Ultra-broadband nanostructured metamaterial absorber based on stacked square-layers of TiN/TiO2

Abstract

Metamaterial-based nano-scale absorbers have been becoming very popular in the modern era due to efficiently absorbing solar radiation to revamp the performance characteristics of thermal emitters and solar thermophotovoltaics (STPV) systems. Here, we explore and implement an ultra-broadband nanostructured metamaterial absorber (NMMA), which comprises a stack of alternating nano-squares of TiN and TiO2 mounted over the dielectric substrate backed by a metallic sheet. The numerical simulations and electromagnetic (EM) characteristics of the proposed NMMA have been investigated by employing the finite difference time domain (FDTD) EM tool. The numerical results indicate that the average absorption of the NMMA reaches 96% in the wavelength range from 200-3000 nm (from ultraviolet to mid-infrared), and the minimal absorption is also above 90% in a continuous large operating spectrum ranging from 200-2800 nm. Surprisingly, the absorption features of the designed nano-absorber remain stable under the influence of oblique incident-angles for both the polarization states (TE & TM). Furthermore, the proposed nano-absorber manifests polarization-insensitive behavior due to the presence of four-fold symmetry of the proposed structure. Large operational bandwidth, miniaturized structure, and the use of thermally stable refractory metal TiN make this NMMA an appealing candidate for the applications of thermal emission, solar thermophotovoltaics, and other opto-electronic devices. In addition, the design of this absorber is also scalable to other operating spectrums through carefully selecting the materials and optimizing the geometry of the proposed structure.