Electrically tuning near-field heat flux using metal–oxide–semiconductor structure considering gradient dielectric function distribution

Abstract

We build a model to determine the dependency of near-field heat flux on bias voltage using the metal–oxide–semiconductor structures considering gradient distribution of dielectric function. Quantitative dependency of near-field heat flux exchanged by two biased metal–oxide–semiconductor structures on bias voltage is established. The distribution of carrier density and the resultant dielectric function in the semiconductor layer caused by the bias are determined. The corresponding near-field heat flux is calculated using an effective multilayer model. Significant tuning performance is demonstrated, which is due to the increase or decrease in high-frequency surface polariton states induced by the injection or extraction of major carriers. This work deepens the understanding of electrical control of near-field heat transfer with metal–oxide–semiconductor structures, promising for nanoscale thermal management devices and thermal circuits.