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Surface Roughness Effects on the Broadband Reflection for Refractory Metals and Polar Dielectrics
1Faculty of Engineering and Natural Science, Sabanci University, 34956 Istanbul, Turkey. linairez@sabanciuniv.edu.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 25, 2019
Summary
Surface roughness significantly impacts spectral reflectivity and emissivity in stable materials like tungsten and silicon carbide. These effects are most pronounced near the epsilon-near-zero region and specific wavelengths for each material.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Surface Physics
- Optical Engineering
Background:
- Surface roughness is an unavoidable outcome of material processing.
- Tailoring surface roughness is difficult for stable materials like tungsten (W) and silicon carbide (SiC).
- Surface roughness critically influences spectral reflectivity and emissivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To numerically investigate the impact of surface roughness on spectral reflectivity and emissivity.
- To analyze these effects in thermomechanically stable materials.
- To identify key parameters influencing surface roughness effects.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations were employed.
- The study focused on Gaussian surface roughness models.
- Spectral reflectivity and emissivity were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Surface roughness effects are strongly dependent on the correlation length of the Gaussian surface.
- These effects are amplified in the epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) region.
- Enhanced effects were observed in the visible-to-infrared spectrum for W and near 12 μm for SiC.
Conclusions:
- Surface roughness significantly alters optical properties of stable materials.
- The correlation length is a critical factor in surface roughness impact.
- Understanding these effects is vital for applications involving W and SiC, especially near ENZ frequencies and material-specific resonances.

