Patent ID: 10333457

Abstract:
A matching technique and the field enhancement at the terminals of a bowtie nanoantenna is presented to develop compact, highly efficient, and flexible thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells. The bowtie antenna is designed for maximum power transfer to a near infrared band of a TPV cell. In one example, a small cube of indium gallium arsenside antimode or another suitable material with a low bandgap energy of 0.52 eV is mounted at the terminals of the antenna. Such a load presents a frequency dependent impedance with a high resistance and capacitance at the desired frequency (180THz). For maximum power transfer, a high impedance bowtie antenna operating at the anti-resonance mode connected to an inductive transmission line to compensate for the load capacitance is realized. The same antenna and load configuration with the semiconductor material used in photoconductive mode is used to realize a sensitive uncooled photodetector.