Manuscript Topics

The aim of this special issue is to bring together two research areas: that one of solar cells and the one of photonic devices.

Today we convert the solar energy into electricity, but in the future the solar energy will maybe use directly through photonic devices.

Our needs in electricity are based on the need to make functioning different devices and among that a great part is for communication, informatics and computational devices.

Figure 1. Today solar energy applications for data transmission [1].

Today the radiative energy (light) is converted into electrical energy and electrical signals are transformed again into optical signals (light). Each conversion of the energy from a form to another means losses.  Hence since scheme depicted in Figure .1 means to pass from light to light by converting light in electricity and the electricity into light, the question that rise is why not to use directly the light? Beside the electrical modulation, it also exist the direct optical modulation and the proof concept was already realized more than one hundred years ago (the photophone). The idea of Bell for transporting the information by using light wasn’t developed more at that time because the carrier wave transporting the information propagate in air (visible light) was subjected to many losses due to the environment obstacles. This is not the case today, when the transmission of light pulses can be done at long distances and without losses through optical fibers. Today the information is electrical modulated. Then the signal contain the information is converted in optical signal by using light emitting diodes or short pulsed laser. At short distance the transmission wireless of data can also be done by light using the LIFI (Light Fidelity) technology. All these new ways for transporting the information by light no longer meets the difficulties of the photophone, so why do not complete the initial concept by proceeding to the optical modulation too?

And how we can pass from the existing scheme today depicted in Figure 1 to a new model of solar energy use as depicted in Figure 2?

Hence the aim of this special issue is to bring together two research communities, because photonics devices and solar cells are both based on material sciences and the bases of electronics serves as important bases and advancements of photonics devices. Bringing together the advancements is these two scientific areas will conduct to a major advancement in the field of the future solar energy devices.

Figure 2. Tomorrow solar energy applications for data transmission [2]

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:
• Thin films solar cells
• Solar energy devices for data transmission
• Advanced materials for solar cells and photonic devices
• Photonic devices
• Photonic computers
• Plasmonic devices
• Optical modulators
• Plasmonic data transmission
• Optical transistors
• Thin films plasmonic waveguides
• 2D materials

References
[1] M. Girtan, Future solar energy devices, Book Springer 2018, 103 pages
[2] Mihaela Girtan, "Future solar energy devices", Proc. SPIE 10683, Fiber Lasers and Glass Photonics: Materials through Applications, 106831Z (17 May 2018); doi: 10.1117/12.2303969

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