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5-3-1 CST Euc

The document discusses the design, simulation, fabrication, and testing of a dual Vivaldi nanoantenna for optical rectenna applications. Key points: 1) The dual Vivaldi nanoantenna was designed to have a wide impedance bandwidth between 0.7-3.25um for harvesting solar energy using optical rectennas. 2) Simulations showed the antenna achieved over 129% impedance bandwidth and radiation efficiency exceeding 90%. 3) The antennas were fabricated using e-beam lithography and tested using a free space optical setup, with results matching simulations. 4) Future work will integrate the antennas with carbon nanotube diodes to demonstrate the first optical rectenna and continue improving

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Alok Kumar
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
149 views

5-3-1 CST Euc

The document discusses the design, simulation, fabrication, and testing of a dual Vivaldi nanoantenna for optical rectenna applications. Key points: 1) The dual Vivaldi nanoantenna was designed to have a wide impedance bandwidth between 0.7-3.25um for harvesting solar energy using optical rectennas. 2) Simulations showed the antenna achieved over 129% impedance bandwidth and radiation efficiency exceeding 90%. 3) The antennas were fabricated using e-beam lithography and tested using a free space optical setup, with results matching simulations. 4) Future work will integrate the antennas with carbon nanotube diodes to demonstrate the first optical rectenna and continue improving

Uploaded by

Alok Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The nano Rectenna Project

Dual Vivaldi UWB nanoantenna


for optical applications
Zeev Iluz, Yuval Yifat, Doron Bar-Lev, Michal Eitan, Yoni Kantarovsky, Yuav Blue,
Yael Hanein, Koby Scheuer, and Amir Boag
School of Electrical Engineering
Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel

The nano Rectenna Project

Outline
The motivation: solar energy harvesting using optical
nanoantennas
The Dual Vivaldi antenna geometry simulation results

The fabrication process


The measurements setup using far field instead of
near field
Design verification
Future research

The nano Rectenna Project

The motivation
The energy from 1hr of sunlight striking the earth ( 4.3 10 J )
~ 1 year of consumed energy worldwide (4.110 J in 2001*)
Two main commercial technologies:
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Concentrating solar power (CSP) systems


Photovoltaics (PV)
World insolation map

A CSP System

Typical Solar Cell

Both technologies at present have low efficiency !


*The UN Development Program (2003) World Energy Assessment Report
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Wednesday,

The nano Rectenna Project

Alternative approach: optical rectenna system


Any optical rectenna system will include:
1. Receiving antenna
2. Non linear load that rectifies the AC field

induced at antenna terminals


3. In 1964, Raytheon demonstrated
a helicopter powered by 2.45 GHz
rectenna system.

The helicopter flew for over 10 hours


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The nano Rectenna Project

General Concept
NanoAntenna + high-frequency diode
EM radiation excites AC in nano-antenna.
The high-frequency diode rectifies the AC
current.
The outcome IR detection + Second
Harmonic Generation.

The nano Rectenna Project

Guidelines for efficient IR rectenna


1. Wideband (both impedance matching & radiation
efficiency)
2. Integrated antenna-to-waveguide device (matching
manipulations)
3. DC power lines that do not interact with antenna
operation (array configuration)
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The nano Rectenna Project

The Dual Vivaldi antenna

Classical Vivaldi - slot antenna with exponential taper


UWB impedance matching
End-fire radiation
Our approach: two end-fire Vivaldi antennas, placed opposite to
one another
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Peak gain at the antenna broadside direction.

The nano Rectenna Project

The simulation setup:


CST MWS - Finite Elements Frequency Domain solver.
Unit cell boundary condition: dx=1790 nm, dy=470 nm higher
modes (grating lobes) at the azimuth plane.

Materials: the complex indices of refraction for all metals was


imported.
Two phase simulations:
1. Place ports at the slot line edge
S parameters.
2. Normal incident scattering

EM field.

The nano Rectenna Project

Phase 1: both parallel plate waveguide gaps were excited coherently


and in phase, using ports across the gaps:

Port 2

Port 1

The nano Rectenna Project

Dual Vivaldi Antenna: S parameter


simulation results

The return loss > 9.5 dB between 0.7 3.25m


(129% impedance bandwidth).

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The nano Rectenna Project

The fabrication process


The antennas structure, composed of a 7 nm adhesion

promotion layer of Cr followed by 33 nm of Au, was


patterned using E-beam lithography. Both Open and short
circuits were fabricated.

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The nano Rectenna Project

Initial fabrication results


c

dx[um]

SINGLE ANTENNA SPECIFICATION


Ant Design
Ant Measured
580
596
470
471
25
31
40
50
ARRAY SPECIFICATION
1.79
1.79

dy[um]

0.47

W[nm]
H[nm]
g [nm]
c[nm]

0.47

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The nano Rectenna Project

Array Fabrication
Open Circuit

Short Circuit

The antenna arrays size is 150 m X 150 m, with approximately 26,000 elements.
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The nano Rectenna Project

Measurements
setup
To equally excite all nano-antennas in the array (in amplitude and in phase), the
array was positioned at the waist of the incident Gaussian beam.

The lateral pitch of the arrays the 1st order Bragg diffraction lobe at 60 @

=1550.2 nm for a normally incident excitation beam.


The spectral response of the antennas was obtained by sweeping the excitation

wavelength through the measurement range for different rotation positions of the
array.
By rotating the stage, the
entire optical spectrum of

the laser was covered.

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The nano Rectenna Project

Measurements at 780 nm were performed using a similar

optical setup with a few differences:


(a) a Si detector was placed at an angle of 26 relative to the
incident beam in accordance with the Bragg condition.
(b) the laser source was a non-tunable, wideband ultra-fast
laser.

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The nano Rectenna Project

Design verification

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The nano Rectenna Project

Efficiency:

Only the 1 lobe can be measured.


Excellent agreement between simulation and
measurements.
Summing all lobes results in radiation efficiency
exceeding 90%.

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The nano Rectenna Project

Future research
CNT diodes

A single CNT connecting Ti electrode (Schottky) with Pt electrode (Ohmic) on a


Quartz substrate. The minimal distance between the electrodes is less than 1mm.
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The nano Rectenna Project

TAU Nanorectenna
Dual Vivaldi broken
Antenna (model + experiment)

Dual Vivaldi broken


Antenna (2 Metals + Carbon
nanotubes)

NiAu

TiAu

Made at TAU
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The nano Rectenna Project

Short Vivaldi + MIM


Sub nm
isolation layer

Au

Sub nm
isolation layer

Au

Al

Al

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The nano Rectenna Project

Thank you

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