Method and apparatus for high resolution photon detection based on extraordinary optoconductance (EOC) effects
US8497459B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 7, 2011 |
| Grant date | Jul 30, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 9, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E10/544
- WIPO fieldMicro-structural and nano-technology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The inventors disclose a new high performance optical sensor, preferably of nanoscale dimensions, that functions at room temperature based on an extraordinary optoconductance (EOC) phenomenon, and preferably an inverse EOC (I-EOC) phenomenon, in a metal-semiconductor hybrid (MSH) structure having a semiconductor/metal interface. Such a design shows efficient photon sensing not exhibited by bare semiconductors. In experimentation with an exemplary embodiment, ultrahigh spatial resolution 4-point optoconductance measurements using Helium-Neon laser radiation reveal a strikingly large optoconductance property, an observed maximum measurement of 9460% EOC, for a 250 nm device. Such an exemplary EOC device also demonstrates specific detectivity higher than 5.06×1011 cm√Hz/W for 632 nm illumination and a high dynamic response of 40 dB making such sensors technologically competitive for a wide range of practical applications.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.