Quantum dots for more efficient solar panels
Tuesday, September 25, 2007 by Grant DrenkowI recently attended the SPIE Optics East Conference in Boston. Nanotechnology is having a strong influence on optics. In particular, researchers are looking for a way to increase the efficiency of photovoltaics and solar cells to reduce our dependency on fossil fuel. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado recently hosted the Colorado Nanotechnology Alliance. An odd combination? Not really. NREL, a government-funded center, is actively testing a variety of nanotechnology materials, looking for the most efficient way to turn solar energy into electricity. An article just released talks about NREL’s interest in quantum dots to improve the efficiency of photovoltaic material. <Learn More>
Researchers like those at the University of Toronto in Canada have been looking at quantum dots for a number of years. Steven McDonald and his team have been using a semiconductor parameter analyzer to measure the low level voltage and current generated by quantum dots. In an article published in Nature Materials in January 19, 2005 they were measuring currents on the order of 100 nanoamps and voltages of around 5 volts. Semiconductor analyzers like the Agilent B1500A are ideal tools for solar panel and photovoltaic research because of their ability to measure currents down to atto-amps and voltages in the microvolts. Atomic force microscopes are nice complements to the electronic measurements, allowing one to look at the surface of material and the individual quantum dots.
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Agilent B1500A Semiconductor Analyzer
