Heat meets light on the nanoscale

Boriskina, Svetlana V.; Tong, Jonathan; Hsu, Jim; Liao, Bolin; Huang, Yanru; Chiloyan, Vazrik; Chen, Gang

doi:10.1515/nanoph-2016-0010

Cited by 65 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 284 publications

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“…By the virtue of Kirchhoff's law of radiation, the spectral directional absorbtance is equal to the spectral directional emittance [197,257]. Therefore, the design of SPP-mediated absorbers can be naturally extended to the design of thermal emitters.…”

Section: Thermal Excitation Of Surface Plasmonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Losses in plasmonics: from mitigating energy dissipation to embracing loss-enabled functionalities

et al. 2017

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Unlike conventional optics, plasmonics enables unrivalled concentration of optical energy well beyond the diffraction limit of light. However, a significant part of this energy is dissipated as heat. Plasmonic losses present a major hurdle in the development of plasmonic devices and circuits that can compete with other mature technologies. Until recently, they have largely kept the use of plasmonics to a few niche areas where loss is not a key factor, such as surface enhanced Raman scattering and biochemical sensing. Here, we discuss the origin of plasmonic losses and various approaches to either minimize or mitigate them based on understanding of fundamental processes underlying surface plasmon modes excitation and decay. Along with the ongoing effort to find and synthesize better plasmonic materials, optical designs that modify the optical powerflow through plasmonic nanostructures can help in reducing both radiative damping and dissipative losses of surface plasmons. Another strategy relies on the development of hybrid photonicplasmonic devices by coupling plasmonic nanostructures to resonant optical elements. Hybrid integration not only helps to reduce dissipative losses and radiative damping of surface plasmons, but also makes possible passive radiative cooling of nano-devices. Finally, we review emerging applications of thermoplasmonics that leverage Ohmic losses to achieve new enhanced functionalities. The most successful commercialized example of a loss-enabled novel application of plasmonics is heat-assisted magnetic recording. Other promising technological directions include thermal emission manipulation, cancer therapy, nanofabrication, nano-manipulation, plasmon-enabled material spectroscopy and thermo-catalysis, and solar water treatment. OCIS codes: (240.6680) Surface plasmons; (230.3990) Micro-optical devices; (130.6010) Sensors; (350.5340) Photothermal effects; (290.6815) Thermal emission; (240.6675) Surface photoemission and photoelectron spectroscopy; (350.6670) Surface photochemistry.

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Section: Thermal Excitation Of Surface Plasmonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Losses in plasmonics: from mitigating energy dissipation to embracing loss-enabled functionalities

et al. 2017

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“…Such mirrors behave as hyperbolic metamaterials in the infrared spectral range, enabling broadband thermal emittance of the sensor surface [8][9][10]. The material transition into the hyperbolic regime is also underlined by the formation and re-configuring of local phase singularities in the optical interference field [8].…”

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Topological Darkness of Tamm Plasmons for High-Sensitivity Singular-Phase Optical Detection

Boriskina

Tong

Tsurimaki

et al. 2016

Frontiers in Optics 2016

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Multilayered photonic-plasmonic structures can exhibit topologically protected zero reflection if they are designed to support Tamm plasmon modes. Sharp phase changes associated with the Tamm mode excitation dramatically improve sensitivity of optical detectors. Bio(chemical) sensors with optical transduction often rely on measuring the frequency shifts of the optical modes either due to the changes in the ambient refractive index or due to adsorption of molecules on the sensor surface. Environmental changes to be detected are often very small, and require interactions of light with the target material over long distances in order to accumulate large enough phase change that translates into the measurable optical mode frequency shift.However, a phase of light is a cyclic variable, which is undefined at the point of complete destructive interference (a point of complete darkness), and varies rapidly in the vicinity of this point [1,2]. Light interference within a nanostructure that is accompanied by zero reflection and fast phase variations can be used to improve the sensitivity of bio(chemical) sensors with optical transduction [3,4].Here, we demonstrate simple planar multilayered photonic-plasmonic structures that exhibit topologically protected zero reflection if they are designed to support Tamm plasmon modes (Fig. 1) [5,6]. The existence of Tamm states on the interface between the metal surface and the dielectric Bragg reflector is topologically protected provided the surface impedance of the Bragg mirror inside the photonic bandgap is tuned to match that on the metal surface [7]. The Bragg mirror surface impedance has been shown to be directly related to the bulk topological properties of the mirror through the geometrical (Zak) phases of its bulk photonic bands. By tailoring the Bragg stack optical properties, Tamm plasmon modes can be excited across a wide frequency range.

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“…As work carries zero entropy, the entropy supplied to the TR cell by heat conduction and the entropy generated in the engine must be rejected to the heat sink. We predict that the best form of energy to maximize the entropy removal from the engine is low-frequency infrared photon emission, which is characterized by the high entropy flux per unit energy [2,5].Furthermore, we predict that the near-field radiation extraction [6,7] by coupling photons generated from interband electronic transition to phonon polariton modes on the surface of a heat sink can increase the TR cell energy conversion efficiency as well as the power generation density, providing more opportunities to efficiently utilize terrestrial emission for clean energy.The effect of the proposed improvements is illustrated in Fig. 1, which compares the performance of the TR cell emitting a broadband photon spectrum in the form of the far-field radiation and its counterpart that dumps entropy via narrowband near-field emission into the phonon-polariton mode in the heat sink.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Photon entropy is an important thermodynamic characteristic of light [1]. Understanding the entropy of photons helps to establish the fundamental upper limits for the processes involving conversion of light energy into work and vice versa, including photovoltaics, light generation, and optical refrigeration [2,3]. Our calculations of the entropy content of light (i.e., a ratio of the entropy flux to the power flux) reveal that the entropy content of blackbody emission is higher than that of heat conduction.…”

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Photon Entropy Control and Near-Field Radiative Coupling Improve Efficiency of Thermoradiative Cells

Hsu

Tong

Liao

et al. 2016

Frontiers in Optics 2016

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Abstract. Efficiency of thermoradiative cells can be increased by spectrally selecting high-entropy long-wavelength infrared photons for radiative energy exchange. Furthermore, near-field coupling to phonon polaritons in the heat sink increases both conversion efficiency and power density. Photon entropy is an important thermodynamic characteristic of light [1]. Understanding the entropy of photons helps to establish the fundamental upper limits for the processes involving conversion of light energy into work and vice versa, including photovoltaics, light generation, and optical refrigeration [2,3]. Our calculations of the entropy content of light (i.e., a ratio of the entropy flux to the power flux) reveal that the entropy content of blackbody emission is higher than that of heat conduction. Furthermore, long-wavelength infrared photons carry more entropy per energy unit than more energetic photons of the visible light. In turn, heat conduction or high frequency photon radiation carry the lowest entropy content per unit energy, and thus are the most favorable forms of energy for an input to an energy-conversion engine.A p-n junction maintained at above ambient temperature can work as a heat engine, converting some of the supplied heat into electricity and rejecting entropy by interband emission [4]. Such an engine is knows as the thermoradiative (TR) cell, and it has potential to harvest low-grade heat into electricity. As work carries zero entropy, the entropy supplied to the TR cell by heat conduction and the entropy generated in the engine must be rejected to the heat sink. We predict that the best form of energy to maximize the entropy removal from the engine is low-frequency infrared photon emission, which is characterized by the high entropy flux per unit energy [2,5].Furthermore, we predict that the near-field radiation extraction [6,7] by coupling photons generated from interband electronic transition to phonon polariton modes on the surface of a heat sink can increase the TR cell energy conversion efficiency as well as the power generation density, providing more opportunities to efficiently utilize terrestrial emission for clean energy.The effect of the proposed improvements is illustrated in Fig. 1, which compares the performance of the TR cell emitting a broadband photon spectrum in the form of the far-field radiation and its counterpart that dumps entropy via narrowband near-field emission into the phonon-polariton mode in the heat sink. It can be seen that an ideal InSb thermoradiative cell can achieve a maximum efficiency and power density up to 20.4 % and 327 Wm -2 , respectively, between a hot source at 500K and a cold sink at 300K. However, sub-bandgap and non-radiative losses will significantly degrade the cell performance. Figure 1. The performance of the 50-nm-thick InSb TR cells operating between a hot source at 500 K and a cold environment at 300 K, calculated for various scenarios of the radiative energy extraction. These include: a far-field infrared emission from a thinfilm InSb cell, ...

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Heat meets light on the nanoscale

Cited by 65 publications

References 284 publications

Losses in plasmonics: from mitigating energy dissipation to embracing loss-enabled functionalities

Losses in plasmonics: from mitigating energy dissipation to embracing loss-enabled functionalities

Topological Darkness of Tamm Plasmons for High-Sensitivity Singular-Phase Optical Detection

Photon Entropy Control and Near-Field Radiative Coupling Improve Efficiency of Thermoradiative Cells

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