Patent ID: 8450598

Claim:
A method for near-field energy conversion, comprising: juxtaposing a relatively hot inner surface of a thermal emitter substrate and an adjacent relatively cool inner surface of a radiation receiver substrate; separating the juxtaposed relatively hot inner surface of the thermal emitter substrate and the adjacent relatively cool inner surface of the radiation receiver substrate by a gap of less than one micron; covering an outer surface of the thermal emitter substrate opposite the hot inner surface with an emitter membrane structure of pressure-compliant thermally conductive material and covering an outer surface of the radiation receiver substrate opposite the cool inner surface with a receiver membrane structure of pressure-compliant thermally conductive material; setting and maintaining uniformity of the gap, and providing thermal conductivity between impinging radiation and the outer surface of the thermal emitter substrate by the emitter membrane structure; and setting and maintaining uniformity of the gap, and providing cooling to the outer surface of radiation receiver substrate by the receiver membrane structure.