Super wide-band solar light perfect absorbers using cascade cavity metal-dielectric layer structures
Date of Award
2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)
Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Committee Chair
Junpeng Guo
Committee Member
Robert G. Lindquist
Committee Member
James K. Baird
Subject(s)
Dielectrics, Solar energy, Light absorption, Solar radiation
Abstract
Super wideband perfect solar light absorbers based on un-patterned metal-dielectric thin film structures were designed and fabricated. Designed solar light absorbers can efficiently absorb solar light within a wide solar light spectrum from 400 nm to 2500 nm wavelength. Design and simulations were carried out by using the transfer matrix approach for structures of different metal-dielectric layers thicknesses. Fabricated devices have shown near perfect absorption from 400 nm to 1700 nm wavelength. The absorption spectral range in the infrared is limited by the capability of our measurement. Measurement results have shown that the cascade metal-dielectric layer nano-cavity absorbers have near perfect light absorption over a wider spectral range than the absorption spectral range of single cavity absorbers reported earlier. The super wideband perfect light absorbers are insensitive to the increase of incident angle with respect to the surface normal and work at large angles of incidence. Demonstrated super wideband perfect light absorbers intrinsically have low manufacturing cost.
Recommended Citation
Chen, Jinnan, "Super wide-band solar light perfect absorbers using cascade cavity metal-dielectric layer structures" (2015). Theses. 131.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/131