Tunable thermal emission at infrared frequencies via tungsten gratings

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how tungsten gratings with adjustable groove depths can selectively enhance infrared thermal emission, approaching blackbody levels at specific frequencies, aiding thermovoltaic device design.

Contribution

It introduces a method to tune infrared thermal emission using tungsten gratings with variable groove depths, a novel approach for controlling emission spectra.

Findings

Enhanced polarized emission at targeted frequencies with increased groove depth

Achieved emission levels close to blackbody radiation at specific infrared frequencies

No significant change in emission in other frequency ranges

Abstract

The author investigates the manipulation of thermal emission by using one-dimensional tungsten gratings with different groove depths. It is found that, by systematically increasing the depth of the groove, the linearly polarized emission at particular frequencies can be substantially enhanced to achieve that of the blackbody radiation limit, whereas the emission in other frequency ranges shows no noticeable changes. The results can provide useful insights into the design of thermovoltaic applications.