A simulation study of multi-junction insulator tunnel diode for solar energy harvesting applications
There has been an ongoing demand of clean and inexpensive energy source for the sustainable growth of humanity. However, depletion of fossil fuels and fluctuation in oil prices have resulted in a global crisis for increasing the demand of clean and green energy. The world total energy consumption is...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Materials Research Express |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/ac28b6 |
| _version_ | 1797746834597216256 |
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| author | Abdullah Alodhayb Azat Meredov Parul Dawar |
| author_facet | Abdullah Alodhayb Azat Meredov Parul Dawar |
| author_sort | Abdullah Alodhayb |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There has been an ongoing demand of clean and inexpensive energy source for the sustainable growth of humanity. However, depletion of fossil fuels and fluctuation in oil prices have resulted in a global crisis for increasing the demand of clean and green energy. The world total energy consumption is currently higher than 55,235 TWh, and it grows at a rate of 2.5% annually. The increase in energy demand and decrease in energy supply signifies the urgent need to limit the dependency on fossil fuels and seek renewable sources of energy. The scientific communities and researchers are seeking alternative sources of renewable energy. Infrared (IR) energy harvesting is a promising contribution to sustainable energy demand. There is abundant IR energy available in the environment in the spectrum range from 2 to 11 μ m (in wavelength), having maximum intensity at 10.6 μ m (28.3 THz). The idea is to treat the waste heat as very high oscillating electromagnetic waves, which can be grabbed by a nanoantenna and further rectified by a diode into useful energy. This combination of nanoantenna and diode is known as ‘Rectenna system.’ Multilayer insulator diodes, which operate on the principle of electron tunneling, are one of the few candidates for such high-frequency operation. In this article, different combinations of the metal–insulator–insulator–metal (M _I I _1 I _2 M _2 ) diode are studied for operation at high frequency (28.3 THz or 10.6 μ m). The thickness of varying insulator layers with different dielectric constants is simulated and optimized to have the best resistor–capacitor time constant matching and an enhanced rectification. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive and systematic study of the M _I I _1 I _2 M _2 diode-based rectenna system for energy harvesting applications at 28.3 THz. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:42:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c0451f8982304dc78f18edeeb4965852 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2053-1591 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:42:26Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Materials Research Express |
| spelling | doaj.art-c0451f8982304dc78f18edeeb49658522023-08-09T15:55:10ZengIOP PublishingMaterials Research Express2053-15912021-01-018909550910.1088/2053-1591/ac28b6A simulation study of multi-junction insulator tunnel diode for solar energy harvesting applicationsAbdullah Alodhayb0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0202-8712Azat Meredov1Parul Dawar2Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science, King Saud University , Riyadh, 11451, Saudi ArabiaRWTH Aachen University , Institute of High Frequncy Technology, Aachen, 52056, GermanyDepartment of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Guru Tegh Bahadur Institute of Technology, New Delhi-110064, IndiaThere has been an ongoing demand of clean and inexpensive energy source for the sustainable growth of humanity. However, depletion of fossil fuels and fluctuation in oil prices have resulted in a global crisis for increasing the demand of clean and green energy. The world total energy consumption is currently higher than 55,235 TWh, and it grows at a rate of 2.5% annually. The increase in energy demand and decrease in energy supply signifies the urgent need to limit the dependency on fossil fuels and seek renewable sources of energy. The scientific communities and researchers are seeking alternative sources of renewable energy. Infrared (IR) energy harvesting is a promising contribution to sustainable energy demand. There is abundant IR energy available in the environment in the spectrum range from 2 to 11 μ m (in wavelength), having maximum intensity at 10.6 μ m (28.3 THz). The idea is to treat the waste heat as very high oscillating electromagnetic waves, which can be grabbed by a nanoantenna and further rectified by a diode into useful energy. This combination of nanoantenna and diode is known as ‘Rectenna system.’ Multilayer insulator diodes, which operate on the principle of electron tunneling, are one of the few candidates for such high-frequency operation. In this article, different combinations of the metal–insulator–insulator–metal (M _I I _1 I _2 M _2 ) diode are studied for operation at high frequency (28.3 THz or 10.6 μ m). The thickness of varying insulator layers with different dielectric constants is simulated and optimized to have the best resistor–capacitor time constant matching and an enhanced rectification. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive and systematic study of the M _I I _1 I _2 M _2 diode-based rectenna system for energy harvesting applications at 28.3 THz.https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/ac28b6metal–insulator–insulator–metal diodetunneling diodenano rectennaoptical rectennaTHz energy harvesting |
| spellingShingle | Abdullah Alodhayb Azat Meredov Parul Dawar A simulation study of multi-junction insulator tunnel diode for solar energy harvesting applications Materials Research Express metal–insulator–insulator–metal diode tunneling diode nano rectenna optical rectenna THz energy harvesting |
| title | A simulation study of multi-junction insulator tunnel diode for solar energy harvesting applications |
| title_full | A simulation study of multi-junction insulator tunnel diode for solar energy harvesting applications |
| title_fullStr | A simulation study of multi-junction insulator tunnel diode for solar energy harvesting applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | A simulation study of multi-junction insulator tunnel diode for solar energy harvesting applications |
| title_short | A simulation study of multi-junction insulator tunnel diode for solar energy harvesting applications |
| title_sort | simulation study of multi junction insulator tunnel diode for solar energy harvesting applications |
| topic | metal–insulator–insulator–metal diode tunneling diode nano rectenna optical rectenna THz energy harvesting |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/ac28b6 |
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