Analysis of Photocurrent Generation within a Schottky-Junction-Based Near-Field Thermophotovoltaic System

Unlike familiar rooftop solar cells, thermophotovoltaics (TPVs) harvest photons at infrared wavelengths, and can scavenge energy effectively from sources other than the sun. With the advantage of easy fabrication, a near-field TPV system based on Schottky junctions has drawn much attention lately, focused mostly on the photocurrent generated in the metal side. Here a detailed model considering photocurrent generation in the $s{{0}{0ex}}e{{0}{0ex}}m{{0}{0ex}}i{{0}{0ex}}c{{0}{0ex}}o{{0}{0ex}}n{{0}{0ex}}d{{0}{0ex}}u{{0}{0ex}}c{{0}{0ex}}t{{0}{0ex}}o{{0}{0ex}}r$ side as well shows that this contribution should not be neglected, and that further enhancement of photocurrent can be achieved by reabsorbing photon energy in the metal with the help of a backside reflector.