Proposal Number: CTS-0500113 Principal Investigator: Zhang, Zhuomin Affiliation: Georgia Tech Research Corporation - GIT Proposal Title: Development of a Wavelength Selective Emitters and Absorbers with Microfabricated Complex Gratings
This proposal was received as an unsolicited submission to the Chemical and Transport Systems Division and was funded by the Thermal Transport and Thermal Processing Program. The objective of this research is to study the thermal radiative properties of heavily doped silicon for the development of one-dimensional complex grating structures, which allow the control of the spectral and directional behavior of thermal emission and absorption. The approach is to combine the experimental investigation with theoretical modeling. A Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer and a spectral bidirectional reflectometer will be used for measuring the transmittance, reflectance, and emittance of doped silicon with various microstructures at wavelengths between 0.4 and 20 micrometers, from room temperature to 900 K. Complex grating structures will be developed using silicon microfabrication technology. Rigorous coupled-wave analysis will be employed to predict the radiative properties of microstructured surfaces for the design and optimization of structures for specific applications. Knowledge of the temperature dependence of radiative properties of heavily doped silicon will be obtained through this project. Development of engineered surfaces that allow the control of radiative properties has important applications in thermophotovoltaic devices for energy conversion and infrared detectors for remote sensing. The success of the proposed research will further benefit the society by providing opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students in micro/nanoscale thermal engineering. The PI plans to enhance the undergraduate Heat Transfer course by introducing the micro/nanoscale thermal phenomena and solution methods.
