Maximum absorption of light using plasmonic perfect absorbers (PPAs) is highly desired in the field of energy harvesting. We reveal how optical properties of several popular metals and insulators are affecting performance of PPAs at mid-infrared (IR) wavelengths. Optical properties of experimentally prepared (by plasma sputtering) structures follow expected scalings, however, departure from the finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations are significant when roughness of the first metal baselayer is not taken into account. Electrical conductivity is shown to strongly affect performance of PPAs.
Thermo-optical properties of the nanodisc and metal hole array plasmonic perfect absorber (PPA) metasurfaces were designed and characterized at mid-infrared wavelengths. Both, radiation emitter and detector systems operating in various spectral domains are highly sought after for a diverse range of applications, one example being future sensor networks employed in the internet-of-things. Reciprocity of the absorbance and emittance is shown experimentally, i.e., the PPAs are demonstrated to follow Kirchhoff’s law where the patterns exhibiting a strong optical absorption were found to be effective thermal emitters. Hence, the Kirchhoff’s law is experimentally validated for the metasurfaces in the IR spectral domain where there is a lack of solutions for spectrally narrow-band emitters. The highest efficiency of radiation-to-heat and heat-to-radiation conversion was obtained for Au-Si-Au composite structures.
Thermo-optical properties of the nanodisc and metal hole array plasmonic perfect absorber (PPA) metasurfaces were designed and characterised at midinfrared wavelengths. Both, light emitter and detector systems are highly thought after for the future sensor networks in the internet-of-things for various spectral domains. Reciprocity of the absorbance and emittance is shown experimentally, i.e., the PPAs are following Kirchhoff's law where the
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