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Wavelength-tunable mid-infrared thermal emitters with a non-volatile phase changing material
1State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, 310027, Hangzhou, China. qiangli@zju.edu.cn.
Nanoscale
|February 17, 2018
Summary
Researchers developed tunable mid-infrared thermal emitters using germanium-antimony-telluride (Ge2Sb2Te5) phase change material. These emitters achieve high peak emissivity across a tunable wavelength range, enabling new infrared applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Optics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Continuously tuning mid-infrared thermal emitters while maintaining high peak emissivity is a significant challenge.
- Existing thermal emitters often lack wavelength tunability or suffer from low emissivity at specific wavelengths.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate wavelength-tunable mid-infrared thermal emitters with high peak emissivity.
- To explore the use of phase-change materials for tunable thermal emission.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of two simple layered structures: a Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST)-Al bilayer and a Cr-GST-Au trilayer.
- Utilizing the nonvolatile phase transition properties of GST to achieve wavelength tuning.
- Characterization of thermal emission properties, including peak emissivity and tunable wavelength range.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated tunable mid-infrared thermal emitters based on GST.
- Achieved tunable peak wavelengths between 7 μm and 13 μm.
- Maintained high peak emissivity: >0.75 for GST-Al and >0.63 for Cr-GST-Au emitters.
Conclusions:
- GST is a viable material for creating wavelength-tunable thermal emitters.
- The demonstrated emitters offer a promising solution for applications requiring controlled thermal emission.
- Potential applications include gas sensors, infrared imaging, solar thermophotovoltaics, and radiative cooling.
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