Leaky mode engineering: A general design principle for dielectric optical antenna solar absorbers

We present a general principle for the rational design of dielectric optical antennas with optimal solar absorption enhancement: leaky mode engineering. This builds upon our previous study that demonstrates the solar absorption of a material with a given volume only dependent on the density and the radiative loss of leaky modes of the material. Here we systematically examine the correlation among the modal properties (density and radiative loss) of leaky modes, physical features, and solar absorption of dielectric antenna structures. Our analysis clearly points out the general guidelines for the design of dielectric optical antennas with optimal solar absorption enhancement: (a) using 0D structures; (b) the shape does not matter much; (c) heterostructuring with non-absorbing materials is a promising strategy; and (d) the design of a large-scale nanostructure array can use the solar absorption of single nanostructures as a reasonable reference.