DR. PETER BERMEL is an assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University. His research focuses on improving the performance of photovoltaic, thermophotovoltaic, and nonlinear systems using the principles of nanophotonics. Key enabling techniques for his work include electromagnetic and electronic theory, modeling, simulation, fabrication, and characterization.
Dr. Bermel is widely-published in both scientific peer-reviewed journals and publications geared towards the general public. His work includes the following topics:
- Understanding and optimizing the detailed mechanisms of light trapping in thin-film photovoltaics
- Fabricating and characterizing 3D inverse opal photonic crystals made from silicon for photovoltaics, and comparing to theoretical predictions
- Explaining key physical effects influencing selective thermal emitters in order to achieve high performance thermophotovoltaic systems
Dr. Bermel and his colleagues have built and made available on nanoHUB several widely used electromagnetic simulation tools, including the TPV efficiency simulation and TPXsim to simulate the efficiency of thermophotovoltaic systems; MEEPPV, a Finite-Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulation for photovoltaic cells; and S4: Stanford Stratified Structure Solver, a frequency domain code to solve layered periodic structures.
Extending on this pioneering work, Dr. Bermel has also developed a five-week nanoHUB-U course on nanophotonic modeling to explore the next generation of optical and opto-electronic systems. The course will include advanced methods of simulating nanophotonic, plasmonic, and metamaterial structures. Related applications in thermal radiation will also be discussed.
