公开(公告)号：US11009658B2

公开(公告)日：2021-05-18

申请号：US16803938

申请日：2020-02-27

Applicant: California Institute of Technology

Inventor： William M. Jones ,  Lucia B. De Rose ,  Axel Scherer

IPC: G02B6/122 ,  H01L31/0232 ,  G01J1/04

Abstract: Light detectors that combine field emission with light focusing by surface plasmon polaritons. Methods and devices that allow detection and measurement of light at high frequencies in the THz range are described. The disclosed devices include plasmonic metal contacts with a narrow nanometer-sized gap to couple an optical waveguide mode into a plasmonic mode thereby generating filed emission currents by biasing the contacts.

公开(公告)号：US10366856B2

公开(公告)日：2019-07-30

申请号：US15442408

申请日：2017-02-24

Applicant: California Institute of Technology

Inventor： Axel Scherer ,  William M. Jones ,  Danil M. Lukin ,  Sameer Walavalkar ,  Chieh-feng Chang

IPC: H01J19/24 ,  H01J9/02 ,  H01J21/02

Abstract: Nanoscale field-emission devices are presented, wherein the devices include at least a pair of electrodes separated by a gap through which field emission of electrons from one electrode to the other occurs. The gap is dimensioned such that only a low voltage is required to induce field emission. As a result, the emitted electrons energy that is below the ionization potential of the gas or gasses that reside within the gap. In some embodiments, the gap is small enough that the distance between the electrodes is shorter than the mean-free path of electrons in air at atmospheric pressure. As a result, the field-emission devices do not require a vacuum environment for operation.