Design and characterization of an Al – alumina – Cu diode as a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cell

The need for energy is increasing every day. Environmental methods are being researched to meet this need of the increasing human population. One of these methods is thermophotovoltaic cells that convert heat energy into electrical energy. Generally, the energy band gaps of these cells are in the infrared region. They are mostly manufactured using Silicon, InAs, InGaAs, GaSb and GaInAsSb. Unlike these structures, the usability of Al - Alumina - Cu diode, which consists of Metal - Metal Oxide - Metal layers, as TPV has been demonstrated. It was observed that the radiation in the infrared region absorbed by the Al – Alumina – Cu diode provides potential difference formation between the Al – Cu contacts thanks to tunneling and Seebeck mechanisms. It was found that the photons, which are more energy as the temperature increased, were absorbed by this diode and the power of this diode increased accordingly in range of 296,8 to 415 K. As a result of measurements, the power of this diode chip with a surface area of 18.75 cm2 was determined as 7.831 mW at room temperature and 11.56 mW at 415 K temperature. With these types of diodes which are much cheaper and much easier to produce than conventional thermophotovoltaics, the energy will be used more efficiently by capturing the radiation and converting it into electrical energy in the infrared region emitted from the environment.