The University of Arizona

Kyung-Jo Kim

Robert Andrew Norwood

Roland Himmelhuber

Liliana Ruiz Diaz

Soha Namnabat

Sifang Cui

Linear acylindrical lens (and array/system employing a plurality of such lens elements) containing liquid silicone rubber material for use in solar applications, as well as a low-cost silicone based optical lightguide(s) configured to channel and concentrate solar light with about 90% optical efficiency. The lens includes a transparent glass substrate (with an optional coating), which mechanically supports a moldable flexible silicone lenslet optical quality and is bonded to it with the use of plasma and in absence of adhesive material. When injection molding of lightguide(s) is employed, the lightguide shape can be formed variably to provide for integration of multiple lightguide s into an array with alignment tolerances that are looser than in a solar concentrator employing glass waveguides. Optical system employing such (arrayed) linear lens(es) concatenated with corresponding (arrayed) lightguides, juxtaposed with micro-CPV cells and conventional PV-cell(s) to capture diffused light.

Systems for radiative power concentration

An athermal optical waveguide structure such as an optical add drop multiplexer (OADM) or the like is fabricated by a method that includes forming a lower cladding layer on a substrate. A waveguiding core layer is formed on the lower cladding layer. An upper cladding layer is formed on the waveguiding core layer and the lower cladding layer a sol-gel material. The sol-gel material includes an organically modified siloxane and a metal oxide. A thermo-optic coefficient of the sol-gel material is adjusted by curing the sol-gel material for a selected duration of time at a selected temperature such that the thermo-optic coefficient of the sol-gel material compensates for a thermo-optic coefficient of at least the waveguiding core layer such that an effective thermo-optic coefficient of the optical waveguide structure at a specified optical wavelength and over a specified temperature range is reduced.

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Kyung-Jo Kim