Nanoimprinted superlattice metallic photonic crystal as ultraselective solar absorber

A two-dimensional superlattice metallic photonic crystal (PhC) and its fabrication by nanoimprint lithography on tantalum substrates are presented. The superior tailoring capacity of the superlattice PhC geometry is used to achieve spectrally selective solar absorption optimized for high-temperature and high-efficiency solar-energy-conversion applications. The scalable fabrication route by nanoimprint lithography allows for a high-throughput and high-resolution replication of this complex pattern over large areas. Despite the high fill factor, the pattern of polygonal cavities is accurately replicated into a resist that hardens under ultraviolet radiation over an area of 10  mm². In this way, cavities of 905 nm and 340 nm width are achieved with a period of 1 μm. After pattern transfer into tantalum via a deep reactive ion-etching process, the achieved cavities are 2.2 μm deep, separated by 85–95 nm wide ridges with vertical sidewalls. The room-temperature reflectance spectra of the fabricated samples show excellent agreement with simulated results, with a high spectral absorptance approaching blackbody absorption in the range from 300 to 1900 nm and a steep cutoff. The calculated solar absorptivity of this superlattice PhC is 96% and its thermal transfer efficiency is 82.8% at an operating temperature of 1500 K and an irradiance of 1000  kW/m².United States. Army Research Office (W911NF-13-D-0001)United States. Department of Energy (DE-SC0001299

Large area selective emitters/absorbers based on 2D tantalum photonic crystals for high-temperature energy applications

We report highly selective emitters based on high-aspect ratio 2D photonic crystals (PhCs) fabricated on large area (2 inch diameter) polycrystalline tantalum substrates, suitable for high-temperature operation. As an example we present an optimized design for a selective emitter with a cut-off wavelength of 2μm, matched to the bandgap of an InGaAs PV cell, achieving a predicted spectral selectivity of 56.6% at 1200K. We present a fabrication route for these tantalum PhCs, based on standard microfabrication processes including deep reactive ion etch of tantalum by an SF6 based Bosch process, achieving high-aspect ratio cavities (< 8:1). Interference lithography was used to facilitate large area fabrication, maintaining both fabrication precision and uniformity, with a cavity diameter variation of less than 2% across the substrate. The fabricated tantalum PhCs exhibit strong enhancement of the emittance at wavelengths below cut-off wavelength, approaching that of blackbody, and a steep cut-off between high and low emittance spectral regions. Moreover, detailed simulations and numerical modeling show excellent agreement with experimental results. In addition, we propose a surface protective coating, which acts as a thermal barrier coating and diffusion inhibitor, and its conformal fabrication by atomic layer deposition.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF award No. ECS-0335765)United States. Army Research Office. Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (Contract Nos. DAAD-19-02-D0002)United States. Army Research Office (Contract No. W911NF-07-D000)United States. Dept. of Energy (MIT S3TEC Energy Research Frontier Center, Grant No. DE-SC0001299)Austrian Science Fund (FWF: J3161-N20