Device for operating with THz and/or IR and/or MW radiation
AssigneesFundació Institut De CièNcies FotòNiques, Institució Catalana De Recerca I Estudis AvançAts, AsociacióN Centro De InvestigacióN Cooperativa En Nanociencias, Cic Nanogune
InventorsKlaas-Jan Tielrooij, Frank Koppens, Rainer Hillenbrand, Marta Autore
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a device for operating with THz and/or IR and/or MW radiation, comprising: —an antenna having one or more antenna branches (A1; A1, A2) and adapted to operate in the THz and/or IR and/or MW frequency range; and —a structure made of at least one photoactive material defining a photo-active area (Ga) arranged to absorb light radiation impinging thereon. The focus area of the at least one antenna branch (A1; A1, A2) is dimensionally equal or smaller than the photo-active area (Ga).
Claims20
A device for operating with at least one of THz, IR, and MW radiation, comprising:
- an antenna having at least one antenna branch and adapted to operate in at least one of a THz, IR, and MW frequency range;
- and
- a structure made of at least one photoactive material defining a photo-active area arranged to absorb light radiation impinging thereon;
- wherein said at least one antenna branch has a focus area which is dimensionally equal or smaller than said photo-active area,
- wherein said at least one photoactive material of said structure has a high Seebeck coefficient and comprises two sections with different Seebeck coefficients, such that said photo-active area, within an active channel having a Seebeck gradient and arranged to absorb light radiation impinging thereon, is defined at an interface between said two sections and through adjacent regions thereof at both sides of the interface, and wherein said focus area is dimensionally equal or smaller, according to a first direction, than the dimension of the photo-active area measured in parallel to said first direction and transversally to said interface across said adjacent regions,
- and wherein the device is optimized for a photoresponse based on a photo-thermal effect, where a photoresponse is generated through light-induced charge carrier heating, in combination with the presence of said Seebeck gradient.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a detector of at least one of THz, IR, and MW radiation, comprising:
- an antenna having at least one antenna branch and adapted to operate in at least one of a THz, IR, and MW frequency range;
- and
- a structure made of at least one photoactive material defining a photo-active area arranged to absorb light radiation impinging thereon;
- wherein said at least one antenna branch has a focus area which is dimensionally equal or smaller than said photo-active area,
- wherein said at least one photoactive material of said structure has a high Seebeck coefficient and comprises two sections with different Seebeck coefficients, such that said photo-active area, within an active channel having a Seebeck gradient and arranged to absorb light radiation impinging thereon, is defined at an interface between said two sections and through adjacent regions thereof at both sides of the interface, and wherein said focus area is dimensionally equal or smaller, according to a first direction, than the dimension of the photo-active area measured in parallel to said first direction and transversally to said interface across said adjacent regions,
- wherein the detector is optimized for a photoresponse based on a photo-thermal effect, where a photoresponse is generated through light-induced charge carrier heating, in combination with the presence of said Seebeck gradient;
- and wherein the antenna is configured and arranged to focus and confine said at least one of THz, IR, and MW radiation in the focus area of the at least one antenna branch, to concentrate said at least one of THz, IR, and MW radiation at said photo-active area, which is arranged to absorb said at least one of THz, IR, and MW radiation, and the detector further comprises at least first and second electrical contacts electrically connected to distanced regions of the structure to measure photo-induced current flowing between said first and second electrical contacts, through the structure, when said at least one of THz, IR, and MW radiation impinges on the photo-active area;
- and
- an emitter of at least one of THz, IR, and MW radiation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.