Infrared subwavelength focusing in silicon and energy harvesting devices
AssigneeThe American University in Cairo
InventorsMohamed Swillam, Manar A. Abdel-Galil, Yehea Ismail
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Abstract
An infrared subwavelength metasurface lens implements slit width modulation focusing of infrared light into a subwavelength region located within a silicon substrate. The lens includes a metasurface deposited on a surface of the silicon substrate, where the metasurface has multiple discrete copper elements separated by uniformly distributed slits of different widths. The device may also implement refractive index modulation by filling different slits with silicon or air. The infrared subwavelength metasurface lens may be coupled with a thermoelectric generator to form a thermoelectric infrared harvesting device.
Claims5
An infrared subwavelength metasurface lens comprising a silicon substrate and a metasurface deposited on a surface of the silicon substrate, wherein the metasurface comprises multiple discrete copper elements separated by uniformly distributed slits of different widths to implement slit width modulation focusing of infrared light into a subwavelength region located within the silicon substrate, wherein each of the uniformly distributed slits is filled with either silicon or air, and wherein some of the uniformly distributed slits are filled with silicon to implement refractive index modulation focusing.
A thermoelectric infrared harvesting device comprising:
- a) an infrared subwavelength metasurface lens comprising a silicon substrate and a metasurface deposited on a surface of the silicon substrate, wherein the metasurface comprises multiple discrete copper elements separated by uniformly distributed slits of different widths to implement slit width modulation focusing of infrared light into a subwavelength focal region located within the silicon substrate, wherein each of the uniformly distributed slits is filled with either silicon or air, and wherein some of the uniformly distributed slits are filled with silicon to implement refractive index modulation focusing;
- b) a thermoelectric generator having a p-type semiconductor material and an n-type semiconductor material coupled to the silicon substrate at two distinct locations, where one location is the focal region located within the silicon substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.