Efficient multiband absorber based on one-dimensional periodic metal–dielectric photonic crystal with a reflective substrate

Abstract

We propose an efficient multiband absorber comprised of a truncated, one-dimensional periodic metal-dielectric photonic crystal and a reflective substrate. The reflective substrate is essentially an optically thick metallic film. Such a planar device is easier to fabricate compared to absorbers with complicated shapes. For a four-unit cell device, all four of the absorption peaks can be optimized with efficiencies higher than 95 percent. Moreover, those absorption peaks are insensitive to the polarization and incident angle. The influences of the geometrical parameters and the refractive index of the dielectric on the device performance also are discussed. Furthermore, we found that the number of absorption peaks within each photonic band precisely corresponds to the number of unit cells because the truncated photonic crystal lattices select resonant modes. We also show that the total absorption efficiency gradually increases when there are more periods of the metal-dielectric composite layer placed on top of the metallic substrate. We expect this work to have potential applications in solar energy harvesting and thermal emission tailoring.

Metasurfaces-Based Absorption and Reflection Control: Perfect Absorbers and Reflectors

“…These gratings induced first-order and second-order air gap mode resonances which interact with the incident light to perfectly absorb it. The main drawback of these original designs was the lack of tunability [15], polarisation dependence [3], and narrow bandwidth [7], and they were extremely dependent on the angle of the incident light [3][4][5][6][7][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Many new devices and mechanisms have been proposed, presented, and improved on since then; we will discuss them here.…”

“…These are usually formed into a type of meta-atoms that act in the same way as conventional atoms do with regard to optical manipulation, but with the added bonus of being fully under control of the designer in terms of the materials they are made of and the size and structure of the atoms. They work by resonant coupling to electric, magnetic, or both components of the incident lights magnetic field to result in effective responses that cannot be found in nature [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. As we develop our knowledge about and skill of fabricating metamaterial devices, we open the door to new and exciting applications and the possibility of optical responses that could not have been realised before, such as electromagnetic invisibility [10].…”

One-dimensional photonic crystals: fabrication, responsiveness and emerging applications in 3D construction

“…97 By optimizing the band position of the WO 3 /LiF 1DPC, it enhances the light harvesting in the absorbing layer, thus make a great contribution to increase the power conversion efficiency (PCE) by 21.7%. 99 Except for the experimental verification, complete theoretical analysis for the coupling of 1DPCs and solar cells is also prosperous, [100][101][102] the tuning of PBG and the broadening of reflectance bandwidth are discussed by scientists to guide the better design of such reflectors. Thus, Tetreault and coworkers develop a kind of 1DPC consisting of SiO 2 and tin doped indium oxide (ITO) which is conductive.…”

Design and deposition of a metal-like and admittance-matching metamaterial as an ultra-thin perfect absorber

“…A compact structure that comprises metal and dielectric films, fabricated as a precise optical coating, exhibits strong light absorption 11 . Although several examples of metal-dielectric multilayered absorbers have been proposed 12–14 , a method for developing an ultra-thin layered absorber with respect to a range of wavelength is still lacking.…”