Thermo-optic tuning of directional infrared emissivity

Abstract

Tuning the spatial extent of directional thermal emission across an arbitrary, and fixed spectral bandwidth is a fundamentally enabling capability for a range of emerging applications such as thermophotovoltaics, thermal imaging, and radiative cooling. However, previous experimental demonstrations were limited to narrow bandwidths, and the resonance frequency itself changed significantly as a function of the reconfigured directional response. Here, we demonstrate thermo-optic tuning of directional infrared emissivity using InAs-based gradient ENZ materials functioning as broadband directional thermal emitters whose angular selectivity can be modified via thermal free-carrier effects. We experimentally demonstrate two emitters achieving a 5{\deg} and 10{\deg} increase in the angular extent of their directional emissivity in the p-polarization across a prescribed, broad wavelength range of operation (12.5 to 15$\mu$m), for moderate temperatures below 400 K. Temperature-driven control of directional emissivity offers a new mode of post-fabrication control of radiative heat transfer that may in turn enable novel device functionalities.