Fabrication of Superconducting Mid-Infrared Photodetectors With Dipole Nanoantennas

We have proposed using nanoantennas with superconducting detector to improve the response performance of infrared detectors. Dipole nanoantennas that have an NbN load resistance were fabricated to evaluate the antenna properties. By using electromagnetic simulation, the antenna length was set at 2400 nm for the operation around 7-μm wavelength. The antennas were evaluated by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In an evaluation of spectral transmission characteristics, clear absorption caused by antenna effects was observed at around 1400 cm
^-1
. The results of the simulation qualitatively agreed with the results of the experiment. The antenna effective area was also evaluated, and the area was estimated to be approximately 5.4 μm
²
at 1420 cm
^-1
. We have fabricated a prototype of midinfrared (MIR) photodetectors that were formed with 45 dipole antennas with an NbN strip. The antennas were placed within an area of 20 × 20 μm
²
, and they were connected by bias line in series. By the irradiation of MIR (λ = 4.9 μm) light, the responses with high polarization dependence values caused by antenna effect were observed.