Thermionic-photovoltaic energy converter

摘要

A thermionic-photovoltaic energy conversion device comprises a thermionic diode 10 mounted within a hollow tubular photovoltaic converter 12. The thermionic diode maintains a cesium discharge for producing excited atoms that emit line radiation in the wavelength region of 850 nm to 890 nm. The photovoltaic converter is a silicon or galium arsenide photovoltaic cell 22 having bandgap energies in this same wavelength region for optimum cell efficiency.