Tellurite Glasses: Solar Cell, Laser, and Luminescent Displays Applications

Abstract

Rare-earth-doped glasses can be exploited to control the solar spectrum in order to enhance the solar cell efficiency. We review recent results of the management of the solar spectrum on a solar cell using rare-earth ion-doped TeO2-ZnO glasses, with and without metallic nanoparticles, as a cover slip. Transparent rare-earth-doped materials as glasses can absorb light at shorter wavelength and emit light at longer wavelengths, the well-known downconversion process; besides they have the advantage of easy preparation and high doping concentration of rare-earth ions. In this context tellurite glasses appear as potential candidates because of their wide transmission window (400–5000 nm), low phonon energy (800 cm−1) when compared to silicate, and thermal and chemical stability. Few vitreous hosts have been investigated to be used as cover slip to enhance the performance of conventional solar cell; so the lack of studies using rare-earth-doped glasses on the top of standard solar cells has motivated the recent reports that are reviewed in this chapter. We discuss the role of the downconversion process to increase the solar cell efficiency. It is shown that the management of Tb3+ and Yb3+ ions concentration can be optimized to modify the solar spectrum and consequently increase the solar cell efficiency. It is demonstrated that plasmon-assisted efficiency enhancement could be obtained for commercial Si and GaP solar cells, respectively, covered with Eu3+-doped TeO2-ZnO glasses with silver nanoparticles. Tellurite glasses have also proven to be adequate hosts for rare-earth ions and for the nucleation of metallic nanoparticles (NPs). We review results of the modification introduced by different Nd2O3 concentration on the laser operation of TeO2-ZnO glasses. The control and improvement of the photoluminescence efficiency due to the nucleation of gold NPs in Yb3+/Er3+-doped TeO2-PbO-GeO2 glasses is also reviewed. It is shown that the nucleation of silver NPs in Tb3+-doped TeO2-ZnO-Na2O-PbO glass contributes for the large enhancement in the blue-red spectrum.