Thermophotovoltaic energy conversion using photonic bandgap selective emitters
US6583350B1 · kind B1 · utility
37Cited by
5References
17Claims
0Family size
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Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 3, 2002 |
| Grant date | Jun 24, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 3, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10H20/81
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method for thermophotovoltaic generation of electricity comprises heating a metallic photonic crystal to provide selective emission of radiation that is matched to the peak spectral response of a photovoltaic cell that converts the radiation to electricity. The use of a refractory metal, such as tungsten, for the photonic crystal enables high temperature operation for high radiant flux and high dielectric contrast for a full 3D photonic bandgap, preferable for efficient thermophotovoltaic energy conversion.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.