In:
Optics Express, Optica Publishing Group, Vol. 30, No. 16 ( 2022-08-01), p. 29694-
Abstract:
A few tens of nanometre thick ultrathin materials may suffer from a very low absorption at their band edges. In this work, we investigate a photonic crystal (PC) made of a lowcost, transparent patterned silicon nitride (SiN x ) layer, conformally covered with an ultrathin active layer (e.g., 20 nm TiO 2 ) in view of its use in various applications such as photocatalysis. A fair estimation of the absorption enhancement, considering the volume of the active material, is calculated using RCWA. A remarkable enhancement (more than ten-folds) in absorptance in the near UV range and a very high transmittance over the visible range are observed. A detailed modal analysis of the structures-of-interest unravels the Light Trapping (LT) mechanisms and allows the derivation of key design guidelines. Optical measurements on a patterned sample provide a first proof-of-concept of such possible photonic backbone structures suitable for highly efficient depollution and artificial photosynthesis for solar fuels production.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1094-4087
Language:
English
Publisher:
Optica Publishing Group
Publication Date:
2022
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1491859-6
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