Plasmonic enhanced two-photon absorption in silicon photodetectors for optical correlators in the near-infrared

A high-density array of plasmonic coaxial nanoantennas is used to enhance the two-photon absorption (TPA) process in a conventional silicon photodetector from a mode-locked 76 MHz Ti:sapphire laser over a spectral range from 1340 to 1550 nm. This enhanced TPA was used to generate an interferometric autocorrelation trace of a 150 fs laser pulse. Unlike second-harmonic generation, this technique does not require phase matching or a bulky crystal and can be used on a low-cost integrated silicon platform over a wide range of near-IR wavelengths compatible with modern commercial tunable femtosecond sources.