Nanoantenna arrays for infrared detection with single-metal nanothermocouples

Antenna-coupled nanothermocouples (ACNTC) for infrared detection have been widely studied. It has been shown that dipole antennas receive incident infrared radiation, and radiation-induced antenna currents heat the hot junction of the nanothermocouple, thus producing an electrical potential by the Seebeck effect. We have already demonstrated small thermopiles constructed from the series connection of ACNTCs. Here we study the infrared response of large-scale (N > 500) nanoantenna arrays constructed from ACNTCs, where the antennas are spaced over a range of 25–300% of the incident wavelength. COMSOL simulations show temperature oscillations, and both simulations and experiments show corresponding open-circuit voltage oscillations as a function of antenna spacing. When the distance between the antennas is less than 2λ, constructive and deconstructive interference leads to an enhancement or attenuation of the antenna currents. Our simulations and experimental results are in excellent agreement, and show that the open-circuit voltage response of the array depends on the inter-column distance of the array and the separation between the hot and cold junctions. Furthermore, we report polarization- and array-size-dependent measurements to confirm that the responses of the arrays are the result of the heating of the hot junction by the radiation-induced antenna currents.