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Design and Characterization Methodology for Efficient Wide Range Tunable MEMS Filters
Published on: February 4, 2018
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MEMS-based meta-emitter with actively tunable radiation power characteristic
Kunye Li1, Yuhao Liang2,3, Yu-Sheng Lin4,5
1School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
Discover Nano
|August 24, 2024
Summary
We developed a tunable meta-emitter using micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology for longwave infrared (LWIR) applications. This device offers controllable thermal radiation, ideal for gas sensing and infrared spectroscopy.
Area of Science:
- Metamaterials and Nanophotonics
- Micro-electro-mechanical Systems (MEMS)
Background:
- Metamaterials offer unique light-matter interaction properties.
- Tunable infrared sources are crucial for various sensing and analytical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and demonstrate a novel micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) based meta-emitter.
- To achieve tunable perfect absorption and thermal radiation in the longwave infrared (LWIR) spectrum.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a meta-emitter unit cell using gold (Au) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) bilayer cantilevers.
- Utilizing the electrothermal actuation mechanism driven by differential thermal expansion coefficients (TEC) for tuning.
- Characterizing absorption spectra and thermal radiation properties across a temperature range.
Main Results:
- The MEMS meta-emitter exhibits tunable perfect absorption in the LWIR range (8.90–11.90 µm).
- Thermal radiation peak wavelength is tunable from 9.52 µm to 10.48 µm by increasing temperature from 293 K to 1290 K.
- Demonstrated linear decrease in cantilever bending height with increasing temperature.
Conclusions:
- The proposed MEMS-based meta-emitter is a viable LWIR light source.
- Potential applications include gas sensing, infrared spectroscopy, and medical care.
