Near-field thermophotovoltaic (NFTPV) approaches, utilizing evanescent modes for energy conversion, offer potential for high power density and efficiency. This research demonstrates record power densities (~5 kW/m²) at 6.8% efficiency (electrical power output/radiative heat transfer) using novel, thermally robust emitters (up to 1270 K) positioned near (<100 nm) custom InGaAs thin-film PV cells. The study explores device performance across emitter temperatures (800-1270 K) and gap sizes (70 nm-7 µm), providing insights into near-field thermal energy harvesting.

Rohith Mittapally, Byungjun Lee, Linxiao Zhu, Amin Reihani, Ju Won Lim, Dejiu Fan, Stephen R. Forrest, Pramod Reddy, Edgar Meyhofer