Publications Details
A three-dimensional photonic-crystal emitter for thermal photovoltaic power generation
A three-dimensional tungsten photonic crystal is experimentally realized with a complete photonic band gap at wavelengths {lambda} {ge} 3 {micro}m. At an effective temperature of <T> {approx} 1535 K, the photonic crystal exhibits a sharp emission at {approx}1.5 {micro}m and is promising for thermal photovoltaic (TPV) power generation. Based on the spectral radiance, a proper length scaling and a planar TPV model calculation, an optical-to-electric conversion efficiency of {approx}34% and electrical power of {approx}14 W/cm{sup 2} is theoretically possible.