A nanoscale metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector with a 40 nm-thick GaAs absorbing layer has been studied numerically and experimentally. A gold nanowire array is the top mirror of a Fabry-Perot cavity and forms interdigitated Schottky contacts. Nearly perfect absorption is achieved in TE polarization. It is shown numerically that the gold nanowire array induces light absorption in GaAs nanowires with tiny sections (100 nm × 40 nm). High external quantum efficiency (η > 40 %) is demonstrated.

© 2011 OSA

1. A. Rogalski, J. Antoszewski, and L. Faraone, “Third-generation infrared photodetector arrays,” J. Appl. Phys. 105, 091101 (2009). [CrossRef]
2. J. Le Perchec, Y. Desieres, and R. Espiau de Lamaestre, “Plasmon-based photosensors comprising a very thin semiconducting region,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 95, 181104 (2009).
3. S. Assefa, F. Xia, and Y. A. Vlasov, “Reinventing germanium avalanche photodetector for nanophotonic on-chip optical interconnects,” Nature 464, 80–84 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
4. M. A. Green, “Third generation photovoltaics: solar cells for 2020 and beyond,” Physica E 14, 65–70 (2002). [CrossRef]
5. H. A. Atwater and A. Polman, “Plasmonics for improved photovoltaic devices,” Nat. Mater. 9, 205–213 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
6. R. Agarwal and C. Lieber, “Semiconductor nanowires: optics and optoelectronics,” Appl. Phys. A 85, 209–215 (2006). [CrossRef]
7. B. Tian, X. Zheng, T. J. Kempa, Y. Fang, N. Yu, G. Yu, J. Huang, and C. M. Lieber, “Coaxial silicon nanowires as solar cells and nanoelectronic power sources,” Nature 449, 885–889 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
8. R. Yan, D. Gargas, and P. Yang, “Nanowire photonics,” Nat. Photonics 3, 569–576 (2009). [CrossRef]
9. S. Collin, F. Pardo, R. Teissier, and J.-L. Pelouard, “Efficient light absorption in metal-semiconductor-metal nanostructures,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 85, 194–196 (2004). [CrossRef]
10. E. Laux, C. Genet, T. Skauli, and T. W. Ebbesen, “Plasmonic photon sorters for spectral and polarimetric imaging,” Nat. Photonics 2, 161–164 (2008). [CrossRef]
11. C. Genet and T. W. Ebbesen, “Light in tiny holes,” Nature 445, 39–46 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
12. J. A. Schuller, A. S. Barnard, W. Cai, Y. C. Jun, J. S. White, and M. L. Brongersma, “Plasmonics for extreme light concentration and manipulation,” Nat. Mater. 9, 193–204 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
13. T. Ishi, T. Fujikata, K. Makita, T. Baba, and K. Ohashi, “Si nano-photodiode with a surface plasmon antenna,” Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 44, L364–L366 (2005). [CrossRef]
14. L. Tang, S. E. Kocabas, S. Latif, A. K. Okyay, D. Ly-Gagnon, K. C. Saraswat, and D. A. Miller, “Nanometre-scale germanium photodetector enhanced by a near-infrared dipole antenna,” Nat. Photonics 2, 226–229 (2008). [CrossRef]
15. S. Collin, F. Pardo, and J.-L. Pelouard, “Resonant-cavity-enhanced subwavelength metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 83, 1521–1523 (2003). [CrossRef]
16. S. Collin, F. Pardo, R. Teissier, N. Bardou, C. Dupuis, R. Mahe, L. Ferlazzo, E. Cambril, V. Thierry-Mieg, A. Lemaître, and J. L. Pelouard, “Light confinement and absorption in metal-semiconductor-metal nanostructures,” Proc. SPIE 5734, 1–12 (2005). [CrossRef]
17. E. D. Palik, ed., Handbook of Optical Constants of Solids (Academic, 1985).
18. S. Y. Chou, M. Y. Liu, and P. B. Fischer, “Tera-hertz GaAs metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors with 25 nm finger spacing and finger width,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 61, 477–479 (1992). [CrossRef]
19. E. W. McFarland and J. Tang, “A photovoltaic device structure based on internal electron emission,” Nature 421, 616–618 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Agarwal, R.
Antoszewski, J.
Assefa, S.
Atwater, H. A.
Baba, T.
Bardou, N.
Barnard, A. S.
Brongersma, M. L.
Cai, W.
Cambril, E.
Chou, S. Y.
Collin, S.
Desieres, Y.
Dupuis, C.
Ebbesen, T. W.
Espiau de Lamaestre, R.
Fang, Y.
Faraone, L.
Ferlazzo, L.
Fischer, P. B.
Fujikata, T.
Gargas, D.
Genet, C.
Green, M. A.
Huang, J.
Ishi, T.
Jun, Y. C.
Kempa, T. J.
Kocabas, S. E.
Latif, S.
Laux, E.
Le Perchec, J.
Lemaître, A.
Lieber, C.
Lieber, C. M.
Liu, M. Y.
Ly-Gagnon, D.
Mahe, R.
Makita, K.
McFarland, E. W.
Miller, D. A.
Ohashi, K.
Okyay, A. K.
Pardo, F.
Pelouard, J. L.
Pelouard, J.-L.
Polman, A.
Rogalski, A.
Saraswat, K. C.
Schuller, J. A.
Skauli, T.
Tang, J.
Tang, L.
Teissier, R.
Thierry-Mieg, V.
Tian, B.
Vlasov, Y. A.
White, J. S.
Xia, F.
Yan, R.
Yang, P.
Yu, G.
Yu, N.
Zheng, X.

Appl. Phys. A

• R. Agarwal and C. Lieber, “Semiconductor nanowires: optics and optoelectronics,” Appl. Phys. A 85, 209–215 (2006). [CrossRef]

Appl. Phys. Lett.

• S. Collin, F. Pardo, R. Teissier, and J.-L. Pelouard, “Efficient light absorption in metal-semiconductor-metal nanostructures,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 85, 194–196 (2004). [CrossRef]
• J. Le Perchec, Y. Desieres, and R. Espiau de Lamaestre, “Plasmon-based photosensors comprising a very thin semiconducting region,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 95, 181104 (2009).
• S. Collin, F. Pardo, and J.-L. Pelouard, “Resonant-cavity-enhanced subwavelength metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 83, 1521–1523 (2003). [CrossRef]
• S. Y. Chou, M. Y. Liu, and P. B. Fischer, “Tera-hertz GaAs metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors with 25 nm finger spacing and finger width,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 61, 477–479 (1992). [CrossRef]

J. Appl. Phys.

• A. Rogalski, J. Antoszewski, and L. Faraone, “Third-generation infrared photodetector arrays,” J. Appl. Phys. 105, 091101 (2009). [CrossRef]

Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.

• T. Ishi, T. Fujikata, K. Makita, T. Baba, and K. Ohashi, “Si nano-photodiode with a surface plasmon antenna,” Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 44, L364–L366 (2005). [CrossRef]

Nat. Mater.

• J. A. Schuller, A. S. Barnard, W. Cai, Y. C. Jun, J. S. White, and M. L. Brongersma, “Plasmonics for extreme light concentration and manipulation,” Nat. Mater. 9, 193–204 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• H. A. Atwater and A. Polman, “Plasmonics for improved photovoltaic devices,” Nat. Mater. 9, 205–213 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Nat. Photonics

• E. Laux, C. Genet, T. Skauli, and T. W. Ebbesen, “Plasmonic photon sorters for spectral and polarimetric imaging,” Nat. Photonics 2, 161–164 (2008). [CrossRef]
• R. Yan, D. Gargas, and P. Yang, “Nanowire photonics,” Nat. Photonics 3, 569–576 (2009). [CrossRef]
• L. Tang, S. E. Kocabas, S. Latif, A. K. Okyay, D. Ly-Gagnon, K. C. Saraswat, and D. A. Miller, “Nanometre-scale germanium photodetector enhanced by a near-infrared dipole antenna,” Nat. Photonics 2, 226–229 (2008). [CrossRef]

Nature

• E. W. McFarland and J. Tang, “A photovoltaic device structure based on internal electron emission,” Nature 421, 616–618 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• C. Genet and T. W. Ebbesen, “Light in tiny holes,” Nature 445, 39–46 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• B. Tian, X. Zheng, T. J. Kempa, Y. Fang, N. Yu, G. Yu, J. Huang, and C. M. Lieber, “Coaxial silicon nanowires as solar cells and nanoelectronic power sources,” Nature 449, 885–889 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• S. Assefa, F. Xia, and Y. A. Vlasov, “Reinventing germanium avalanche photodetector for nanophotonic on-chip optical interconnects,” Nature 464, 80–84 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Physica E

• M. A. Green, “Third generation photovoltaics: solar cells for 2020 and beyond,” Physica E 14, 65–70 (2002). [CrossRef]

Proc. SPIE

• S. Collin, F. Pardo, R. Teissier, N. Bardou, C. Dupuis, R. Mahe, L. Ferlazzo, E. Cambril, V. Thierry-Mieg, A. Lemaître, and J. L. Pelouard, “Light confinement and absorption in metal-semiconductor-metal nanostructures,” Proc. SPIE 5734, 1–12 (2005). [CrossRef]

Other

• E. D. Palik, ed., Handbook of Optical Constants of Solids (Academic, 1985).

2010, Assefa, Nature
2010, Atwater, Nat. Mater.
2010, Schuller, Nat. Mater.
2009, Yan, Nat. Photonics
2009, Rogalski, J. Appl. Phys.
2008, Laux, Nat. Photonics
2008, Tang, Nat. Photonics
2007, Genet, Nature
2007, Tian, Nature
2006, Agarwal, Appl. Phys. A
2005, Ishi, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.
2005, Collin, Proc. SPIE
2004, Collin, Appl. Phys. Lett.
2003, Collin, Appl. Phys. Lett.
2003, McFarland, Nature
2002, Green, Physica E
1992, Chou, Appl. Phys. Lett.
1985, ,
1811, Le Perchec, Appl. Phys. Lett.

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