An international team of researchers including members of the Quantum-Nanostructures and Nanofabrication group at MIT, Deutsches-Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY, Germany), Max-Planck for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (Germany) and WiredSense published a manuscript titled “On-chip petahertz electronics for single-shot phase detection” in Nature Communications. They report on the large scale integration of petahertz electroncs, based on plasmonic nanoantenna arrays, in order to make a sensitive phase detector with broad applications in ultrafast optics and attosecond science. Their results were made possible by a combination of state-of-the-art e-beam lithography at MIT.Nano, cutting-edge laser technology provided by DESY and sensitive electronics developed by the Max-Planck startup WiredSense.
The lead authors in this effort where Matthew Yeung (MIT) and Felix Ritzkowsky (DESY & MIT) with support from Engjell Bebeti, Thomas Gebert, Toru Matsuyama, Matthias Budden, Roland Mainz, Huseyin Cankaya, Karl K. Berggren, Giulio Rossi, Franz Kaertner and Phillip D. Keathley.
Image credit to Dr. Florian Otte.
Abstract
Attosecond science has demonstrated that electrons can be controlled on the sub-cycle time scale of an optical waveform, paving the way towards optical frequency electronics. However, these experiments historically relied on high-energy laser pulses and detection not suitable for microelectronic integration. For practical optical frequency electronics, a system suitable for integration and capable of generating detectable signals with low pulse energies is needed. While current from plasmonic nanoantenna emitters can be driven at optical frequencies, low charge yields have been a significant limitation. In this work we demonstrate that large-scale electrically connected plasmonic nanoantenna networks, when driven in concert, enable charge yields sufficient for single-shot carrier-envelope phase detection at repetition rates exceeding tens of kilohertz. We not only show that limitations in single-shot CEP detection techniques can be overcome, but also demonstrate a flexible approach to optical frequency electronics in general, enabling future applications such as high sensitivity petahertz-bandwidth electric field sampling or logic-circuits.