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A comparative study of broadband solar absorbers with different gold metasurfaces and MgF2 on tungsten substrates

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Abstract

A comparative study of different highly efficient broadband solar absorbers based on gold resonators is presented. We compare the absorption parameters for cylindrical, hollow cylindrical, pyramid, and sawtooth-shaped gold resonator structures over a wide input incident range at solar frequencies from 100 to 1200 THz (250 to 3000 nm). The performance of the structures is quantified in terms of the absorption, reflectance, and transmittance. We also numerically calculate the behavior of the structures when varying geometric parameters including the overall dimensions, the substrate size, and the resonator thickness. The proposed absorber structures can trap > 98% of the input incident light over a wide range of the terahertz (THz) spectrum. The performance of the absorber structures is compared based on their response to AM1.5 spectral irradiance to confirm their wide absorption behavior across the solar range. The proposed absorber structures offer higher absorption efficiency over a wide range of the solar spectrum. The effect of the height and other physical dimensions on the absorption is also presented. These results will help to choose the operating band for wide-angle and short-angle applications. This article also provides suggestions for the design of selective band absorption by changing the dimensions of such structures. The proposed absorber structures could be applied to design highly efficient solar cells with stable wide-angle behavior across input incident waves.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research, Taif University Researchers Supporting Project number (TURSP-2020/08), Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Information and Communication Technology, Marwadi University, Rajkot, Gujarat, 360003, India

    Vishal Sorathiya & Sunil Lavadiya

  2. Department of Computer Engineering, College of Computers and Information Technology, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia

    Ahmed AlGhamdi

  3. Department of Information Technology, College of Computers and Information Technology, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia

    Osama S. Faragallah

  4. Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, 32511, Egypt

    Hala S. El-sayed

  5. Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia

    Mahmoud M. A. Eid

  6. Electronics and Electrical Communications Engineering Department, Faculty of Electronic Engineering, Menoufia University, Menouf, 32951, Egypt

    Ahmed Nabih Zaki Rashed

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  1. Vishal Sorathiya
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  2. Sunil Lavadiya
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Correspondence to Ahmed Nabih Zaki Rashed.

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Sorathiya, V., Lavadiya, S., AlGhamdi, A. et al. A comparative study of broadband solar absorbers with different gold metasurfaces and MgF2 on tungsten substrates. J Comput Electron 20, 1840–1850 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10825-021-01746-z

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