An infrared radiation device includes a body including a heat generating part and first and second metamaterial structures that are capable of radiating infrared rays having a peak wavelength of a non-Planck distribution upon receipt of thermal energy from the heat generating part. The first metamaterial structure is disposed on a first surface side of the heat generating part, and the second metamaterial structure is disposed on a second surface side opposite to the first surface side of the heat generating part.

Systems and methods are provided for controlling infrared radiation (IR) sources of a sauna including tuning IR wavelength-ranges and radiated power-levels of IR sources, and directing IR to locations on a user's body. In one illustrative embodiment, a sauna may be provided having adjustable IR emitters to emit IR at any wavelength resulting in a desirable radiation treatment for the sauna user. In another illustrative embodiment, a method is provided for tuning IR emitters in a sauna.

A multilayer photonic stack comprising a lower plurality of alternating layers comprising at least A and B and an upper plurality of alternating layers comprising at least C and D, layer A comprises at least one of Al, Au, W, Ag, Ni, Ti, Pt, and Cr, layer B comprises at least one of Al.sub.2O.sub.3, AlN, MgO, SiO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2, Si.sub.3N.sub.4, MgF.sub.2, Ta.sub.2O.sub.5, SiC, Si, Ge, and Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), and layers C and D comprise at least one of Al.sub.2O.sub.3, AlN, MgO, SiO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2, Si.sub.3N.sub.4, MgF.sub.2, Ta.sub.2O.sub.5, SiC, Si, Ge, and Indium Tin Oxide (ITO).

A heater according to an embodiment includes: a tubular portion; a sealing portion provided in each of both end portions of the tubular portion; a conductive portion provided inside each sealing portion; a heating portion provided inside the tubular portion, extending along a tube axis of the tubular portion, and including carbons; an inner lead provided in each sealing portion so that one end portion side is connected to the conductive portion and the other end portion side is exposed into the tubular portion; and a connection portion connected to each of both end portions of the heating portion inside the tubular portion. A bent portion is provided in an end portion opposite to the conductive portion in each inner lead. The bent portion is bent in a direction in which the sealing portions face each other and is provided inside a hole of the connection portion.

An infrared heating unit with a furnace includes a housing that accommodates a process space, and a heating facility, whereby the process space is bordered, at least in part, by a furnace lining made of quartz glass. In order to provide, on this basis, an infrared heating unit that enables energy-efficient and uniform (homogeneous) heating of the heating goods by infrared radiation to temperatures of even above 600 C., the heating facility is formed by at least one heating substrate that includes a contact surface in contact with a printed conductor made of a resistor material that is electrically conductive and generates heat when current flows through it, whereby the heating substrate includes doped quartz glass, into which an additional component that absorbs in the infrared spectral range is embedded and forms at least a part of the furnace lining.

An infrared emitter is provided. The infrared emitter includes a substrate made of an electrically insulating material. The substrate includes a surface that contacts a printed conductor made of a resistor material that is electrically conducting and generates heat when current flows through it. The electrically insulating material includes an amorphous matrix component into which an additional component is embedded that absorbs in the spectral range of infrared radiation. At least a part of the surface is configured with a cover layer made of porous glass, whereby the printed conductor is embedded, at least in part, in the cover layer.

A far-infrared radiation multi-stage type heating furnace for steel sheets for hot stamping, the furnace including far-infrared radiation heaters having flexibility that are prevented from deflecting even during heating at temperatures ranging from the Ac.sub.3 transformation temperature to 950 C. The furnace includes: multiple-staged heating units that accommodate steel sheets, each heating unit formed by thermal insulation materials disposed around the periphery; and far-infrared radiation heaters positioned above and below the heating units. A far-infrared radiation heater is received by first metal strips. The first metal strips are disposed so that their strong axis direction approximately corresponds to the direction of gravity and supported by support pieces so as to be expandable and contractible in a longitudinal direction by thermal expansion or thermal contraction. The support pieces are disposed outside the thermal insulation materials in the heating units and a ceiling unit.

An infrared heater 10 includes a heating element 40 that emits infrared radiation when heated and that is capable of absorbing infrared radiation in a predetermined reflection wavelength range, and a filter unit 50 that is disposed so as to be separated by a first space 47, which is open to an outside space, from the heating element 40. The filter unit 50 includes one or more transmission layers (a first transmission layer 51) that transmit at least a part of the infrared radiation from the heating element 40, and a reflective section (the first transmission layer 51) that reflects infrared radiation in the reflection wavelength range toward the heating element 40.

A method for manufacturing integrated IR (IR=infrared) emitter elements having an optical filter comprises back side etching through a carrier substrate, forming adhesive spacer elements on a conductive layer on the carrier substrate, placing a filter substrate having a filter carrier substrate and a filter layer on the adhesive spacer elements, fixing the adhesive spacer elements to the carrier substrate and the filter substrate by curing, pre-dicing through the filter substrate for exposing the contact pads of the structured conductive layer, and dicing through the frame structure in the carrier substrate for separating the integrated IR emitter elements having the optical filter.

A method for producing an infrared emitter arrangement is provided. The method includes providing a carrier. The carrier includes at least one infrared emitter structure at a first side of the carrier and at least one cutout at a second side of the carrier, said second side being situated opposite the first side of the carrier, wherein the at least one cutout extends from the second side of the carrier in the direction of the at least one infrared emitter structure. The method further includes securing an infrared filter layer structure at the second side of the carrier in such a way that the at least one cutout separates the at least one infrared emitter structure from the infrared filter layer structure.