Description
Negative luminescence is the symmetric process to electroluminescence, the mechanism by which light-emitting diodes (LEDs) produce light, wherein the mid-infrared (MIR) semiconductor photodiode emit less radiation under reverse bias than it would at equilibrium. Here, we demonstrate the use of negative luminescence for a new covert communications method in which photon emission is rapidly electrically modulated both above and below the level of a passive blackbody at the emitter temperature through the balance of negative and electro luminescence. The time-averaged emission can be designed to be identical to the thermal background, realizing communications with zero optical signature for detectors with bandwidth lower than the modulation frequency. Using thermoradiative diodes, we demonstrate data rates up to at least 100 kbps and modulation rates above 1 MHz. Future prospects of this technology and its development will be further discussed.
| I am the presenting author | Yes |
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