GRAPHINE COUPLED MIM RECTIFIER ESPECIALLY FOR USE IN MONOLITHIC BROADBAND INFRARED ENERGY COLLECTOR

摘要

A rectifier comprising a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure. The insulator may be a native oxide with an adjacent layer of graphene. In one implementation, the rectifier is used in an electromagnetic energy collector consisting of a planar waveguide formed of multiple material layers having at least two different dielectric constants. MIM rectifiers are aligned with mirrors are formed within the waveguide core. In some arrangements, a plurality of MIM rectifiers are disposed in a column or 3D array beneath each mirror.

主权项

1. An electromagnetic energy collector apparatus comprising:
a planar waveguide having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a core layer, the core providing a coherent propagation mode via internal reflection along a propagation axis parallel to the top surface and bottom surface, the waveguide further including multiple material layers having at least two different dielectric constants; a prism disposed on the top surface of the waveguide and coextensive with the propagation axis of the planar waveguide, for providing electromagnetic energy to the waveguide; two or more mirrors formed within the waveguide core, each of the mirrors having a surface disposed at a critical angle to the propagation axis, and the mirror surface extending from at least a top surface to a bottom surface of the waveguide core, and each of the mirrors disposed in parallel with at least one another mirror; and at least one metal-insulator-metal (MIM) rectifier aligned with each mirror and disposed beneath the bottom surface of the waveguide, further comprising an insulator consisting of a native oxide and a graphic layer.