Plasmonic nanocone arrays as photoconductive and photovoltaic metamaterials

Photoconductive and photovoltaic properties of metamaterials comprising plasmonic nanocone arrays embedded in a semiconductor matrix are studied. Under uniform plane-wave illumination, directed photocurrent and electromotive force arise near asymmetrically shaped nanocones. The resulting giant photogalvanic effect is a plasmonic analogue of the bulk photovoltaic effect in ferroelectrics.