Simultaneous Control of Spectral And Directional Emissivity with Gradient Epsilon-Near-Zero InAs Photonic Structures.

Controlling both the spectral bandwidth and directionality of emitted thermal radiation is a fundamental challenge in contemporary photonics. Recent work has shown that materials with a spatial gradient in the frequency range of their epsilon near zero (ENZ) response can support broad spectrum directionality in their emissivity, enabling high total radiance to specific angles of incidence. However, this capability has been limited spectrally and directionally by the availability of materials with phonon-polariton resonances over long-wave infrared wavelengths. Here, we design and experimentally demonstrate an approach using doped III-V semiconductors that can simultaneously tailor spectral peak, bandwidth and directionality of infrared emissivity. We epitaxially grow and characterize InAs-based gradient ENZ photonic structures that exhibit broadband directional emission with varying spectral bandwidths and directional ranges as a function of their doping concentration profile and thickness. Due to its easy-to-fabricate geometry we believe this approach provides a versatile photonic platform to dynamically control broadband spectral and directional emissivity for a range of emerging applications in heat transfer and infrared sensing. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.