Ultrabroadband absorber based on single-sized embedded metal-dielectric-metal structures and application of radiative cooling

The realization of ultrabroadband absorption is a fundamental part of a thermal emitter, especially in the application of radiative cooling. This study invoked proposing and systematically analyzing a novel structure termed as an embedded metal-dielectric-metal (EMDM) structure. The results in the case of an individual resonator indicated that the EMDM resonator displayed a broader full width at half maximum (FWHM) that was 1.9 times that of the metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) resonator due to mode matching at the terminated end and enhanced scattering intensity. With respect to the case of periodic resonators, single-sized periodic EMDM resonators are employed to achieve a broader FWHM that is 3.8 times that of the MDM resonators. In addition, a strong coupling effect is confirmed between localized MDM and hybrid modes. An application of lossy-dielectric based periodic three-dimensional EMDM resonators indicated that an average absorptivity of 0.85 in the entire atmospheric window (8-13 mu m). The results revealed the potential of EMDM structures for radiative cooling devices and other ultrabroadband absorbers. (C) 2017 Optical Society or America