Photoconductive detector device with plasmonic electrodes
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsMona Jarrahi, Nezih Tolga Yardimci
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Abstract
A photoconductive device that includes a semiconductor substrate, an antenna assembly, and a photoconductive assembly with one or more plasmonic contact electrodes. The photoconductive assembly can be provided with plasmonic contact electrodes that are arranged on the semiconductor substrate in a manner that improves the quantum efficiency of the photoconductive device by plasmonically enhancing the pump absorption into the photo-absorbing regions of semiconductor substrate. In one exemplary embodiment, the photoconductive device is arranged as a photoconductive source and is pumped at telecom pump wavelengths (e.g., 1.0-1.6 μm) and produces milliwatt-range power levels in the terahertz (THz) frequency range.
Claims18
A photoconductive device for emitting terahertz (THz) radiation, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate;
- an antenna assembly fabricated on the semiconductor substrate;
- and
- a photoconductor assembly fabricated on the semiconductor substrate and coupled to the antenna assembly, wherein the photoconductor assembly includes a plurality of plasmonic contact electrodes electrically connected to the antenna assembly;
- wherein the plurality of plasmonic contact electrodes have an electrode length less than the wavelength of an optical input, and wherein the plurality of plasmonic contact electrodes are disposed in a series of parallel arrays each array being separated from each adjacent array by an array gap;
- wherein the photoconductive device is configured such that charge carriers are generated in the semiconductor substrate adjacent the plasmonic contact electrodes in response to the optical input that impinges upon the photoconductor assembly and the plasmonic contact electrodes;
- and
- wherein the plasmonic contact electrodes are configured to collect the generated charge carriers and conduct said collected charge carriers to the antenna assembly, whereby the plasmonic contact electrodes provide improved quantum efficiency of the photoconductive device when receiving the optical input.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.