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Carrier-selective passivating contacts have been demonstrated to be crucial to reach the practical efficiency limit of single junction, crystalline silicon (c-Si) based solar cells. Yet, the electrical transport losses affecting the collection of photogenerated carriers remain to be addressed. To this aim, different methodologies and characterization techniques are currently used. In this contribution, we propose the concept of shell as a new terminology to describe carrier-selective passivating contacts. Then, we present a novel characterization methodology using transfer length method (TLM) measurement under variable illumination to investigate the charge-carrier transport in amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction (SHJ) n-type contact stacks. We use technology computer-aided design simulation to model a TLM structure and to identify the physical phenomena and the key parameters affecting the contact resistivity (ρ c) and the charge carrier accumulation of such contact stacks. Then, the simulation results are compared with experimental data by performing variable-illumination TLM measurements of actual SHJ n-type contact stacks. Specifically, we demonstrate that illumination has a strong impact on the measured ρ c value, highlighting the importance of measuring ρ c under maximum power point conditions for a relevant characterization of solar cell transport losses. In addition, we investigate the dependence of ρ c to a change in the injected carrier density within the c-Si bulk to compare the illumination responses of different SHJ n-type contact stacks. In the quest for maximal efficiency, this method may insightfully complete other characterization techniques to further understand and study the electrical transport in solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report observation of strong light-matter coupling in an AlGaAs microcavity (MC) with an embedded single parabolic quantum well. The parabolic potential is achieved by varying aluminum concentration along the growth direction providing equally spaced energy levels, as confirmed by Brewster angle reflectivity from a reference sample without MC. It acts as an active region of the structure which potentially allows cascaded emission of terahertz (THz) light. Spectrally and time resolved pump-probe spectroscopy reveals characteristic quantum beats whose frequencies range from 0.9 to 4.5 THz, corresponding to energy separation between relevant excitonic levels. The structure exhibits strong stimulated nonlinear emission with simultaneous transition to weak coupling regime. The present study highlights the potential of such devices for creating cascaded relaxation of bosons, which could be utilized for THz emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using two-dimensional spectroscopy, we resolve multi-polariton coherences in quantum wells embedded inside a semiconductor microcavity and elucidate how multi-exciton correlations mediate polariton nonlinear dynamics. We find that polariton correlation strengths depend on spectral overlap with the biexciton resonance and that up to at least four polaritons can be correlated, a higher-order correlation than observed to date among excitons in bare quantum wells. The high-order correlations can be attributed to coupling through the cavity mode, although the role of high-order Coulomb correlations cannot be excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seeing macroscopic quantum states directly remains an elusive goal. Particles with boson symmetry can condense into quantum fluids, producing rich physical phenomena as well as proven potential for interferometric devices. However, direct imaging of such quantum states is only fleetingly possible in high-vacuum ultracold atomic condensates, and not in superconductors. Recent condensation of solid-state polariton quasiparticles, built from mixing semiconductor excitons with microcavity photons, offers monolithic devices capable of supporting room-temperature quantum states that exhibit superfluid behaviour. Here we use microcavities on a semiconductor chip supporting two-dimensional polariton condensates to directly visualize the formation of a spontaneously oscillating quantum fluid. This system is created on the fly by injecting polaritons at two or more spatially separated pump spots. Although oscillating at tunable THz frequencies, a simple optical microscope can be used to directly image their stable archetypal quantum oscillator wavefunctions in real space. The self-repulsion of polaritons provides a solid-state quasiparticle that is so nonlinear as to modify its own potential. Interference in time and space reveals the condensate wavepackets arise from non-equilibrium solitons. Control of such polariton-condensate wavepackets demonstrates great potential for integrated semiconductor-based condensate devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report strong coupling between Tamm plasmons and excitons in III-V quantum wells at room temperature in ultracompact sample designs. A high refractive index contrast air-gap mirror together with optical Tamm states at a metal/semiconductor interface tightly confines the intracavity field leading to substantial local field enhancements. Angular-resolved reflectivity spectra give clear evidence for anticrossing in the dispersion relation. Room temperature Rabi splittings of 10 meV are found in excellent agreement with simulations. Electrical control of the polariton modes is realized without need for doped mirror layers. Such air-gap microcavities open innovative possibilites for electrically tunable microcavities and polaritonic microelectromechanics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonpolar GaN based microcavity (MC) made of a bottom AlN/GaN distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) and a top dielectric SiO2/SiNx DBR has been fabricated on a-plane GaN template. The 13 pair AlN/GaN DBR, centered around 372 nm, exhibits a peak reflectivity of ∼95% together with a flat stopband of 30 nm width. The cavity mode centered around 390 nm is characterized by a full width at half maximum of 4 nm. The optical properties of both the DBR and MC are well reproduced when accounting for linear birefringence effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser action with low threshold average pump power density (∼50 W · cm-2) at room temperature is reported for a crack-free planar vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) structure based on a bottom lattice-matched AlInN/GaN distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) and a top dielectric DBR. The cavity region, formed by n- and p-type GaN layers surrounding only three InGaN/GaN quantum wells, corresponds to a typical active region suitable for an electrically driven VCSEL. In addition to low threshold, a spontaneous emission coupling factor β∼2×10-3 is derived for this ready-to-be-processed laser structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report on the micron scale characterization of a monolithic GaN microcavity (MC) with lattice matched AlInN/GaN distributed Bragg reflectors by means of a microtransmission setup. This technique allows extracting very high quality factors (Q up to 2800), in accordance with theoretical predictions, contrary to what was previously reported for nitride based MCs. Furthermore, two-dimensional mappings of the MC transmission spectrum allow probing the disorder in this MC. The direct relationship between an increased disorder and a reduction in the Q factor is clearly observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report on the demonstration of strong light-matter coupling at room temperature using a crack-free UV microcavity containing GaN/AlGaN quantum wells (QWs). Lattice-matched AlInN/AlGaN distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) with a maximum peak reflectivity of 99.5% and SiO2/Si3N4 DBRs were used to form high finesse hybrid microcavities. State-of-the-art GaN/Al0.2Ga0.8N QWs emitting at 3.62 eV with a linewidth of 45 meV at 300 K were inserted in these structures. For a 3λ/2 microcavity containing six QWs, the interaction between cavity photons and QW excitons is sufficiently large to reach the strong coupling regime. A polariton luminescence is observed with a vacuum field Rabi splitting of 30 meV at 300 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the growth of highly reflective distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) in the UV region using the Al0.85In0.15N/Al0.2Ga0.8N lattice-matched system. The DBRs were deposited on nearly strain-free Al0.2Ga0.8N templates to avoid strain-induced structural degradations. The appearance of cracks was then completely suppressed. The DBRs exhibit a reflectivity higher than 99% at a wavelength as short as ∼340 nm and a stop band width of 215 meV (20 nm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strong light-matter coupling regime and lasing in a GaN microcavity fabricated by incorporating a high optical quality GaN membrane inside an all-dielectric mirror cavity is demonstrated at room temperature. A nonlinear increase of the emission and line narrowing marks the onset of polariton lasing regime with significantly reduced threshold compared with previous reports for bulk GaN microcavity. This combination of low lasing thresholds and ease of fabrication allows incorporation of quantum wells and electrical contacts into the active region, paving the way for electrically driven room temperature (RT) polariton laser devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong coupling between metallic microcavity modes and inorganic quantum well (QW) excitons at room temperature is observed in an ultracompact flexible sample design less than 100 nm thick. Four GaAs QWs embedded in a 65 nm AlGaAs/GaAs cavity are sandwiched between gold mirrors. The strong electromagnetic confinement and metallic phase shifts provide substantial local field enhancement and angular-resolved reflectivity spectra clearly show the anti-crossing in the dispersion relation resolving a Rabi splitting of 21 meV at room temperature, in good agreement with calculations. Flex-tuning metal thin foil microcavities demonstrate new possibilities for tunable optoelectronics and the study of polaritonic micromechanical effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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