Silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) cells are currently the most prevalent and cost-effective solution for solar energy generation. Given their dominance in the market and the extensive research dedicated to them, they are ideal targets for efficiency enhancement through innovative yet straightforward methods. This study explores the potential for improving the efficiency of these cells by managing the PV’s temperature using an infrared (IR) filter. The filter allows photons that can generate free electron–hole pairs to pass while reflecting those with wavelengths below the semiconductor bandgap, which otherwise contribute to performance degradation. Various techniques were applied, including I–V analysis, impedance measurements, and atmospheric scanning electron microscope (Air-SEM) observations, to examine the temperature’s impact on silicon PVs. By integrating IR filters, the results showed a 3% increase in the fill factor and a temperature reduction of approximately 10 degrees Celsius. These findings highlight the potential of this cooling approach for silicon cells, which can enhance the cell’s longevity and efficiency, paving the way for future industrial applications.

In optical one-dimensional grating-on-layer planar structures, an optical resonance occurs when the incident light wave becomes phase-matched to a leaky waveguide mode excited in the layer underneath the grating by an appropriate tuning of the grating periodicity. Changing the refractive indices of the grating’s constituents, and/or thickness, changes the resonance frequency. In the case of a two-dimensional grating atop such a smooth layer, a similar and also cavity-mode resonance can occur. This idea has straightforward usage in diverse optical sensor applications. In this study, a novel guided-mode resonance sensor design for detecting glucose and hemoglobin in minute concentrations at a wide range of incidence angles is presented. In this design, materials of the grating, such as a polymer and cesium-lead halide with a perovskite crystal structure, are examined, which will allow flexible, low-cost fabrication by soft-lithography/imprint-lithography methods. The sensitivity, figure of merit, and quality factor are reported for one- and two-dimensional grating structures. The simulations performed are based on rigorous coupled-wave analysis. Optical resonance quality factor of ∼$5·{10}^5$ is achieved at oblique incidence for a structure comprising a one-dimensional grating etched in a poly-vinylidene chloride layer atop a silicon nitride waveguide layer on a substrate. Record values of the above-noted characteristics are achieved with a synergetic interplay of the materials, structural dimensions, incidence angle, polarization, and grating geometry.

The ability of peptide trapping in an electrostatic ion beam trap (EIBT) is used for the measurement of renin substrate lifetime dependence from the pressure. The time decay estimation is traditionally obtained by optimization of nonlinear curve-fitting in the least-squares sense. This paper presents a novel algorithm to address this problem, using a numerical differentiation method as the basis for lifetime estimation. Simulations results show that the proposed method provides results similar to those obtained with the classical approach, but is faster by about two orders of magnitude. An experimental result is detailed, which shows the adequacy of this algorithm for the real-life monitoring of decay measurements, not only for EIBT, but also for other processes such as luminescence where exponential decay is involved.