Research Groups

Research Group 4: Programmable Assembly of Photonic and Electronic Architectures

RG Leader: Jennifer Lewis
Affiliated PIs: Harry Atwater, Paul Braun, Nate Lewis, Ralph Nuzzo, John Rogers, Eli Yablonovitch

 

image
(clockwise from upper left) Spanning ITO microelectrodes (J. Lewis, UIUC); light-directed pattern formation (N. Lewis, Caltech); growth of 3D optoelectronic III-V photonic crystal (P. Braun & J. Rogers, UIUC); Si microwire array photovoltaics (H. Atwater & N. Lewis, Caltech)

New synthetic methods have enabled complex three-dimensional solar absorber architectures that were previously not possible to make. The RG4 team is exploring new protocols for light-directed materials synthesis and fabrication for capturing, converting, and controlling solar energy.  These methods combine advanced forms of characterization and modeling with bottom-up and top-down fabrication, bridging mesoscopic length scales—nanoscale, sub-micron, and many-micron-to-millimeters—needed for photon energy capture and conversion.

 

RG-4 Research Projects include:

  • Light-directed growth of complex, 3D photonic mesostructures
  • Fabrication of optical, thermal, and electrical mesostructures using light-enhanced 3D printing
  • 3D mesoscopic structures for highly efficient light absorption and emission

 

 

Top