The heterojunction between metal and silicon (Si) is an attractive route to extend the response of Si-based photodiodes into the near-infrared (NIR) region, so-called Schottky barrier diodes. Photons absorbed into a metallic nanostructure excite the surface plasmon resonances (SPRs), which can be damped non-radiatively through the creation of hot electrons. Unfortunately, the quantum efficiency of hot electron detectors remains low due to low optical absorption and poor electron injection efficiency. In this study, we propose an efficient and low-cost plasmonic hot electron NIR photodetector based on a Au nanoparticle (Au NP)-decorated Si pyramid Schottky junction. The large-area and lithography-free photodetector is realized by using an anisotropic chemical wet etching and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of a thin Au film. We experimentally demonstrate that these hot electron detectors have broad photoresponsivity spectra in the NIR region of 1200–1475 nm, with a low dark current on the order of 10 ⁻⁵ A cm ⁻² . The observed responsivities enable these devices to be competitive with other reported Si-based NIR hot electron photodetectors using perfectly periodic nanostructures. The improved performance is attributed to the pyramid surface which can enhance light trapping and the localized electric field, and the nano-sized Au NPs which are beneficial for the tunneling of hot electrons. The simple and large-area preparation processes make them suitable for large-scale thermophotovoltaic cell and low-cost NIR detection applications.

Rydberg atoms have been extensively utilized in microwave measurement with high sensitivity, which has great potential in the field of communication. In this study, we discuss the digital communication based on a Rydberg atomic receiver under simultaneously coupling by resonant and near detuning microwaves. In addition, we verify the feasibility of the Rydberg atom-based frequency division multiplexing (FDM) in microwave communication. We demonstrate the principle and performance of the atom-based FDM receiver by applying amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM), respectively. To demonstrate the actual communication performance at different data transfer rates, we consider monochromatic images as an example. The experimental results show that the maximum acceptable data transfer rate of both AM and FM is about 200 kbps, whereas their maximum bit error rates (BER) is less than 5%. When compared with the traditional electronic receiver, this atomic receiver, which is compatible with FDM, has numerous advantages, such as small size, low power consumption, and high sensitivity. Furthermore, this receiver has a strong ability of anti-electromagnetic interference, and the signals transmitted do not interfere with each other in different channels.

We report an electrophoretic deposition method for the fabrication of gold nanoparticle (GNP) thin films as sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. In this method, GNP sol, synthesized by a seed-mediated growth approach, and indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates were utilized as an electrophoretic solution and electrodes, respectively. From the scanning electron microscopy analysis, we found that the density of GNPs deposited on ITO glass substrates increases with prolonged electrophoresis time. The films possess high mechanical adhesion strength and exhibit strong localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect by showing high SERS sensitivity to detect 1 × 10⁻⁷ M rhodamine 6 G in methanol solution. Finally, the relationship between Raman signal amplification capability and GNP deposition density has been further investigated. The results of our experiment indicate that the high-density GNP film shows relatively higher signal amplification capability due to the strong LSPR effect in narrow gap regions between the neighboring particles on the film.

We report the fabrication and electrical performance of nanoscale vacuum channel transistor (NVCT) based on graphene. Ninety-nanometer-width vacuum nano-channel could be precisely fabricated with standard electron beam lithography process. The optimization and treatment of surface damage and adhesive residue on graphene are carried out by ultrasonic cleaning and thermal annealing. Additionally, in situ electric characteristics are directly performed inside a vacuum chamber of scanning electron microscope (SEM) with the nanomanipulator. By modulating the gate voltage, the NVCT could be switched from off-state to on-state, exhibiting an on/off current ratio up to 102 with low working voltages (< 20 V) and leakage current (< 0.5 nA). Furthermore, the nanoscale vacuum channel could enable to scale down the size of vacuum devices with high integration, making NVCT a promising candidate for high speed applications.

Performance of plamson induced hot electrons-based photodetectors largely relies on the photon absorption capability. To improve the optical absorption, many perfect absorbers based on the periodic metallic nanostructures have been designed and fabricated through low-throughput, costly and time-consuming lithographic processes, which seriously limit the future potential applications of plasmonic hot electrons optoelectronics devices. Here, a large-scale, broadband absorber consisting of ITO film, ZnO layer, Au film and Al nanospike array substrate was designed and fabricated for hot electrons-based photodetection. The new designed absorber’s absorptivity can be up to 70% in the broad wavelength range from 400 nm to 800 nm (even up to 90% in the wavelength range from 400–550 nm) and most of the absorption comes from the Au film, which is effective for the generation of hot electrons. The enhanced broadband absorption is ascribed to the surface plasmon polariton mode and localized surface plasmon resonance mode supported by the nanospike arrays. The influence of geometry and material parameters on the optical absorption properties is also specifically investigated through numerical simulation. The efficient and broadband absorption of a nanospikes device results in a much larger photocurrent compared with that of a planar reference device. Our approach, which is compatible with large-scale manufacturing, paves the way for the practical implementation of hot electrons-based optoelectronic devices.