Spontaneous Hot-Electron Light Emission from Electron-Fed Optical Antennas

Area of Science:

• Nanoscale electronics and photonics
• Plasmonics
• Optoelectronics

Background:

• Nanoscale electronics and photonics are key for data transfer and signal processing.
• Metal-based optical antennas offer a pathway for interfacing these fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate an electronically driven, self-emitting nanoscale unit by interfacing electronics and photonics.
• To investigate the nonlinear regime of optical antennas for photon emission.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing metal-based optical antennas as a technological vehicle.
• Injecting electrons into a contacted tunneling antenna feedgap.
• Analyzing the nonlinear regime and photon emission characteristics.

Main Results:

• An electronically driven, self-emitting nanoscale plasmonic transmitter was created.
• The antenna operated in a highly nonlinear regime, exceeding quantum limits for photon energy.
• A model based on spontaneous emission of hot electrons explained the experimental findings.

Conclusions:

• Electron-fed optical antennas are critical for interfacing electrons and photons.
• These devices enable the development of optical transceivers for on-chip wireless broadcasting.
• This technology facilitates information transfer at the nanoscale.