High efficiency conversion of laser energy and its application to optical power transmission

The authors address several aspects of the optical power transmission concept: the modeling of monochromatic conversion efficiency versus matched bandgap of a photovoltaic (PV) cell, parameterized as a function of illumination intensity; the selection criteria of the suitable semiconductors which are expected to have the highest PV conversion efficiency for the various applications; laboratory experimental study using an (Al,Ga)As laser beam transmitted through an optical fiber: a GaAs-based PV cell, designed for being set up at the optical fiber extremity, has been grown by MOVPE and has demonstrated an efficiency of 52.8% under 14-W/cm/sup 2/ illumination. Several future applications, concerning transmission of optical power in space and from space, or through optical fiber in terrestrial utilizations, are discussed.<
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