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This work presents a preliminary study on the electrical characterization of high efficiency bifacial solar cells. An opening discussion on the state-of-the-art of such advanced technology is initially proposed and the experimental characterization of some prototypes is described. From this analysis, it can be stated that the bifacial silicon solar cells can be a very promising technology with high electrical performances and efficiency.

The quaternary chalcopyrite semiconductor alloy Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) is nowadays commonly considered one of the most suitable materials to fabricate cost-effective and high-efficiency photovoltaic cells. Thanks to the optical and structural properties of the absorber layer and to the tunable bandgap, thin-film CIGS cells have reached efficiencies around 20%, not far from the maximum values of traditional crystalline silicon cells. This high efficiency, together with the conceivable low fabrication costs, makes CIGS cells a promising alternative to silicon technology for large-scale production. In order to further improve the cells performance, in a previous work we have already proposed a simple structure having a linear graded carrier concentration absorber profile, which allows to induce a quasi-electrical field directed towards the back-contact, like CIGS cells with a Ga back-graded profile. Thanks to the increase of Ec and Ev towards the backcontact, while keeping the energy gap constant along the depth, the generation process is even more efficient in our structure, thus improving cells performance (efficiency over 21%). Herein, we investigate on other non-uniform doping concentration profiles that can be technologically easily realised, still maintaining the already demonstrated high-efficiency values.

We propose an innovative, cost-effective and easy to employ photoplethysmographic (PPG) system using Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) sensors to measure cardiovascular parameters that can potentially represent markers for arterial stiffness

We present an experimental comparison of two LiDAR systems, employing the SiPM and the APD as photodetectors, in terms of TOF measurements differing for the distance of the target and at different intensities of ambient light. The use of the APD represents the conventional approach, while the implementation of the SiPM is innovative. The performed measurements achieved very promising results, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of our LiDAR based on SiPM.

LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) systems measures the distance from the sensor to the target by determining the time between the release of the laser pulse to the receiving of the backscattered pulse. The interest in LiDAR technology has exploded in recent years since the applications are numerous. Here, we would highlight the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and for rendezvous & docking operations between spacecraft. We built two LiDAR systems differing for the detector: a Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) and an Avalanche Photodiode (APD). The advantages of the SiPM approach has been extensively discussed in [1]. The comparison between these systems has been performed in terms of Time Of Flight (TOF) measurements varying the distance of the target at different intensities of ambient light and at various weather conditions. The APD, specifically designed for LiDAR applications, was chosen for its high performances at 905nm, the emission wavelength of our laser diode. The SiPM, fabricated by STMicroelectronics, was selected for its high responsivity, high gain, high fill factor with very low breakdown voltage (28V vs. 175V of the APD), low operating bias (30V vs. 164V of the APD) and low price. Both the LiDARs (Fig. 1) are battery-operated (supply voltage = 5V) and exhibit the same optical system with separated lenses for emission (2 glass lenses that behave as a collimator with an equivalent focal length of 110 mm) and receiving (a 100-mm focal length lens). The SiPM or the APD, that triggers the pulse stopping the time count, is placed behind the receiving lens. The laser diode is pulsed at 35ns with a pulse repetition frequency

This work is focused on the development of a Continuous Wave (CW) NIRS integrated system with multi-wavelength LED sources between 700 and 950 nm and a Silicon Photomultiplier detector (SiPM) developed by STMicroelectronics. The Signal Noise Rate (SNR), measured placing the LEDs and an SiPM in a direct contact with the surface of a plastic phantom mimicking a real human head, results higher than the calculated minimum, required to detect small variation in the HbO2 and HHb concentration, till a source detector separation (SDS) of 6 cm.

Functional Near InfraRed Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an imaging technique mainly devoted to human brain monitoring. It is used as a non-invasive technique, in medical field, in order to measure the oxygen concentration of blood. This because the relatively good transparency of biological materials in the near infrared allows sufficient photon transmission through tissues. Within the so-called fNIRS range (650-900 nm), the main absorbers are blood chromophores, in particular the oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin (HbO2 and Hb, respectively). When two or more wavelengths are used, changes of such chromophores can be computed by employing the modified Beer-Lambert law, thus providing important information about the brain activity. The main hardware novelty consists in the employment of Silicon PhotoMultiplier (SiPM) showing different advantages towards PhotoMultiplier Tubes, Avalanche PhotoDiodes, PIN or Single Photon Avalanche photodiodes. SiPMs are ideal candidates for CW-fNIRS applications and, furthermore, they could potentially increase the spatial resolution.

Nowadays, a growing demand for free and clean energy requires the study and the development of new low-cost solar photovoltaic (PV) cells. Among them, Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) based on ruthenium complexes as sensitizers are assuming a great importance. The DSSCs under study are composed placing in succession a transparent conductive glass on which is screen-printed a mesoporous TiO2 thin film sensitized by a ruthenium based dye (N719) , an electrolytic solution containing a redox couple (I-/I3-) and another conductive glass covered by a thin transparent catalyst platinum film. In this work, we have measured the main photoelectrochemical parameters of the above mentioned DSSCs at different irradiance levels, incident wavelengths, temperatures and hours of light soaking.

In this paper, we measure the main photoelectrical parameters of Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) based on ruthenium complexes at different irradiance levels, incident wavelengths, temperatures and hours of light soaking

In this work, the electrical and optical characterization of CIG(S, Se)2 sub-modules using both a solar simulator equipment and the Laser Beam Induced Current (LBIC) technique is presented. By using the solar simulator and a proper set-up, the electrical parameters of the modules at varying irradiance and temperatures are determined. In addition, the LBIC measurements are carried out to analyze the 2D photocurrent uniformity of the modules at two different wavelengths. Dispersion values of extracted parameters can be very useful for practically tuning the modelling stage at device/module level.

Nowadays, a growing demand for free and clean energy requires the study and the development of new low-cost solar photovoltaic (PV) cells. Among them, Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) based on ruthenium complexes as sensitizers are assuming a great importance. The DSSCs under study are composed placing in succession a transparent conductive glass on which is screen-printed a mesoporous TiO2 thin film sensitized by a ruthenium based dye (N719), an electrolytic solution containing a redox couple (I-/I3-) and another conductive glass covered by a thin transparent catalyst platinum film. In this work, we have measured the main photoelectrochemical parameters of the above mentioned DSSCs at different irradiance levels, incident wavelengths, temperatures and hours of light soaking.

In this paper, we measure the main photoelectrical parameters of Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) based on ruthenium complexes at different irradiance levels, incident wavelengths, temperatures and hours of light soaking.

Nowadays, an important class of thin film solar cells consists of CuInGa(S,Se)2 (CIGSSe) solar cells, i.e., composed of Copper, Indium, Gallium, Sulfur and Selenide. Thanks to their electrical and optical properties and to the technological development, thin film integrated photovoltaic modules have nowadays obtained relatively good values of efficiency. In this work, we have performed the electrical and optical characterization of a CIGSSe sub-module by using both a solar simulator equipment and the Laser Beam Induced Current (LBIC) technique.

The Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) is a novel solid state photon counting detector consisting of a parallel array of avalanche photodiodes biased beyond their breakdown voltage. It has known a fast development in the last few years as a possible alternative to vacuum photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and conventional avalanche photodiodes (APDs). Indeed, current research in photodetectors is directed toward an increasing miniaturization of the pixel size, thus both improving the spatial resolution and reducing the device dimensions. SiPMs show high photon detection efficiency in the visible and near infrared range, low power consumption, high gain, ruggedness, compact size, excellent single-photon response, fast rise time and reduced sensitivity with temperature, voltage fluctuations, and magnetic fields. Furthermore, solid-state technology owns the typical advantages of the planar integration process, therefore, they can be manufactured at low costs and with high reproducibility. SiPMs performances in photon counting regime have been deeply investigated in literature, using picosecond pulsed lasers. In this regime, they can be used in applications like positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear physics instrumentation, high energy physics. An optical characterization performed via continuous wave (CW) sources has seldom been reported even though this kind of excitation seems to be very useful in several fields such as low power measurements, near-infrared spectroscopy and immunoassay tests. In this Thesis, I perform an electrical and optical analysis of two novel classes of SiPMs in the CW regime. After a brief introduction about the SiPM operating principle, parameters and properties (Chapter 1), I describe my responsivity measurements made with an incident optical power down to tenths of picowatts, monitoring the temperature of the device packages, and on a spectrum ranging from ultraviolet to near infrared (Chapter 2). These measurements allowed to define an innovative criterion to establish the conditions necessary for the device to be usable in CW regime. Chapter 3 continues with an investigation of the SiPM signal-to-noise ratio. Measurements employed a 10 Hz equivalent noise bandwidth, around a tunable reference frequency in the range 1 - 100 kHz, and were performed varying the applied bias and the temperature of the SiPM package. These results were compared with similar measurements performed on a PMT. Once the SiPM is characterized, Chapter 4 reports an innovative application: an optical characterization of a class of photonic crystals infiltrated with a new ethanol responsive hydrogel employing the SiPM as a reference photodetector. This activity shows innovative developments for the ethanol sensing to be applied into inexpensive and minimally invasive breathalyzers. Finally, Appendix A shows an electro-optical characterization of a novel class of Silicon Carbide (SiC) vertical Schottky UV detectors. I performed responsivity measurements as a function of the wavelength and the applied bias, varying the temperature of the SiC package, in the 200 - 400 nm range. The results of this work show a new approach to investigate the SiPM capabilities, the CW regime, demonstrating its outstanding performances and innovative applications. This Thesis was made in collaboration with the "Advanced Sensors Development Group" of STMicroelectronics and partially supported by the Project HIGH PROFILE (HIGH-throughput PROduction of FunctIonaL 3D imagEs of the brain), which is funded by the European Community under the ARTEMIS Joint Undertaking scheme. The Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) is a novel solid state photon counting detector consisting of a parallel array of avalanche photodiodes biased beyond their breakdown voltage. It has known a fast development in the last few years as a possible alternative to vacuum photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and conventional avalanche photodiodes (APDs). Indeed, current research in photodetectors is directed toward an increasing miniaturization of the pixel size, thus both improving the spatial resolution and reducing the device dimensions. SiPMs show high photon detection efficiency in the visible and near infrared range, low power consumption, high gain, ruggedness, compact size, excellent single-photon response, fast rise time and reduced sensitivity with temperature, voltage fluctuations, and magnetic fields. Furthermore, solid-state technology owns the typical advantages of the planar integration process, therefore, they can be manufactured at low costs and with high reproducibility. SiPMs performances in photon counting regime have been deeply investigated in literature, using picosecond pulsed lasers. In this regime, they can be used in applications like positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear physics instrumentation, high energy physics. An optical characterization performed via continuous wave (CW) sources has seldom been reported even though this kind of excitation seems to be very useful in several fields such as low power measurements, near-infrared spectroscopy and immunoassay tests. In this Thesis, I perform an electrical and optical analysis of two novel classes of SiPMs in the CW regime. After a brief introduction about the SiPM operating principle, parameters and properties (Chapter 1), I describe my responsivity measurements made with an incident optical power down to tenths of picowatts, monitoring the temperature of the device packages, and on a spectrum ranging from ultraviolet to near infrared (Chapter 2). These measurements allowed to define an innovative criterion to establish the conditions necessary for the device to be usable in CW regime. Chapter 3 continues with an investigation of the SiPM signal-to-noise ratio. Measurements employed a 10 Hz equivalent noise bandwidth, around a tunable reference frequency in the range 1 - 100 kHz, and were performed varying the applied bias and the temperature of the SiPM package. These results were compared with similar measurements performed on a PMT. Once the SiPM is characterized, Chapter 4 reports an innovative application: an optical characterization of a class of photonic crystals infiltrated with a new ethanol responsive hydrogel employing the SiPM as a reference photodetector. This activity shows innovative developments for the ethanol sensing to be applied into inexpensive and minimally invasive breathalyzers. Finally, Appendix A shows an electro-optical characterization of a novel class of Silicon Carbide (SiC) vertical Schottky UV detectors. I performed responsivity measurements as a function of the wavelength and the applied bias, varying the temperature of the SiC package, in the 200 - 400 nm range. The results of this work show a new approach to investigate the SiPM capabilities, the CW regime, demonstrating its outstanding performances and innovative applications. This Thesis was made in collaboration with the "Advanced Sensors Development Group" of STMicroelectronics and partially supported by the Project HIGH PROFILE (HIGH-throughput PROduction of FunctIonaL 3D imagEs of the brain), which is funded by the European Community under the ARTEMIS Joint Undertaking scheme.

We investigated the technical features of three novel classes of 4H-SiC vertical Schottky UV photodiodes (henceforth, named SiC8, SiC10, SiC20) employing Ni2Si interdigitated strips whose pitch size is 8, 10 and 20 µm respectively [1] and based on the pinch-off surface effect.

Electrodeposition is a convenient technique for the development of low cost materials for photovoltaic (PV) device processing. Using a single step electrodeposition route, several groups have fabricated CIS (CuInSe) and CIGS (CuInGaSe) films. One of the most important requirements for successful application of one-step electrodeposition film formation is the ability to control composition of the deposited films and to develop polycrystalline microstructures with a low surface roughness and high sintered density.

Functional Near InfraRed Spectroscopy uses light sources and optical detectors for human brain monitoring. In this paper, a portable, low cost, battery-operated, multi-channel, continuous wave fNIRS embedded system, hosting up to 64 LED sources and 128 Silicon PhotoMultiplier optical detectors, is reported on. The designed system is based on a scalable architecture, in which each probe consists of 8 modular and flexible stands, able to host 4 bi-color LEDs as light sources, 16 silicon photomultipliers as photodetectors and a temperature sensor. The hardware structure allows to easily set up several relevant parameters: the timing of the LEDs, the optical power emitted by the LEDs; the acquisition of the photodetectors, the bias voltage of each SiPM; the portion of cerebral cortex that has to be analyzed by programming the suitable source photodetector couples that will be involved in the measurement. Several preliminary functional tests were successfully carried out, thus achieving very encouraging results.

We report on our signal to noise ratio (SNR) measurements carried out, in the continuous wave regime, on a novel class of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) fabricated in planar technology on silicon p-type substrate. SiPMs are large area detectors consisting of a parallel array of Geiger Mode APDs with individual integrated quenching resistors. Each photodiode is an independent photon counting microcell and is connected to a common analog output to produce a summation signal proportional to the number of detected photons [1], [2]. SNR of SiPMs is expressed by the ratio of the SiPM average signal current and the RMS deviation of the overall current (i.e., the overall shot noise current). The measured noise takes into account the shot noise, resulting from the photocurrent and the dark current, while background light is not present in our setup. Unlike the shot noise, SiPM average dark current is an offset term and it can be filtered through a simple external DC removal circuit and, for this reason, we discarded it.

We report on Signal to Noise Ratio measurements carried out, in the continuous wave regime, at different bias voltages, frequencies and temperatures, on a novel class of silicon photomultipliers fabricated in planar technology on silicon p-type substrate. Signal to Noise Ratio has been measured as the ratio of the photogenerated current, filtered and averaged by a lock-in amplifier, and the Root Mean Square deviation of the same current. The measured noise takes into account the shot noise, resulting from the photocurrent and the dark current. We have also performed a comparison between our SiPMs and a photomultiplier tube in terms of Signal to Noise Ratio, as a function of the temperature of the SiPM package and at different bias voltages. Our results show the outstanding performance of this novel class of SiPMs even without the need of any cooling system.

In this work, we are reporting results on the electrodeposition of the CuInSe2 thin films on molybdenum thin foil substrates. We have used an aqueous non-buffered electrolyte and a careful choice of deposition parameters to ensure a good quality and composition of the deposited films. In addition, CdS was replaced in the buffer layer with a wider bandgap Zn(S,O,OH) film obtained by chemical bath deposition. The deposited films were annealed in inert atmosphere at different temperatures. The influence of annealing temperature on the properties of the films is briefly discussed. Films were also characterized by photoelectrochemical and I-V measurements. Structural characterization was carried out by XRD and Raman spectroscopy. Results show the growth of good quality films with very uniform morphology and good chemical composition.

In this work, we propose an indoor experimental set-up able to generate several optical turbulence conditions in a Free Space Optics link. Using this set-up, we prove the effectiveness of an irradiance time-series generator based on the Gamma-Gamma model and able to predict the irradiance fluctuations at the receiver, under both weak and moderate turbulence conditions.

Among the next-generation solar cells, a predominant role is played by Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) based on ruthenium complexes as sensitizers. They take advantage of a photoelectrochemical system to transform solar radiation into electric energy. In fact, DSSCs represent a cost-effective alternative to traditional silicon-based photovoltaic devices and they do not require expensive and sophisticated apparatus for their fabrication. In this work, we have produced and tested ruthenium DSSCs. In particular, we have measured the main parameters of these cells, such as the electrical and power performances and the efficiency levels, at different irradiance levels and at different incident wavelengths. Our results show a maximum conversion efficiency between 11% and 12% in the range within 540 and 550 nm. The results are in a fairly good agreement with theoretical predictions, especially with regard to the dependence of the parameters on the irradiance levels. Nevertheless, there are some aspects that suggest the need for further and more detailed studies on the deterioration mechanisms and fabrication processes.

Electrodeposition is a convenient technique for the development of low cost materials for photovoltaic (PV) device processing. Using a single step electrodeposition route, several groups have fabricated CIS (CuInSe) and CIGS (CuInGaSe) films [1]. One of the most important requirements for successful application of one-step electrodeposition film formation, is the ability to control composition of the deposited films and to develop polycrystalline microstructures with a low surface roughness and high sintered density. In this preliminary work, CIS films were produced by single bath electrodeposition finding the optimal conditions in order to achieve a dense film with high crystallinity and uniform, flat surfaces, which are of critical importance for photovoltaic applications. Electrodeposition was carried out in the potentiostatic mode using a conventional three-electrode configuration.

We investigated the technical features of three novel classes of 4H-SiC vertical Schottky UV detectors employing Ni2Si interdigitated strips whose pitch size is 8, 10 and 20 µm, respectively, based on the pinch-off surface effect.

This paper deals with a novel class of optical sensors for ethanol vapor, based on polystyrene opals infiltrated with a hydrogel sensitive to ethanol. Optical characterization of such opals has been performed, proving their effectiveness as sensors

We report the electrical and optical comparison, in continuous wave regime, of two novel classes of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) fabricated on silicon P-type and N-type substrate respectively. Responsivity measurements have been performed with an incident optical power from tenths of picowatts to hundreds of nanowatts and on a broad spectrum, ranging from ultraviolet to near infrared (340-820 nm). For both classes of investigated SiPMs, responsivity shows flat response versus the optical incident power, when a preset overvoltage and wavelength is applied . More in detail, this linear behavior extends up to about 10 nW for lower overvoltages, while a shrink is observed when the reverse bias voltage increases. With regards to our responsivity measurements, carried out in the abovementioned spectral range, we have found a peak around 669 nm for the N-on-P and a peak at 417 nm for the P-on-N SiPM.

We report on the electrical and optical comparison, in the continuous wave regime, of two novel classes of silicon photomultipliers fabricated in planar technology on silicon P-type (N-on-P class) and N-type (P-on-N class) substrates respectively.

Chemical sensing using optics has been under extensive research all over the world during last decades and many optical chemical sensors are nowadays finding increasing applications in industry, environmental monitoring, medicine, biomedicine and chemical analysis. These optical sensors can be based on various optical principles, such as absorbance, reflectance or transmittance, luminescence and fluorescence, covering different regions of the spectrum (UV, visible, IR, NIR). Optical chemical sensors have several advantages over conventional electricity-based sensors, in terms of selectivity, immunity to electromagnetic interference, higher sensitivity, and they are also relatively inexpensive and minimally invasive. A wide class of optical chemical sensors is based on Photonic Crystals (PCs), i.e. regular arrays of materials with different refractive indices. In particular, they are artificial structures with a periodic dielectric function. In this paper, we present the optical characterization of a polystyrene opal, infiltrated with a stimuli responsive hydrogel specifically formulated to be sensitive to ethanol (EtOH), also in the presence of water. Stimuli-responsive hydrogels are interesting materials for sensing applications due to thefact that they can change their volume significantly in response to small alterations of certain environmental parameters. In fact, hydrogels are increasingly considered as responsive materials to generate active inverse opals fortheir ability to exhibit significant reversible diffraction shifts as a response of a variety of stimuli, such astemperature, pH and ionic strength, single molecules binding and mechanical forces.The stimuliresponsiveness must be accompanied by adequate elasticity and chemical stability forthe inverse opal to be able to survive, without collapsing, to the template removal process byorganic solvents (for polymer colloids) during preparation and to withstand repeated swelling/deswelling cycles when in use, as well as erosion due to prolonged exposure to the swelling medium. While there are interesting studies which report diffraction shifts in a wide region of the visible spectral region when e.g. a crosslinked 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) hydrogel is exposed either to pure liquid water or to concentrated ethanol/water liquid solutions, at the best of our knowledge there are no equivalent studies which report on the ability of hydrogel inverse opals tospecifically respond to ethanol vapors when already swollen by water.The hydrogel network should be designed so that it can uptake and retain water, when exposed towater vapor-rich atmospheres, and further swell when the atmosphere which is exposed to isprogressively concentrated of ethanol vapors. For this purpose, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) was used as main building block for the network, for its known favorable Flory-Hugginsmixing parameter with ethanol; acrylic acid (AA) at two different ratios was also considered as co-monomerfor its affinity toward water and its contribution to hydrogel network mechanicalproperties, due to establishment of further crosslinking through strong secondary interactions;finally poly-ethylene glycol-200dimethacrylate (PEG200DMA) was used as crosslinking agent. The polymerization process combined a “cold” UV-photocrosslinking step and a thermal post-cure.Preliminary swelling studies in the presence of both liquid ethanol and ethanol vapors were carried out on the macrogel analogue as well as a dynamic mechanical thermal analysis to withdraw usefulinformation on the hydrogels mechanical spectra and validate both the formulation and curingprocess. The most promising of the two formulations was selected to infiltrate a polystyrene (PS)opal structure, which was generated onto pre-etched silica through self-assembly of PS nanoparticles. The periodically nanostructured hydrogel film (Fig.1) was then evaluated as active component of an ethanol vapor optical sensor by means of UV-Vis transmission measurements atthe variance of ethanol vapor concentration (Fig.2).

We report on the electrical and optical comparison, in continuous wave regime, of two novel classes of silicon photomultipliers fabricated in planar technology on silicon P-type and Ntype substrate respectively. A physical explanation of the experimental results is provided.

We present some results on the optical characterization of Silicon Photomultipliers designed for medical imaging applications. In particular we will discuss our responsivity measurements performed with very low incident optical power and on a broad spectrum