Quantifying the Plasmonic Generation Rate of Non-Thermal Hot Carriers with an AlGaN/GaN High-Electron-Mobility Transistor

Plasmonic generation of hot carriers in metallic nanostructures has attracted much attention due to its great potential in several applications. However, it is highly debated whether the enhancement is due to the hot carriers or the thermal effect. Here, the ability to exclude the thermal effect and detect the generation of non-thermal hot carriers by surface plasmon is demonstrated using an AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor. This ultrasensitive platform, which demonstrates at least two orders of magnitude more sensitivity compared to the previous reports, can detect the hot carriers generated from discrete nanostructures illuminated by a continuous wave light. The quantitative measurements of hot carrier generation also open a new way to optimize the plasmonic nanoantenna design in many applications.