Hydrodynamic Analysis and Responsivity improvement of a metal/semiconductor/metal plasmonic detector

TL;DR

This paper proposes a Silicon Germanium MSM plasmon detector operating at 1550 nm, demonstrating improved responsivity and bandwidth through hydrodynamic modeling, advancing integrated plasmonic infrared detection technology.

Contribution

Introduction of a SiGe core MSM plasmon detector with simulated performance showing enhanced responsivity and bandwidth over existing Si-based devices.

Findings

Responsivity of 0.89 A/W at 1550 nm

3-dB bandwidth of 120 GHz

Significant responsivity enhancement compared to prior Si-based MSM detectors

Abstract

Characteristics improvement of photon/plasmon detectors have been the subject of several investigations in the area of plasmonic integrated circuits. Among different suggestions, Silicon-based Metal-Semiconductor-Metal (MSM) waveguides are one of the most popular structures for implementation of high-quality photon/plasmon detectors in infrared wavelengths. In this paper, an integrated Silicon Germanium (SiGe) core MSM plasmon detector is proposed to detect lambda=1550 nm with internal photoemission mechanism. Performance characteristics of the new device are simulated with a simplified hydrodynamic model. In a specific bias point (V=3 V and the incident optical power of 0.31 mW), the output current is 404.3 uA (276 uA detection current and 128.3 uA dark current), responsivity is 0.89 A/W and the 3-dB electrical bandwidth is 120 GHz. Simulation results for the proposed Plasmon detector, in comparison with the empirical results of a reported Si-based MSM device, demonstrate considerable responsivity enhancement.