Patent ID: 7026701

Claim:
A Schottky barrier photodetector means comprising a waveguide structure formed by a strip ( 100 ) of metallic material surrounded by material ( 112 ) having a relatively low free charge carrier density, optical radiation (hu) for detection being coupled to one end of the strip, the strip having finite width and thickness with dimensions such that said optical radiation couples to the strip and propagates along the length of the strip as a plasmon-polariton wave, the surrounding material on at least one side of the strip comprising doped semiconductor material, a Schottky barrier being formed between said one side of the strip and the semiconductor material, the photodetector means further comprising means ( 102 , 103 , 104 , 16 , 108 , 110 ) for applying bias to the Schottky barrier and extracting a current (I p ) in dependence upon said optical radiation.