Method and Apparatus for High Resolution Photon Detection based on Extraordinary Optoconductance (EOC) Effects

Abstract

The inventors disclose a new high performance optical sensor, preferably of nanoscale dimensions, that functions at room temperature based on an extraordinary optoconductance (EOC) phenomenon, and preferably an inverse EOC (I-EOC) phenomenon, in a metal-semiconductor hybrid (MSH) structure having a semiconductor/metal interface. Such a design shows efficient photon sensing not exhibited by bare semiconductors. In experimentation with an exemplary embodiment, ultrahigh spatial resolution 4-point optoconductance measurements using Helium-Neon laser radiation reveal a strikingly large optoconductance property, an observed maximum measurement of 9460% EOC, for a 250 nm device. Such an exemplary EOC device also demonstrates specific detectivity higher than 5.06×10 11 cm√Hz/W for 632 nm illumination and a high dynamic response of 40 dB making such sensors technologically competitive for a wide range of practical applications.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 perturbing a sensor with photons to create an extraordinary optoconductance (EOC) effect by the sensor, wherein the sensor comprises (1) a semiconductor material, and (2) a metal shunt in electrical contact with the semiconductor material and positioned to cover an area of a surface of the semiconductor material, thereby defining a semiconductor/metal interface for passing a flow of current between the semiconductor material and the metal shunt in response to the sensor being under an electrical bias, wherein the semiconductor/metal interface is configured to exhibit a change in resistance corresponding to the EOC effect in response to the perturbing step.