Abstract
Frequency selective detection of low energy photons is a scientific challenge using natural materials. A hypothetical surface which functions like a light funnel with very low thermal mass in order to enhance photon collection and suppress background thermal noise is the ideal solution to address both low temperature and frequency selective detection limitations of present detection systems. Here, we present a cavity-coupled quasi-three dimensional plasmonic crystal which induces impedance matching to the free space giving rise to extraordinary transmission through the sub-wavelength aperture array like a "light funnel" in coupling low energy incident photons resulting in frequency selective perfect (~100%) absorption of the incident radiation and zero back reflection. The peak wavelength of absorption of the incident light is almost independent of the angle of incidence and remains within 20% of its maximum (100%) up to θi≤45˚. This perfect absorption results from the incident light-driven localized edge "micro-plasma" currents on the lossy metallic surfaces. The wide-angle light funneling is validated with experimental measurements. Further, a super-lattice based electronic biasing circuit converts the absorbed narrow linewidth (Δλ/λ0< 0.075) photon energy inside the sub-wavelength thick film (< λ/100) to voltage output with high signal to noise ratio close to the theoretical limit. Such artificial plasmonic surfaces enable flexible scaling of light funneling response to any wavelength range by simple dimensional changes paving the path towards room temperature frequency selective low energy photon detection.
Highlights
Surface plasmon is collective oscillation of electrons on metal-insulator interface excited by an electromagnetic wave; the surface plasmons can be either in the propagating or localized surface plasmon (LSP) mode [1,2]
The fundamental order of LSP, the dipolar excitation, has the highest strength and its properties, i.e. resonance frequency and lifetime, are determined by the particle polarizability and lattice sum which depend on the metal/insulator dielectric functions and the geometrical parameters [3,4,5,6]
The prime difficulty in bringing these concepts to full-fledged applications is the large plasmon decay rate mainly due to the finite metal conductivity that decreases the lifetime of the excited surface plasmon and induce losses in the form of heat dissipation [12,13]
Summary
Surface plasmon is collective oscillation of electrons on metal-insulator interface excited by an electromagnetic wave; the surface plasmons can be either in the propagating (surface plasmon polariton SPP) or localized surface plasmon (LSP) mode [1,2]. The fundamental order of LSP, the dipolar excitation, has the highest strength and its properties, i.e. resonance frequency and lifetime, are determined by the particle polarizability and lattice sum which depend on the metal/insulator dielectric functions and the geometrical parameters [3,4,5,6]. This dependence gives a way to control and tailor the surface plasmon resonances to desired frequencies. The geometrical tunability and narrow bandwidth of the light absorption determines the contaminants, and their concentration At present both cooled and uncooled mid-infrared (mid-IR) detectors are being broadband “bucket” detectors generate integrated spectral response. The optical response of the proposed nanodevice is independent of the light polarization and angle of incidence; nanoimprinting based simple, large area and low-cost fabrication technique makes this detector realizable for the practical applications
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