Photonic radiative cooler optimization using Taguchi's method

A photonic radiative cooler comprising of multiple layers of dielectric thin-films is optimized. The emission spectrum of the device is engineered to counter the solar spectrum and to take advantage of the atmospheric transmission window. Dispersion characteristics of all the materials are taken into account as the device is required to operate over an ultra-broadband wavelength range. Taguchi's optimization algorithm is used to calculate the appropriate material for each layer and its corresponding thickness. The performance of the Taguchi's method is found to be comparable with that of well-known stochastic optimization algorithms. Results are presented which show that the presented optimized device performs better than similar devices reported in the literature.