High Quantum Efficiency Nanoantenna Enhanced Organic Photodetector

Hitron Technologies (HTI) proposes to develop a new solid state, light weight, high quantum efficiency, low noise, and high bandwidth Nanoantenna-Enhanced Organic PhotoDetector (NEOPD), based on an innovative design of nanoantenna and its novel integration with organic photomultiplication (OPM) photodetector. The OPM photodetector alone has already demonstrated its high quantum efficiency of up to 5000%, far exceeding Navy"s requirement of 100% quantum efficiency. To meet the high bandwidth requirement of 100MHz, the thickness of organic photodetection layer will be decreased; meanwhile, the quantum efficiency reduction caused by thinner photodetection layer will be fully compensated by the absorption enhancement induced by the nanoantenna structure fabricated on one metal electrode layer. Additionally, a cross-linkable semiconductor buffer layer in the NEOPD structure is used to minimize the dark current noise for a low noise factor. In Phase-I a one inch size NEOPD prototype with a small portion of nanoantenna area will be developed to demonstrate its feasibility. Nanoantenna will be fabricated by focal ion beam (FIB) milling. In Phase-II, nanoimprint lithography will be adopted for large area nanoantenna fabrication.