- Shuyu Zhang
- Dobroslav Tsonev
- Stefan Videv
- Sanjay Ghosh
- Graham Turnbull
- Ifor D. W. Samuel
- Harald Haas
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 607-610 |
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Journal | Optica |
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Volume | 2 |
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Issue number | 7 |
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DOIs | |
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Publication status | Published - 29 Jun 2015 |
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We show that solar cells, widely used in portable devices for power generation, can simultaneously extract a high-speed data signal in an optical wireless communication link. This Letter reports, to the best of our knowledge, the first use of an organic solar cell as an energy-harvesting receiver for visible light communications (VLCs). While generating maximum power in the cell, the communication link can deliver a data rate of 34.2 Mbps with a bit error rate of 4.08×10−4 using an implementation of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing. This approach could lead to printed optical data receivers in future eco-friendly VLC systems. Simultaneous functions of data communication and energy harvesting have great implications for the connectivity of future smart devices, many of which could become self-powered units as part of the “Internet of Things.”
ID: 24780287