| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) converter for converting thermal energy to electricity with a remarkably higher coefficient than prior arts.SOLUTION: A thermophotovoltaic (TPV) converter 200 has a spectrum-selective metamaterial radiator 100 and a photovoltaic (PV) cell 210. The PV cell has an optimum conversion spectrum, and the metamaterial radiator is manufactured to have a target (circular-target-like) structure 120 formed of concentric ridges 121-1, 121-2 and 121-3 set to a fixed grid period which is substantially equal to the optimum conversion spectrum. When the radiator is heated to high temperature (exceeding 1,000° K), the surface plasmon generated in the concentric ridges generates a radiation energy beam which has a peak radiation wavelength substantially equal to the fixed grid period and high directivity onto the PV cell. |
