Silicon nanowire photodetector enhanced by a bow-tie antenna

Properties of surface plasmon polaritons can be exploited for the miniaturisation of photonic circuits below the optical wavelength scale. Smaller and more sensitive photodetectors can be made by using sub-wavelength semiconductor elements such as germanium or silicon nanowires in combination with nanometer-scale antennas. The proposed nanowire photodetector enables on-chip optical sensing applications with increased sensitivity and reduced size.