Infrared stealth performance analysis of photonic crystal with high heat dissipation

Abstract Infrared stealth requires low emissivity in atmospheric windows. However, low emissivity throughout the infrared band may result in heat accumulation and thus deteriorate the performance of equipment. Photonic crystal films, owing to their selectivity in spectral reflectance, can be used to achieve both infrared stealth and heat dissipation. In this paper, the 5–8 μm band emissive power of different surfaces was calculated first. Then a heat dissipation experiment was carried out to compare the heat dissipation efficiency of a photonic crystal film and a low emissivity film, which showed that the photonic crystal film was cooler thanking to its higher heat emission. The thermal images showed that the film had a better infrared stealth performance than the low emissivity film. This study reveals that photonic crystals are promising to be applied in the infrared stealth field.