Publications

Tailored surfaces for managing thermal emission: Plasmon/photon coupling using diffractive optics technology

Kemme, S.A.; Cruz-Cabrera, A.A.; Peters, D.W.; Ellis, A.R.; Carter, T.R.; Samora, S.

We present simulations and measurements of a technology that can manipulate thermal angular and wavelength emission. This work is representative of Sandia National Laboratories' efforts to investigate advanced technologies that are not currently accessible for reasons such as risk, cost, or limited availability. The goal of this project is to demonstrate a passive thermal emission management surface that can tailor the direction of emission as well as the wavelength bands of emission. This new proposed technology enables thermal emission pattern management by structuring the surface. This structuring may be in either the lateral or depth dimension. A lateral structuring consists of a shallow grating on a metal surface. This air/metal interface allows photon/plasmon coupling, which has been shown to coherently and preferentially emit at certain wavelengths.