The effect of photonic structures on the light guiding efficiency of fluorescent concentrators

It is possible to increase the efficiency of fluorescent concentrator systems with photonic structures. This is achieved by reducing the losses caused by the loss cone of total internal reflection. Examples of fluorescent concentrators we are currently working with are given and different photonic structures designed for the application on these fluorescent concentrators are presented. We discuss the optical characteristics of the photonic structures and their effects on the light guiding efficiency of the fluorescent concentrators. An analytical model is established to analyze and quantify the effects of these filters on the light guiding efficiency theoretically. This model is used to analyze the given photonic structures in detail. We show that with a real photonic structure the loss cone losses can be reduced b