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Published in IET Optoelectronics
Received on 15th September 2013
Revised on 14th January 2014
Accepted on 9th February 2014
doi: 10.1049/iet-opt.2013.0108
ISSN 1751-8768
Abstract: In this study, a novel design of nano-antenna for energy harvesting is proposed and analysed using three-dimensional
nite difference time-domain method. The new design consists of three elements nano-antenna with elliptical shape and with air
gap. The numerical simulations are investigated for improving the harvesting efciency of the nano-antennas within the
wavelength range from 400 to 1400 nm. The suggested design has high efciency of 74.6% at 500 nm where the irradiance
of the sun is maximum. The proposed nano-antenna shows an improvement in the harvesting and the total harvesting
efciency over the conventional dipole antenna by 15 and 32.7%, respectively.
2 Nano-antenna parameters
The performance of the nano-rectennas depends on the
efciency of light capturing by the nano-antenna as well as
transferring to its terminals. In addition, the capability of
the rectier to transform the captured light into
low-frequency power can affect the behaviour of the
nano-rectennas. Based on the reciprocity theory [11], it is
deduced that the efciency at transmission is similar to that
of the antenna in converting input power, given at its
terminals, into radiation, which is called the radiation
efciency rad of the antenna [9, 11, 12]. In addition, at
small scale, no quantum effects have to be taken into
account, and then the antenna is able to transmit and
receive electromagnetic waves rather than particles. In
effect, the coupling between electromagnetic waves and
nano-antenna is the same as at microwave frequencies.
From the values of the extinction and scattering
cross-sections, based on Mie theory [12], the optical
radiation efciency of nano particles can be expressed as
Csca Csca
hrad = = (1)
Cext Csca + Cabs
Fig. 3 Variation of the radiation efciency of the proposed elliptical dipole with the wavelength at different
a Minor radii of the air gap b2
b Major radii of the air gap a2
the region of minimum eld distribution as shown in Fig. 2a. L = 300 nm (a1 = 150 nm b1 = 48 nm, a2 = 100 nm, b2 = 18
Fig. 2b shows the top view of the proposed structure. Figs. 2c nm), L = 350 nm (a1 = 175 nm b1 = 56 nm, a2 = 133 nm,
and d show the scattering and the absorbing elds along b2 = 21 nm) and L = 400 nm (a1 = 200 nm b1 = 64 nm, a2 =
XY-plane of the proposed elliptical dipole using air substrate. 177 nm, b2 = 24 nm). It is found that the harvesting
The proposed design as shown in Fig. 2a consists of two efciency and bandwidth increase with increasing the
elliptical shape elements with air gap separated by a length of each element L as shown in Fig. 4.
distance G. Each element of height H and length L has Next, the effect of the height H on the nano-antenna
minor and major radii a1 and b1, respectively. However, the performance is studied. In this evaluation, the height of the
elliptical air gap has major and minor radii a2 and b2, antenna element is changed from 40 to 80 nm with a
respectively. The structure geometrical parameters can step of 10 nm. However, the other parameters are xed at
affect the harvesting efciency [9] of the suggested design. a1 = 125 nm, b1 = 40 nm, G = 10 nm, a2 = 100 nm and b2 =
Therefore the effect of the antenna dimensions and gap size 20 nm. Fig. 5 shows the wavelength dependent radiation
on the performance of the reported nano-antenna is efciency at different H values. It is evident from this
investigated thoroughly. gure that the radiation efciency increases with increasing
The impact of the major a2 and minor b2 radii of the air gap the height H up to certain limit where the absorption losses
is rst investigated. However, the other parameters are xed at will cancel the enhancement of the increase of the density
G = 10 nm and H = 40 nm. In addition, the major a1 and wave of electrons. In addition, the harvesting efciency
minor axes b1 of the metals are taken as 125 and 40 nm, shows an effective improvement by increasing the antenna
respectively. First, the effect of the minor radius of the air height.
gap is studied, whereas the major radius is xed at 70 nm. The effect of the gap distance G between the two elliptical
Fig. 3a shows the wavelength dependent radiation elements is also reported, whereas the other parameters are
efciency at different radii of the minor radius of the air xed at H = 40 nm, a1 = 125 nm, b1 = 40 nm, a2 = 100 nm
gap. It is evident from this gure that the optimum value and b2 = 20 nm. Fig. 6 shows the variation of radiation
for the minor radius b2 is equal to 20 nm which efciency of the proposed elliptical dipole nano-antenna
corresponds to the highest efciency and broadest with the wavelengths at different gap distances G. It is
bandwidth. Next, the effect of the major radius a2 of the air
gap is reported, whereas the minor radius b2 is taken as 20
nm. The numerical results reveal that the behaviour is
almost the same for different major radii of the air gap as
shown in Fig. 3b. In addition, maximum harvesting
efciency is obtained at a2 = 80 nm, with a slight change in
the bandwidth of the proposed antenna.
In microwave regime, the electrical length should be equal
to an integer multiple of half the wavelength in order to obtain
the resonance case which is not the case with nano-antennas.
In this regard, the resonance condition is affected by the
length L of each element, radii of the metal ellipse a1 and
b1 and the air gap radii a2 and b2. Fig. 4 shows the
wavelength dependent radiation efciency at different
values of the length of each element L. It should be noted
that for the proposed elliptical nano-antenna, the length L is
equal to the major diameter 2a1. In this paper, the height H
and gap G are xed to 40 and 10 nm, respectively. In
addition, different cases are studied; L = 150 nm (a1 =
75 nm, b1 = 24 nm, a2 = 42 nm, b2 = 9 nm), L = 200 nm Fig. 4 Variation of the radiation efciency of the proposed
(a1 = 100 nm, b1 = 32 nm, a2 = 56 nm, b2 = 12 nm), L = elliptical dipole with the wavelengths at different values of the
250 nm (a1 = 125 nm b1 = 40 nm, a2 = 70 nm, b2 = 15 nm), length L of each elements