| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1509395 | Energy Procedia | 2015 | 9 Pages |
The light-focusing capability of metal nanoparticles in a periodic square array on top of an upconverting thin film was modeled using the finite-element-frequency-domain method. The particle geometry was optimized for efficient concentration of an incoming plane wave into the upconverting medium, in order to enhance the upconversion process. Specifically, the two-dimensional parameter space, corresponding to the height and diameter of nearly cylindrical nanoparticles, was scanned and the optimal particle dimensions were found. A selected geometry was fabricated and the upconversion yield was measured and compared to the case without nanoparticles. Subsequently, the particle spacing was included as another free parameter, and the multi-start Nelder-Mead method and derivative-free simulated annealing wereused to optimize thisthree-parameter system.
