Near-infrared photodetection with plasmon-induced hot electrons using silicon nanopillar array structure

A plasmon-induced hot-electron photodetector based on silicon nanopillar array is developed. The nanostructure is fabricated by reactive ion etching with a monolayer of self-assembled polystyrene nanosphere in hexagonal close-packed lattice as the mask. Light absorption and hot-electron generation are mainly enhanced by the surface plasmon polaritons formed at the surface of the gold film on the nanopillar sidewalls. The photoresponse spans two telecom wavebands, viz. the range of 1250–1600 nm, and has a value of 2.5 mA W−1 at 1310 nm. The proposed silicon nanopillar-based hot-electron infrared detector has great potentials for device integration in silicon photonics relying on the economic large-area fabrication process.