Spectral control of surface Plasmon by Fabry-Perot interference and its application for near-field thermophotovoltaic power generation

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20H02084
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 19020:Thermal engineering-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Hanamura Katsunori 東京工業大学, 工学院, 教授 (20172950)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 近接場ふく射輸送 / 波長制御 / 光起電力発電 / エネルギー変換

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Spectral contorol of near-field radiation is applied for thermophotovoltaic generation of electricity by manufacturing three layered cell consisting of a grid-shape top-electrode, a thin GaSb pn-junction layer and a flat bottom-electrode. The measured absorptance spectrum of the metal-semiconductor-metal structured cell has the maximum peak at the wavelength of 1.65 micrometer which is close to that of the bandgap of GaSb semiconductor. The absorptance reaches the value of 95 %. The obtained short-circuit current density is 9 mA per square-centimeter. Moreover, enen in the case of 100 nm p-n junction semiconductor thickness close to a depletion thickness, the open-circuit voltage reaches the value of 0.32 V. Combined with metal-insulator-metal structured emitter, the spectral controlled radiation flux is 4 times higher than that of blackbody's radiation transfer through numerical simulation.

Free Research Field

熱工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

赤外域の近接場光輸送の波長を制御し、光起電力電池のバンドギャップ近傍の波長域のみを利用した発電システム構築の糸口を掴むことができた。このとき空乏層厚み程度のpn接合GaSb半導体においても発電可能であることを実証できたことは学術的に興味深い。また波長選択放射体と数百nmの隙間を介して組合わせることにより黒体ふく射輸送に比べて4倍ほどふく射流束が大きくなることを示したことは社会的にインパクトが大きい。