Emission bandwidth control on a two-dimensional superlattice microcavity array

Abstract

Narrowband thermal emission at high temperatures is required for various thermal energy systems. However, the large lossy energy of refractory metals induces a broad bandwidth emission. Here, we demonstrated a two-dimensional (2D) superlattice microcavity array on refractory metals to control the emission bandwidth. A hybrid resonance mode was obtained by coupling the standing-wave modes and propagating surface-wave modes. The bandwidth emission was controlled by varying the superlattice microcavity array resulting from the change in electric field (E-field) concentration. The quality factor (Q-factor) improved by more than 3 times compared to that of a single-lattice array. A narrower band emission originating from the hybrid mode was observed and analyzed experimentally. This novel surface-relief microstructure method can be used to control the emission bandwidth of thermal emitters used in thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems and other high-temperature thermal energy systems.