Explosion-Initiating Device with Integrated Safe-and-Arm, EMP-Resistant, and Fast-Acting Technology Based on Photovoltaic Power Converter

et al. 2022

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“…The optical-to-electrical power conversion efficiency of the PPC depends on the chip design and material quality, the wavelength, intensity, and illumination profile of the incident light, and the cell temperature. The most efficient PPCs to date are based on GaAs and absorb in the wavelength range of 800-850 nm [2], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], yielding power conversion efficiencies up to 69% [16]. Other material systems have been explored for PPCs targeting operation at different wavelengths [2] such as 980 nm [23], 1064 nm [24], [25], [26], and 1550 nm [23], [27], [28], [29], [30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

InP- and GaAs-Based Photonic Power Converters Under O-Band Laser Illumination: Performance Analysis and Comparison

Beattie

Helmers

Forcade

et al. 2023

IEEE J. Photovoltaics

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Photonic power converters (PPCs), which convert narrow-band light to electricity, are essential components in powerby-light systems. When designed for telecommunications wavelengths such as the O-band, near 1310 nm, the devices are wellsuited to power-over-fiber applications. Despite the potential for very high power conversion efficiencies (> 50%), PPCs can be adversely affected by high-intensity nonuniform illumination conditions. In this work, we characterized two O-band PPC designs based on: high-quality InGaAsP absorber material lattice-matched to an InP substrate, and metamorphic InGaAs absorber material lattice-mismatched to a GaAs substrate, a more cost-effective and scalable alternative. We measured each device under O-band laser illumination with five beam profiles having peak-to-average ratios ranging from 2 to 11. Both devices were insensitive to the beam uniformity for input illumination with average irradiance below 2 W/cm 2 over their 5.4-mm 2 active areas, but exhibited better open-circuit voltages under larger, more uniform illumination profiles at higher incident powers. Measured efficiencies reached 52.8% and 48.7% for the lattice-matched and mismatched devices, respectively. Distributed circuit modeling results suggested that both lateral conduction losses and localized heating effects were responsible for the measured dependence on beam-size. Our work demonstrates the potential for O-band PPCs, presenting two highly efficient designs suitable for powering devices requiring 250 mW, with an appropriate illumination profile.

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68.9% Efficient GaAs‐Based Photonic Power Conversion Enabled by Photon Recycling and Optical Resonance

Helmers

López

Höhn

et al. 2021

Physica Rapid Research Ltrs

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For solar cells operating under the broad‐band solar spectrum, the photovoltaic conversion efficiency is fundamentally limited by transmission and thermalization losses. For monochromatic light, these losses can be minimized by matching the photon energy and the absorber material's bandgap energy. Furthermore, for high‐crystal‐quality direct semiconductors, radiative recombination dominates the minority carrier recombination. Light‐trapping schemes can leverage reabsorption of thereby internally generated photons. Such photon recycling increases the effective excess carrier concentration, which, in turn, increases photovoltage and consequently conversion efficiency. Herein, a back surface reflector underneath a GaAs/AlGaAs rear‐heterojunction structure leverages photon recycling to effectively reduce radiative recombination losses and therefore boost the photovoltage. At the same time, resonance in the created optical cavity is tailored to enhance near‐bandgap absorption and, thus, minimize thermalization loss. With a thin film process and a combined dielectric–metal reflector, an unprecedented photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 68.9 ± 2.8% under 858 nm monochromatic light at an irradiance of 11.4 W cm−2 is demonstrated.

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Characterizations of high-voltage vertically-stacked GaAs laser power converter

Cited by 11 publications

References 30 publications

Design, Fabrication, and Characterization of a Laser-Controlled Explosion-Initiating Device with Integrated Safe-and-Arm, EMP-Resistant, and Fast-Acting Technology Based on Photovoltaic Power Converter

Design, Fabrication, and Characterization of a Laser-Controlled Explosion-Initiating Device with Integrated Safe-and-Arm, EMP-Resistant, and Fast-Acting Technology Based on Photovoltaic Power Converter

InP- and GaAs-Based Photonic Power Converters Under O-Band Laser Illumination: Performance Analysis and Comparison

68.9% Efficient GaAs‐Based Photonic Power Conversion Enabled by Photon Recycling and Optical Resonance

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