Broadband Directive Thermal Emission with Dual Polarization
Achieving highly directive thermal emission across a broad spectral range remains a fundamental challenge in photonics. While recent advances have demonstrated broadband directional emission via Berreman modes, their operation is restricted to transverse-magnetic polarization. In this work, we present a framework for dual-polarized, spectrally broadband directive thermal emission by identifying the role of phase-matching leaky modes. By engineering the relative permittivity ratio between adjacent layers, broadband angular confinement is achieved without relying on strongly dispersive epsilon-near-zero resonances. A Si/Ge tandem structure supports dual-polarized directive emission inside a high-index medium, and a hemispherical extraction geometry preserves the emission angle upon outcoupling. This work provides a scalable strategy for broadband directional thermal emission in mid-infrared systems.
Authors
- Yae‐Chan Lim
- Komron J. Shayegan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1532-357X)
- Harry Albert Atwater (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9435-0201)
Institutions
- California Institute of Technology (US)
- IBM Research - Thomas J. Watson Research Center (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Photonics
- Published
- 2026-05-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsphotonics.5c02760
- Primary Topic
- Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Defense Sciences Office, DARPA