Plasmonic enhanced infrared detector element

• US 7,329,871 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2006
• Issued: 02/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UNM Rainforest Innovations (f/k/a STC.UNM) (The University of New Mexico)
• Original Assignee: UNM Rainforest Innovations (f/k/a STC.UNM) (The University of New Mexico)
• Inventors: Zhang, Shuang, Brueck, Steven R. J., Fan, Wenjun, Malloy, Kevin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannaher; Constantine
• Application Number:
  US11/346,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20060175551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 250/353
• US Class Current: 250/353
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/02 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/022 Monolithic
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/08 Optical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0837 Microantennas, e.g. bow-tie
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/10 using electric radiation detectors

Abstract

Electromagnetic radiation detector elements and methods for detecting electromagnetic radiation, in particular, infrared radiation, are provided. The electromagnetic radiation detector element can include an electromagnetic radiation detector and a plasmonic antenna disposed over the electromagnetic radiation detector. The plasmonic antenna can include a metal film, a sub-wavelength aperture in the metal film, and a plurality of circular corrugations centered around the sub-wavelength aperture.

Claims

1. An infrared detector element comprising:

an infrared detector; and

a plasmonic antenna disposed within a near field of the infrared detector, wherein the plasmonic antenna comprises,

a metal film,

a sub-wavelength aperture in the metal film, and

a plurality of circular corrugations centered around the sub-wavelength aperture.

2. The infrared detector element of claim 1, wherein the sub-wavelength aperture comprises one of a coaxial structure, a portion of a coaxial structure, a complex geometric shape, and a hole.

3. The infrared detector element of claim 1, wherein the infrared detector is a sub-wavelength detector.

4. The infrared detector element of claim 1, wherein the infrared detector is one of a photon detector and a thermal detector.

5. The infrared element of claim 1, wherein the sub-wavelength aperture comprises a coaxial shape having an inner diameter and an outer diameter, and wherein a gap of the sub-wavelength aperture contains air.

6. The infrared detector of claim 1, wherein a gap of the sub-wavelength aperture comprises a dielectric material having an index of refraction n.

7. The infrared detector element of claim 1, further comprising a dielectric film disposed over the infrared detector,

wherein the infrared detector comprises a photon detector, and

wherein the plasmonic antenna is disposed on the dielectric film.

8. The infrared detector element of claim 1, wherein the plurality of circular corrugations centered around the sub-wavelength aperture are disposed on a top portion of the metal film.

9. The infrared detector element of claim 1, wherein the plurality of circular corrugations centered around the sub-wavelength aperture have a first pitch on a top portion of the metal film and a second pitch on a bottom portion of the metal film.

10. The infrared detector element of claim 1, wherein the plasmonic antenna further comprises a Bragg reflector disposed to reflect surface plasma waves towards the sub-wavelength aperture.

11. The infrared detector element of claim 1, wherein a period of the plurality of circular corrugations is about half a wavelength of incident infrared radiation.

12. An infrared detector array comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein each of the plurality of pixels comprises an infrared detector element as claimed in claim 1.

13. The infrared detector array of claim 12, wherein an area of each of the plurality of pixels is significantly larger than an area of the infrared detector.

14. A method of detecting electromagnetic radiation comprising:

providing a plasmonic antenna within a near field of a detector;

propagating surface plasma waves along a metal film portion of the plasmonic antenna;

coupling an energy from incident electromagnetic radiation to the surface plasma waves using a plurality of corrugations on the metal film; and

transmitting the energy through a sub-wavelength aperture in the metal film to the detector.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation ranges from about 400 nm to about 10 cm.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein a shape and a size of the sub-wavelength aperture is selected to transmit a desired wavelength peak.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising filling a gap of the sub-wavelength aperture with a dielectric material to transmit a desired wavelength peak.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the electromagnetic radiation comprises an infrared radiation, and wherein the detector comprises a sub-wavelength infrared detector.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the energy transmitted through the sub-wavelength aperture comprises one or more of three-wave mixing and four-wave mixing.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising reflecting surface plasma waves towards the sub-wavelength aperture using a Bragg reflector.

21. An electromagnetic radiation detector element comprising:

an electromagnetic radiation detector; and

a plasmonic antenna disposed within a near field of the electromagnetic radiation detector, wherein the plasmonic antenna comprises,

a metal film,

a sub-wavelength aperture in the metal film, and

a plurality of circular corrugations centered around the sub-wavelength aperture.

22. The electromagnetic radiation detector element of claim 21, wherein the sub-wavelength aperture comprises one of a coaxial structure, a portion of a coaxial structure, a complex geometric shape, and a hole.

23. The electromagnetic radiation detector element of claim 21, wherein a gap of the sub-wavelength aperture is filled with a material comprising GaAs.

24. An electromagnetic radiation detector array comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein each of the plurality of pixels comprises an electromagnetic radiation detector element as claimed in claim 21.