Electrical detection of guided light though an optical waveguide by a single metallic contact

We experimentally demonstrate that a single metallic contact attached to an optical waveguide can electrically detect near-infrared light guided through the waveguide. The device consists of a metal-insulator-metal structure, where hot carriers are generated at the thin metal films. This simple and compact structure allows our device to be integrated to any type of optical waveguide to monitor the guided light.