Impact of DC bias on weak optical-field-driven electron emission in nano-vacuum-gap detectors

Marco Turchetti; Mina R. Bionta; Yujia Yang; Felix Ritzkowsky; Denis R. Candido; Michael E. Flatte; Karl K. Berggren; Phillip D. Keathley

doi:10.1364/JOSAB.413680

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Impact of DC bias on weak optical-field-driven electron emission in nano-vacuum-gap detectors

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Impact of DC bias on weak optical-field-driven electron emission in nano-vacuum-gap detectors

Marco Turchetti, Mina R. Bionta, Yujia Yang, Felix Ritzkowsky, Denis R. Candido, Michael E. Flatte, Karl K. Berggren and Phillip D. Keathley

Journal of the Optical Society of America. B, Optical physics, Vol.38(3), pp.1009-1016

03/01/2021

DOI: 10.1364/JOSAB.413680

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Abstract

In this work, we investigate multiphoton and optical field tunneling emission from metallic surfaces with nanoscale vacuum gaps. Using time-dependent Schrodinger equation (TDSE) simulations, we find that the properties of the emitted photocurrent in such systems can be greatly altered by the application of only a few-volt direct current (DC) bias. We find that when coupled with expected plasmonic enhancements within the nano meter-scale metallic gaps, the application of this DC bias significantly reduces the threshold for the transition to optical-field-driven tunneling from the metal surface, and could sufficiently enhance the emitted photocurrents, to make it feasible to electronically tag fJ ultrafast pulses at room temperature. Given the petahertz-scale instantaneous response of the photocurrents, and the low effective capacitance of thin-film nanoantenna devices that enables <1 fs response time, detectors that exploit this bias-enhanced surface emission from nanoscale vacuum gaps could prove to be useful for communication, petahertz electronics, and ultrafast optical-field-resolved metrology. (C) 2021 Optical Society of America

Optics

Physical Sciences

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Title: Subtitle: Impact of DC bias on weak optical-field-driven electron emission in nano-vacuum-gap detectors
Creators: Marco Turchetti - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mina R. Bionta - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Yujia Yang - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Felix Ritzkowsky - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Denis R. Candido - University of Iowa
Michael E. Flatte - University of Iowa
Karl K. Berggren - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Phillip D. Keathley - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of the Optical Society of America. B, Optical physics, Vol.38(3), pp.1009-1016
DOI: 10.1364/JOSAB.413680
ISSN: 0740-3224
eISSN: 1520-8540
Publisher: Optical Soc Amer
Number of pages: 8
Grant note: NSF-DMR1506668; DMR1506668 / National Science Foundation; National Science Foundation (NSF) W911NF-16-2-0192; W911NF-17-10199 / Army Research Office FA9550-19-1-0065 / Air Force Office of Scientific Research; United States Department of Defense; Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)
Language: English
Date published: 03/01/2021
Academic Unit: Electrical and Computer Engineering; Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984428797702771

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