The Surface Photogalvanic and Photon Drag Effects in Ag/Pd Metal-Semiconductor Nanocomposite

We performed the investigation of the polarization-sensitive photocurrent generated in silver-palladium metal-semiconductor nanocomposite films under irradiation with nanosecond laser pulses at the wavelength of 2600 nm. It is shown that in both the transverse and the longitudinal configuration, the surface photogalvanic (SPGE) and photon drag effects (PDE) contribute to the observed photocurrent. However, the temporal profile of the transverse photocurrent pulse is monopolar at any polarization and angle of incidence, while the temporal profile of the longitudinal photocurrent pulse depends on the polarization of the excitation beam. Specifically, the irradiation of the film with the s-polarized excitation beam produces a monopolar photoresponse, while at p-polarized excitation, the photoresponse is bipolar, having a short front and long tail. Obtained experimental results are in agreement with the developed phenomenological theory, which describes transverse and longitudinal photocurrents due to SPGE and PDE in terms of relevant second-order nonlinear susceptibilities and allows us to obtain their dependences on the angle of incidence and polarization of the excitation laser beam. The pronounced dependence of the photocurrent on the angle of incidence and polarization of the excitation beam opens avenues toward the development of polarization- and position-sensitive detectors for industrial and space applications

Photon-drag in single-walled carbon nanotube and silver-palladium films

Polarization influence on the photovoltaic current raised due to the photon-drag effect in the single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) films and nanostructured silver-palladium (Ag/Pd) resistive films is examined at the wavelengths of 532 and 1064 nm of nanosecond laser pulses. The SWNT films were synthesized by the aerosol chemical vapor deposition technique. Ag/Pd films, consisting of AgPd alloy and palladium oxide (PdO), were prepared by burning a special paste on a ceramic substrate. The films obtained were characterized by Raman spectroscopy. It is shown that the Ag/Pd films Raman spectra consist of PdO peak that moves from 650 cm-1 to 628 cm-1 as the excitation He-Ne laser power increases. The photocurrent was measured at the oblique incidence of the laser beam on the film in the direction perpendicular to the plane of incidence. It is found that the transverse photocurrent in the SWNT films at circular polarization is absent and does not depend on the direction of the electric field vector rotation (the sign of the circular polarization) of the incident irradiation. The photocurrent in the Ag/Pd films at circular polarized irradiation is significant and depends on the circular polarization sign. The results obtained demonstrate the potential applications of the Ag/Pd resistive films as a sensor of the circular polarization sign of the incident light pulse in a wide wavelength range.Peer reviewe

Femtosecond Circular Photon Drag Effect in the Ag

We report on the observation of the helicity-dependent photoresponse of the 20-μm-thick silver–palladium (Ag p - and s -polarized beams, while its sign is opposite for the right- and left-circularly polarized beams. By comparing experimental results with theoretical analysis, we show that the photoresponse of the A