Schottky barrier photodetectors
US7026701B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 4, 2004 |
| Grant date | Apr 11, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 4, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10F30/227
Abstract
A Schottky barrier photodetector comprises a waveguide structure formed by a thin strip of material having a relatively high free charge carrier density, for example a conductor or certain classes of highly-doped semiconductor, surrounded by material having a relatively low free charge carrier density, the material on at least one side of the strip comprising a semiconductor, the strip having finite width and thickness with dimensions such that optical radiation couples to the strip and propagates along the length of the strip as a plasmon-polariton wave, light for detection being coupled to one end of the strip to propagate along the strip as said plasmon-polariton wave, ohmic contact means applied to the semiconductor material and at least one electrode means connected to the strip for applying bias to the Schottky barrier and extracting a photodetector current corresponding to the light applied to the photodetector. Where the strip of material is a flat, thin strip, the device will be polarisation dependent. Substantially polarisation-independent operation maybe achieved by using a strip whose width is of the same order as its thickness.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.