[10p-E201-1~19] 3.11 Nanoscale optical science and near-field optics

5:45 PM - 6:00 PM JST(8:45 AM - 9:00 AM UTC)English Presentation

[10p-E201-16] Near-field thermal radiation sensing via photon-assisted tunneling

〇Zhen Liu¹, Yuji Oka¹, Olivier Merchiersm², Pierre-Olivier Chapuis², Yoshiaki Kanamori¹, Hiroo Yugami¹, Makoto Shimizu¹ (1.Tohoku Univ., 2.INSA Lyon)

Keywords:

Near-field thermal radiation,MIM tunnel diode,Photon-assisted tunneling

Near-field thermal radiation can exceed the blackbody limit through evanescent-wave coupling and offers opportunities for energy harvesting and sensing. In this work, we investigate the use of photon-assisted tunneling (PAT) in a metal–insulator–metal (MIM) tunnel diode to directly convert near-field thermal radiation into a measurable DC current. Unlike conventional thermophotovoltaic devices, PAT does not require semiconductor bandgap absorption and can therefore utilize low-energy thermal photons from relatively low-temperature heat sources. Using fluctuational electrodynamics and PAT theory, we analyze a Pt–TiO₂–Ti MIM diode facing a thermal emitter and evaluate the generated short-circuit current. The results show a significant increase in current as the gap enters the near-field regime, indicating strong sensitivity to evanescent-wave coupling. These findings suggest that PAT-based MIM diodes may provide a simple electrical approach for detecting near-field thermal radiation and nanoscale proximity while also offering potential for low-temperature energy harvesting.