physics

OPTOS formalism

OPTOS formalism is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand OPTOS formalism rather than just read about it. In short: OPTOS (optical properties of textured optical sheets) is a simulation formalism for determining optical properties of sheets with plane-parallel structured interfaces. The method is versatile as interface structures of different optical regimes, e.g. geometrical and wave optics, can be included.

Key takeaways

OPTOS formalism belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect OPTOS formalism to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of OPTOS formalism from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

OPTOS (optical properties of textured optical sheets) is a simulation formalism for determining optical properties of sheets with plane-parallel structured interfaces. The method is versatile as interface structures of different optical regimes, e.g. geometrical and wave optics, can be included. It is very efficient due to the re-usability of the calculated light redistribution properties of the individual interfaces. It has so far been mainly used to model optical properties of solar cells and solar modules but it is also applicable for example to LEDs or OLEDs with light extraction structures.

History The development of the OPTOS formalism started in 2015 at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, Germany. The mathematical formulation has been described in detail in several open access publications.

A basic version of the code including documentation with function references has been available since the end of 2015 at the homepage of Fraunhofer ISE. Continuous updates and a list of OPTOS related publications can be found on ResearchGate.

OPTOS simulation procedure One key aspect of OPTOS simulations is the division of the modeled system into interface and propagation regions. The light redistribution properties are calculated with the most appropriate method for each interface individually and depending on the relevant structure dimension. Large scale structures can for example be modeled via ray tracing while for interfaces with structure dimensions in the range of the wavelength wave optical approaches like RCWA, FDTD or FEM can be used.

System description The discretization of the complete angular space into a fixed number of angle channels, as second key aspect of the OPTOS formalism, allows representing the angular power distribution within the system by a vector v which consists of one entry for each angle channel. The value of the entry is the power fraction of the corresponding angle channel with respect to the total incident power.

Interface interaction The light redistribution properties of an interface are represented by the so-called reflection and transmission matrices, R and T. They store for each of the angle channels the redistribution information into other angle channels for light incident onto a certain interface with a certain wavelength. There are in total four different redistribution matrices for each interface, characterized by the incidence direction as well as reflection or transmission redistribution.

Propagation through the sheet The incoherent propagation of light through the sheet can also be represented by a matrix. If no light redistribution takes occurs on the path, the propagation matrix D is a diagonal matrix. The single entries consist of the Lambert-Beer absorption factor, including cosine of the polar angle and the absorption coefficient of the respective material.

Calculation of optical properties Using the pre-calculated matrices described above, optical properties like reflectance, transmittance or absorptance within the sheet can be calculated via matrix multiplications [2–4] and can be performed within seconds or minutes using a standard personal computer. Also a depth-dependent absorption profile can be calculated. This is of special importance for the subsequent electrical simulation of structured silicon solar cells.

OPTOS simulation characteristics

Strengths Versatility – Optical systems with interface structures operating in different optical regimes can be accurately simulated. The redistribution properties of each interface are modeled individually with the most suitable method. Efficiency - The re-usability of the redistribution allow for the very fast simulation of different structure combinations, sheet thickness variations and the optical analysis with respect to different angles of incidence. Linear polarization can be taken into account by exchanging each entry of the power distribution vector with two entries, one for each polarization direction. Each matrix entry has to be exchanged with a two by two matrix taking also the redistribution between different polarization directions into account.

Limitations OPTOS couples redistribution properties of different interfaces. If there is no accurate modeling technique to calculate redistribution matrices, such interfaces cannot be included in OPTOS. OPTOS models the propagation through the sheet incoherently. If the sheet thickness becomes very low and interference effects play a significant role, this needs to be handled coherently and not as “thick” sheet. However, as coherently modeled sub-system, it can be included in OPTOS as effective interface. Circular or elliptical polarization effects are not taken into account as all phase information is neglected during the propagation.

Application Examples The main application of OPTOS has so far been the simulation of:

Solar cells with different front and rear side structures such as random pyramids, the isotexture, the honeycomb texture or diffractive gratings. The layer stack of solar panels, including the effect of the encapsulation onto the optical solar cell properties as well as the investigation of different angles of incidence. Complex optical interactions in photovoltaic systems with nanowire solar cells. The OPTOS formalism has been incorporated into the open-source software RayFlare. This software also allows the user to calculate appropriate redistribution matrices using various methods including the transfer-matrix method, ray tracing, and rigorous coupled-wave analysis. Alternative fields of application could be:

LEDs or OLEDs with light extraction structures Display technology, for example brightness enhancement films

References

External links OPTOS page at Fraunhoer ISE website (includes documentation and download of basic version) OPTOS project on ResearchGate (with continuous updates and a list of OPTOS related publications)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with OPTOS formalism

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what OPTOS formalism claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to OPTOS formalism before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about OPTOS formalism ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of OPTOS formalism

In research: OPTOS formalism appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses OPTOS formalism in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: OPTOS formalism is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computational electromagnetics, Physical optics, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for OPTOS formalism outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study OPTOS formalism in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what OPTOS formalism means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain OPTOS formalism out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is OPTOS formalism in simple terms?

Why does OPTOS formalism matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study OPTOS formalism?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on OPTOS formalism.