Photonic Crystal Emitters for Thermophotovoltaic Energy Conversion

[摘要] This paper reports the design, fabrication, and characterization of 2D photonic crystal (PhC) thermal emitters for a millimeter-scale hydrocarbon TPV microgenerator as a possible replacement for batteries in portable microelectronics, robotics, etc. In our TPV system, combustion heats a PhC emitter to incandescence and the resulting radiation is converted by a low-bandgap TPV cell. The PhC tailors the photonic density of states to produce spectrally confined thermal emission that matches the bandgap of the TPV cell, enabling high heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency. The work builds on a previously developed fabrication process to produce a square array of cylindrical cavities in a metal substrate. We will present ongoing incremental improvements in the optical and thermo-mechanical properties, the fabrication process, and the system integration, as recently combined with fabrication using novel materials, such as sputtered coatings, to enable a monolithic system.

[发布机构] Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge; MA; 02139, United States^1;Department of Electrical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge; MA; 02139, United States^2;U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center, 1 4th Ave., Natick; MA; 01760, United States^3;Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge; MA; 02139, United States^4

[效力级别] 能源学

[关键词] 2-D photonic crystals;Cylindrical cavities;Fabrication process;Incremental improvements;Photonic density of state;System integration;Thermomechanical properties;Thermophotovoltaic energies