Microsecond switchable thermal antenna

Journal Article · Mon Jul 21 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4890517· OSTI ID:22308701

Ben-Abdallah, Philippe; Benisty, Henri; Besbes, Mondher ^[1]

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1. Laboratoire Charles Fabry, UMR 8501, Institut d'Optique, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud 11, 2, Avenue Augustin Fresnel, 91127 Palaiseau Cedex (France)

We propose a thermal antenna that can be actively switched on and off at the microsecond scale by means of a phase transition of a metal-insulator material, the vanadium dioxide (VO{sub 2}). This thermal source is made of a periodically patterned tunable VO{sub 2} nanolayer, which support a surface phonon-polariton in the infrared range in their crystalline phase. Using electrodes properly registered with respect to the pattern, the VO{sub 2} phase transition can be locally triggered by ohmic heating so that the surface phonon-polariton can be diffracted by the induced grating, producing a highly directional thermal emission. Conversely, when heating less, the VO{sub 2} layers cool down below the transition temperature, the surface phonon-polariton cannot be diffracted anymore so that thermal emission is inhibited. This switchable antenna could find broad applications in the domain of active thermal coatings or in those of infrared spectroscopy and sensing.

• OSTI ID: 22308701
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 116, Issue 3; Other Information: (c) 2014 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY
ANTENNAS
COATINGS
ELECTRODES
EMISSION
GRATINGS
HEATING
INFRARED SPECTRA
LAYERS
METALS
PERIODICITY
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHONONS
SUPPORTS
SURFACES
SWITCHES
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE
VANADIUM OXIDES