Electronic Detection of Photonic Band Gaps in Nanolithographic Metallic Gratings

In nanolithographic metallic gratings we investigate the dependence of photonic band gaps on geometrical parameters. Finite element modeling was used to develop a model for an optoelectronic device with periodicity of 470 nm and concomitantly the electronic response of a nanofabricated metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector grating was experimentally studied under a sweeping monochromatic light source. The grating spectral response increased in the region between 470 nm and 520 nm, corroborating the computational results. This increase is understood to occur because photons with wavelength shorter than approximately 520 nm are energetic enough to excite interband transitions in the Au, but the period of the structure acts as a cutoff where incident photons with wavelength shorter than the period are less likely to form surface plasmon polaritons. This cutoff originates from a photonic band gap. Magnetic field intensity profiles at the 3 dB cutoff indicate that a surface plasmon wave exists where each finger interacts with the next through overlapping magnetic fields, suggesting that the cutoff is a surface plasmon wave effect. Localized surface plasmon effects were observed at longer wavelengths in the modeled absorbance. The effects of three geometrical parameters on the spectral dependence of modeled absorbance were investigated.