An ultra-broadband high-performance solar energy perfect absorber from deep ultraviolet to mid-infrared

Abstract

Metamaterial absorbers possess potential applications in a large number of fields, including solar energy harvesting, photovoltaics, stealth technology and sensors, owing to their capability to achieve perfect absorption of electromagnetic waves. In this study, a solar metamaterial absorber comprising a TiN substrate, a SiO2 spacer layer and an array of patterned-layer TiN-SiO2 double circular employing the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is proposed to achieve perfect absorption in ultra-broadband. Optimization results indicate that the broadband absorption spectrum of the absorber extends from deep ultraviolet to mid-infrared wavelengths with an average absorption of 98.1%. The distribution of electric and magnetic fields suggests that the absorber achieves high absorption due to the interaction between surface plasmon resonance (SPR), cavity resonance (CR) and magnetic resonance (MR). Furthermore, the proposed absorber is insensitive to large-angle incidence and polarization-independent. Moreover, the absorber can be produced at a low cost due to its tolerance of the geometrical errors. The newly proposed metamaterial absorber is expected to be applied in solar energy related fields.