Manipulation of Thermal Emission by Use of Micro and Nanoscale Structures

Abstract

In high temperature and vacuum applications, for which heat transfer is predominantly by radiation, the material’s surface texture is of substantial importance. Several micro and nanostructures designs have been proposed to enhance a material’s emissivity and its radiative coherence. Control of thermal emission is of crucial concern in the design of infrared sources, in electronic chip coolants, in high-efficiency photovoltaic cells, and in solar energy conversion. In this review paper, we present microscale and nanoscale structures supporting surface waves for obtaining polarization manipulation of thermal emission, extraordinary coherent thermal radiation, bandgap in the spectral emission, spin symmetry breaking of coupled thermal antenna array, and a broadband infrared absorption.