High-temperature tungsten-hafnia optimized selective thermal emitters for thermophotovoltaic applications

Tungsten-hafnia (W-HfO₂) selective thermal emitters with high hemispherical emittance for thermophotovoltaic (TPV) applications are explored through numerical simulations. Two structures were analyzed: a planar multilayer stack and a grating. In both cases, through suitable design choices high thermal emittance with low directional sensitivity can be obtained. The designs are obtained by optimization of the structures using a genetic algorithm and a suitable cost function, along with simulations of the structures’ emittance by using rigorous coupled wave analysis. Calculations show that these optimized structures possess high hemispherical thermal emittance for the wavelength range that matches the optical response of GaSb photovoltaic cells. For each structure, both the output power from the TPV cell and the conversion efficiency are studied as a function of emitter temperature and physical understanding of the optimized structures is developed.