Antenna-coupled photon emission from hexagonal boron nitride tunnel junctions.

Area of Science:

• Nanoscale science and technology
• Optoelectronics
• Quantum electronics

Background:

• Ultrafast electrical-to-optical signal conversion is crucial for data processing, telecommunications, and optical interconnects.
• Current semiconductor devices face limitations in modulation bandwidth and on-chip integration size.
• Metal-insulator-metal tunnel junctions offer a path towards ultimate electronic device size limits with speed dictated by tunneling time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the conversion of electrons to free-space photons within nanoscale tunnel junctions.
• To explore the role of resonant slot antennas in enhancing electron-photon conversion efficiency.
• To establish a novel platform for studying electron-localized electromagnetic field interactions.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of vertical gold-hexagonal boron nitride-gold tunnel junctions.
• Integration of tunnel junctions with resonant slot antennas.
• Characterization of light emission properties, including polarization and directionality.

Main Results:

• Achieved polarized and directional light emission from inelastic electron tunneling.
• Demonstrated resonant enhancement of light emission via optical antennas.
• Established efficient electron-photon conversion at the nanoscale.

Conclusions:

• Metal-insulator-metal tunnel junctions coupled with optical antennas provide an effective platform for ultrafast nanoscale optoelectronic conversion.
• This approach overcomes limitations of existing technologies for on-chip optical interconnects.
• The study opens new avenues for fundamental research in electron-photon interactions.