ABSTRACT
We investigate the generation of electrical signals by suspended thermoelectrically coupled nanoantennas (TECNAs) above a quasi-spherical reflector cavity in response to rapidly changing long-wave infrared radiation. These sensors use a resonant nanoantenna to couple the IR energy to a nanoscale thermocouple. They are positioned over a cavity, etched into the Si substrate, that provides thermal isolation and is designed as an optical element to focus the IR radiation to the antenna. We study the frequency-dependent response of such TECNAs to amplitude-modulated 10.6 µm IR signals. We experimentally demonstrate response times on the order of 3 µs, and a signal bandwidth of about 300 kHz. The observed electrical response is in excellent correlation with finite element method simulations based on the thermal properties of nanostructures. Both experiments and simulations show a key trade-off between sensitivity and response time for such structures and provide solutions for specific target applications.
ABSTRACT
This paper reports a two-orders-of-magnitude improvement in the sensitivity of antenna-coupled nanothermocouple (ACNTC) infrared detectors. The electrical signal generated by on-chip ACNTCs results from the temperature difference between a resonant antenna locally heated by infrared radiation and the substrate. A cavity etched under the antenna provides two benefits. It eliminates the undesirable cooling of the hot junction by thermally isolating the antenna from the substrate. More importantly, careful cavity design results in constructive interference of the incident radiation reflected back to the antenna, which significantly increases the detector sensitivity. We present the cavity-depth-dependent response of ACNTCs with cavity depths between 1 µm and 22 µm. When constructive interference is maximized, the thermal response increases by 100-fold compared to devices without the cavity.
