Numerical analysis of MIM nano-rectenna with metasurface for infrared energy harvesting

Abstract

A novel approach for infrared (IR) energy harvesting through the integration of a resonating metasurface with a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) nano-rectenna is presented. The absorption of IR radiation at 28.3 THz is significantly enhanced through the localization of surface plasmons with the integration of a periodic metasurface on the top of the log spiral MIM rectenna. Additionally, a ground plane is introduced on the backside of the structure to further enhance absorption characteristics. Extensive characterization analysis of the antenna's absorbed E-fields for incident 28.3 THz radiation is conducted with and without the integrated metasurface using full-wave numerical simulation. Also, the rectification properties (I/V, resistivity, and responsivity) are studied with variations in metal (Au, Al, Ag, and Cu) and five different insulators (Al2O3, Cu2O, Ta2O5, TiO2, and ZnO) types. The results demonstrate that the presence of the metasurface enhances the absorbed IR E-field by the rectenna to levels of 80–90%. Furthermore, exceptional harvesting performance, including E-field, current density, resistivity, and rectification efficiency (responsivity), is achieved with the asymmetric Au-ZnO-Cu and Au-ZnO-Ag MIM and metasurface rectenna structures. The proposed design strategies can lead to the development of highly efficient IR energy harvesters in the future.