Design, Optimization, and Fabrication of an Advanced Infrared Energy Harvesting System

不断增长的世界人口对能源的需求不断增加，而化石燃料储备不断耗尽，这表明迫切需要寻找替代的可再生能源。太阳是一种丰富的清洁能源，其辐射光谱由紫外线、可见光和红外线 (IR) 区域组成。该计划旨在收集太阳的红外能量并将其转化为可用电力。该提案将通过使用纳米科学材料和封装构建的雄心勃勃的纳米天线阵列设计来提供世界一流的纳米系统。所提出的系统非常智能，因为它可以通过开发的算法感知环境并跟踪红外源来优化其性能。该计划拨款将为这项长期研究工作奠定基础提供机会。 该研究计划的短期目标分为三个主要方向：第一，纳米天线的建模和设计。麦克斯韦微分方程将更新为包括色散介电常数和磁导率。将实施色散材料的伴随灵敏度。有了这些，无论感兴趣的参数数量有多少，都可以以最小的模拟开销获得宽带灵敏度。第二个流，使用开发的建模工具来研究不同的传统（偶极子、领结和贴片天线）和非常规天线结构（分形和多馈送天线）以及测试不同的封装材料。所开发的纳米阵列将在麦克马斯特微纳米系统实验室 (MNSL) 制造，这是一个由加拿大创新基金会 (CFI) 资助、耗资 2225 万美元的最先进设施。将检查不同的制造工艺。这是为了寻找优化的公差和成本以进行大规模生产。 第三个流包括一起研究纳米系统的元素，以检查跟踪算法以优化收获能力。系统性能将通过电场的反射和透射谱、天线电磁辐射图和纳米天线的功率谱等指标来测量，其中模型的输出以发射率与波长为单位。 该项目的成果将有利于加拿大提供急需的能量收集技术。这将对加拿大经济的战略信息技术部门产生重大影响。学生的积极参与和培训是申请人课程的核心。申请人与行业有密切联系。这笔赠款将用于总部人员的培训，为他们提供职业发展机会。申请人坚信该研究计划将带来知识产权、知识和潜在的商业部署。

The increasing energy demands of a growing world population and depleting fossil fuel reserves indicate the urgent need of seeking alternative renewable energy resources. The sun is an abundant source of clean energy whose radiation spectrum consists of ultra-voilet, visible and infrared (IR) regions. This program is about harvesting the Sun’s IR energy and transforming it into usable power. The proposal will deliver world class nano-systems through ambitious nano-antenna array design built using nano-science materials and packaging. The proposed system is smart in that it can optimize its performance by sensing the environment and tracking the IR sources via the developed algorithms. The program grant will provide the opportunity to build the foundation for this long-term research effort. The short-term goals of this research program fall into three main streams: First, modeling and design of nano-antennas. Maxwell’s differential equations will be updated to include dispersive permittivity and permeability. Adjoint sensitivities for dispersive materials will be implemented. With these, broadband sensitivities will be available to the investigation with minimal simulation overhead regardless of the number of parameters of interest. The second stream, use the developed modeling tools using them in investigating different conventional (dipoles, bow-tie, and patch antennas) and non-conventional antenna structures (fractal and multi-feed antennas) as well as testing different materials for their packaging. The developed nano-arrays will be fabricated at the McMaster Micro- Nano-Systems Laboratory (MNSL), a $22.25M state-of-the-art facility funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Different fabrication processes will be examined. This is to search for optimized tolerance and cost for mass production. The third stream includes investigating the elements of the nano-system together to examine tracking algorithms for optimized harvesting capabilities. The systems performance will be measured in metrics such as the reflection and transmissions spectra of the electric field, the antenna EM radiation pattern(s), and power spectra of the nano-antenna where the output of the model is in units of emissivity vs. wavelength. The outcomes of this project will benefit Canada in providing much needed technology for energy harvesting. This will have a significant impact on the strategic information technology sector of the Canadian economy. Active student involvement and training are central to the applicant’s program. The applicant has strong ties to industry. This grant will enable the training of HQP offering them advancements in career opportunities. The applicant strongly believes that this research proposal will bring intellectual property, knowledge, and potential commercial deployment.