Nanomaterials - 16

Abstract

Highly energetic electrons driven out-of-equilibrium, known as hot-electrons, generated by applying an electric field, may increase the electron cloud temperature over 2000K[1], causing the material to heat up and negatively affect its device properties. Here we report on the possibility to out-couple the evanescent radiation of these hot-electrons by a gold array grating to the far field on GaN devices. This radiation is collected by a modified FTIR spectrometer setup (Fig.1) in conjunction with a lock-in amplifier. Initially, the strategy to collect such radiation was implemented using an AFM tip[2], but subsequent investigations have demonstrated the effectiveness of metamaterial gratings on GaAs quantum well devices[3]. Building upon the observed effects on quantum well devices, future investigations will aim to extend this approach to a broader range of semiconductors, such as ITO, to determine whether similar out-coupling effects can be achieved. This work can lead to advancements in thermal management and efficiency in nanoelectronics and aid in the recovery of waste heat in energy harvesting.