Nano Science and Nano Technology

The extreme light confinement provided by sub-wavelength metal-dielectric structures pushes towards revisiting the design rules of the photo-detectors. Furthermore, introducing absorbing layers in optical nano-resonators demands a dedicated electromagnetic design. Developing together semiconducting heterostructures and optical nano-antennas opens the way for performance improvements and new functionalities, introducing very promising features such as ultra-thin absorbing layers and device area much smaller than its optical cross-section. High responsivity, high-speed behavior, and carved optical response are among the expected properties of this new generation of photo-detectors.

 

In this talk, I present a GMR InGaAs photo-detector dedicated for imaging applications (FPA) as an illustration of this global design. I discuss the cross-linked properties of the optical and semiconductor structures. Experimental results show at λ = 1.55 μm an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 75% and a specific detectivity of 1013 cm.√Hz.W-1.