Field-effect silicon-plasmonic photodetector for coherent T-wave reception.

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Terahertz (THz) Science
• Plasmonics

Background:

• Plasmonic Internal Photoemission Detectors (PIPED) offer compact, high-bandwidth solutions for THz optoelectronics.
• Current PIPEDs enable THz waveform generation and detection, integrating with silicon photonics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance PIPED performance by introducing a gate electrode for carrier dynamics control.
• To investigate the impact of gate potential on THz down-conversion efficiency and device bandwidth.
• To develop a physical understanding of field-effect enhanced PIPEDs (FE-PIPEDs).

Main Methods:

• Fabrication and experimental study of field-effect (FE-)PIPED test structures.
• Application of gate potentials to modulate carrier dynamics and internal photoemission.
• Device characterization and simulation to understand underlying physical principles.

Main Results:

• Applying a gate potential significantly increases the THz down-conversion efficiency of FE-PIPEDs.
• Gate fields alter device dynamics, shifting dominance from carrier transit time to ultra-fast dielectric relaxation.
• Achieved device bandwidth exceeding 1 THz under optimal gate conditions.

Conclusions:

• FE-PIPEDs represent a significant advancement in plasmonic detector technology.
• Gate-controlled carrier dynamics enable unprecedented bandwidth and efficiency for THz optoelectronic signal processing.
• This work opens new avenues for understanding internal photoemission in plasmonic structures.