Abstract
Improving the sensitivity of infrared detectors is an essential step for future applications, including satellite- and terrestrial-based systems. We investigate nanoantenna-enabled detectors (NEDs) in the infrared, where the nanoantenna arrays play a fundamental role in enhancing the level of absorption within the active material of a photodetector. The design and optimization of nanoantenna-enabled detectors via full-wave simulations is a challenging task given the large parameter space to be explored. Here, we present a fast and accurate fully analytic circuit model of patch-based NEDs. This model allows for the inclusion of real metals, realistic patch thicknesses, non-absorbing spacer layers, the active detector layer, and absorption due to higher-order evanescent modes of the metallic array. We apply the circuit model to the design of NED devices based on Type II superlattice absorbers, and show that we can achieve absorption of ∼70% of the incoming energy in subwavelength (∼λ∕5) absorber layers. The accuracy of the circuit model is verified against full-wave simulations, establishing this model as an efficient design tool to quickly and accurately optimize NED structures.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2144-2152 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of the Optical Society of America B: Optical Physics |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 1 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD), Sandia National Laboratories; U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) (DE-NA0003525). This work was supported by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at Sandia National Laboratories. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. This paper describes objective technical results and analysis. Any subjective views or opinions that might be expressed in the paper do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government. Acknowledgment. This work was supported by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at Sandia National Laboratories. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. This paper describes objective technical results and analysis. Any subjective views or opinions that might be expressed in the paper do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government.