Prof gets patents for better LED bulbs, solar cells

Prof gets patents for better LED bulbs, solar   cells

Bosco.Dominique@timesgroup.com

Puducherry: 04.01.2022

A team of researchers led by a Pondicherry University associate professor has obtained two patents for evolving technologies in the fields of photovoltaic and thermoelectric device processing to improve the performances of LED bulbs and solar cells.

The patent office granted research patents to the team led by associate professor (green energy technology) Periyasamy Thilakan for the invention of 'preparation of luminescent nanocrystalline indium-tin-oxide and 'preparation of wideband titanium dioxide antireflection coating for silicon solar cells'.

The team extracted nanocrystals of indium tin oxide and demonstrated that it can be used to light LED bulbs. "So far, indium tin oxide (ITO) is used as a transparent conducting electrode in optoelectronic devices, but it is not explored for LED applications though it has potential to use as a light-emitting material for LED bulbs. ITO is capable of its lightemitting capacity in the ultraviolet B range of wavelength (280nm to 315nm) at room temperature if it is grown in the form of nanocrystal without defects,” said Thilakan.

He said if the LED bulbs are made using these ITO light emitters, the white light coming out of these bulbs will have a better colour rendering index (CRI) than the presently used gallium nitride-based LED bulbs.

On the other technology his team got the patent, Thi- lakan said the output of a solar cell is directly proportional to the number of photon input. "Hence the reflection of such photons proportionally reduces the current output of the solar cell. We got the second patent for inventing the technology to prepare titanium nanocrystalline material, which is used as wideband anti-reflection coating on solar cells," said Thilakan.

The technology helps in reducing the reflection to less than 10% in the UV range of light. "This anti-reflection coating for silicon solar cells lower the spectral reflection values more than the antireflection coating currently in use," he said.

Pondicherry University vice-chancellor Gurmeet Singh lauded Thilakan and his team for obtaining the two patents.