MSM OPTICAL DETECTOR WITH AN ACTIVE REGION HETEROJUNCTION FORMING A TWO-DIMENSIONAL ELECTRON GAS

摘要

A metal-semiconductor-metal photonics detector (12) with a light-detecting aperture (26) is provided. The detector (12) includes a pair of electrodes (16, 18) disposed in a common plane on an outer surface of the detector (12) on either side of the aperture (26) for producing an electric field across the aperture (26) from a first to a second electrode of the pair of electrodes (16, 18). The detector (12) further includes a relatively thin active region (56) of a semiconductor material having a thickness of between 0.05 and 0.2 microns and adapted to form a two-dimensional electron gas in the electric field between the electrodes (16, 18) in the presence of light (24).