Total Light Absorption in a Very Thin Absorber (IMAGE)

University of Sydney

Total Light Absorption in a Very Thin Absorber

Caption

When light falls on a very thin, uniform layer almost all of it is reflected (right-hand arrows). By etching thin grooves in the film, the light is directed sideways and almost all of it is absorbed (left-hand arrows) even though the amount of material is very small. Insets show electron micrographs of the structuring. The absorbing layer is only 0.041 μm thick.

Credit

Dr Thomas P. White, Australian National University.

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