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Title: Metallic layer-by-layer photonic crystals for linearly-polarized thermal emission and thermophotovoltaic device including same

Patent ·
OSTI ID:1273409

Metallic thermal emitters consisting of two layers of differently structured nickel gratings on a homogeneous nickel layer are fabricated by soft lithography and studied for polarized thermal radiation. A thermal emitter in combination with a sub-wavelength grating shows a high extinction ratio, with a maximum value close to 5, in a wide mid-infrared range from 3.2 to 7.8 .mu.m, as well as high emissivity up to 0.65 at a wavelength of 3.7 .mu.m. All measurements show good agreement with theoretical predictions. Numerical simulations reveal that a high electric field exists within the localized air space surrounded by the gratings and the intensified electric-field is only observed for the polarizations perpendicular to the top sub-wavelength grating. This result suggests how the emissivity of a metal can be selectively enhanced at a certain range of wavelengths for a given polarization.

Research Organization:
Ames Laboratory (AMES), Ames, IA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11358
Assignee:
Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc. (Ames, IA)
Patent Number(s):
9,400,219
Application Number:
12/754,657
OSTI ID:
1273409
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 2010 Apr 06
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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