🔬 A Breakthrough in Light Detection Technology

Electrical engineers at Duke University have unveiled a groundbreaking ultrafast photodetector that shatters previous speed records for thermal detection devices. Announced on March 4, 2026, this innovation captures light across the full electromagnetic (EM) spectrum—from radio waves to gamma rays—in an astonishing 125 picoseconds. That's one-trillionth of a second, faster than many chemical reactions and on par with the quickest semiconductor detectors, yet without their limitations.

Traditional photodetectors, like those in smartphone cameras, rely on semiconductors that generate electrons when hit by photons in the visible light range. However, they falter outside this narrow band, missing infrared for night vision or ultraviolet for medical imaging. Pyroelectric photodetectors, which detect temperature changes from absorbed light, offer broadband sensitivity but have historically been sluggish, responding in nanoseconds or microseconds due to slow heat diffusion. Duke's device flips this script, operating at room temperature with no external power, making it ideal for compact, on-chip integration.

Led by Professor Maiken H. Mikkelsen, the team published their findings in Advanced Functional Materials. This isn't just incremental progress; it's a paradigm shift poised to enable next-generation multispectral imaging systems.

What Makes Pyroelectric Photodetectors Special?

Pyroelectric materials generate an electric charge when their temperature changes, a property rooted in their crystal structure where spontaneous polarization shifts with heat. In photodetectors, incoming light gets absorbed, warms the material slightly, and produces a measurable voltage spike proportional to the rate of temperature rise. Unlike photovoltaic cells that need steady light, pyroelectrics excel in pulsed or varying signals, perfect for choppy real-world scenarios.

Historically, these detectors required bulky absorbers to gather faint infrared or terahertz waves, leading to slow thermal equilibration times. Commercial versions might take microseconds to reset, limiting them to low-speed applications like motion sensors. Duke's approach miniaturizes and accelerates this process, proving thermal detectors can rival electronic ones in speed while spanning the entire EM spectrum—a range encompassing everything from cell phone signals (microwaves) to X-rays used in security scanners.

For those new to the field, consider the EM spectrum as a vast continuum of wavelengths. Visible light is just 400-700 nanometers; infrared stretches to millimeters for heat sensing, while ultraviolet dips below 400 nm for sterilization. Broadband detection means one device handles all, simplifying designs for drones or satellites.

The Ingenious Metasurface Design

At the heart lies a metasurface—a nanoscale engineered surface that manipulates light like a superlens. Duke's version features an array of silver nanocubes, each 90 nanometers by 90 nanometers by 35 nanometers tall, perched on a 10-nanometer-thick aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) spacer film above a gold mirror. This nanogap cavity traps light via plasmonics, where free electrons in the silver oscillate collectively, resonating at tunable frequencies based on cube size and spacing.

When photons strike, they excite plasmons, converting nearly 100% of the energy to heat in picoseconds. This heat conducts to a razor-thin aluminum nitride (AlN) pyroelectric layer—about 160 nanometers thick—triggering the charge response. The circular metasurface layout (upgraded from rectangular) maximizes light capture while shortening signal paths, minimizing delays.

This plasmonic hotspot generation bypasses the need for thick bulk absorbers, slashing thermal mass and response time. Fabricated via standard nanofabrication like electron-beam lithography and sputtering, it's scalable for mass production.

📊 Impressive Performance Metrics

The device boasts a 3 dB bandwidth of 2.8 gigahertz, translating to a rise time of 125 picoseconds—verified using dual distributed feedback lasers modulating at high frequencies. Responsivity peaks at 1.64 milliamps per watt at 790 nanometers (near-infrared), with noise equivalent power (NEP) as low as 96 picowatts per square root hertz, competitive with pricier alternatives.

Smaller active areas (20-60 micrometers diameter) boost speed but trim responsivity, a classic engineering tradeoff. Simulations predict even 30-picosecond thermal limits with tweaks. For context, this outpaces prior pyroelectric records by orders of magnitude. Read the full details in the original paper.

Photo by MARIOLA GROBELSKA on Unsplash

Overcoming Speed Barriers

Key optimizations included thinner AlN films from collaborators, upgraded readout circuits, and precise frequency sweeps to map bandwidth. Resistance-capacitance (RC) time constants cap current performance, but finite element models (via COMSOL) show heat generation in 5 picoseconds and transfer to AlN in 30 picoseconds. No cryogenics or bias voltage needed—plug and play at ambient conditions.

Compared to 2019 prototypes from the same lab, which hinted at speed but lacked quantification, this iteration adds rigorous metrology. External partners like the Air Force Research Laboratory aided material sourcing and validation.

Benchmarking Against Rivals

• Semiconductors (e.g., silicon PIN diodes): Picosecond speeds but narrowband (visible-NIR), power-hungry.
• Traditional pyroelectrics: Broadband but nano/microsecond responses due to bulk heat sinks.
• Bolometers: Sensitive IR but cryogenic, millisecond speeds.
• Duke's device: Broadband, room-temp, bias-free, ps speeds—best of both worlds.

Prior records hovered at nanoseconds; this leap challenges the 'slow thermal detector' dogma, opening doors for hybrid systems.

🌍 Transforming Industries with Multispectral Vision

Imagine drones scanning fields to pinpoint drought-stressed crops via infrared signatures, optimizing water use in precision agriculture. Or handheld scanners detecting skin melanomas by analyzing UV-to-IR reflectance patterns missed by the naked eye.

• Medicine: Non-invasive cancer diagnostics, hyperspectral tissue analysis.
• Agriculture: Real-time nutrient mapping, pest detection from afar.
• Food safety: Contaminant spotting via spectral fingerprints.
• Space: Lightweight sensors on satellites for Earth observation or planetary surveys—no power draw critical for long missions.

Stack multiple metasurfaces for simultaneous wavelength and polarization sensing, enabling polarimetry for material stress or atmospheric studies. Check out research jobs in photonics to join such innovations.

Visit the official Duke announcement for more visuals.

The Visionary Team at Duke

Professor Maiken Mikkelsen, with joint appointments in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Physics, directs the Mikkelsen Lab at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering. Her group pioneers nanophotonics, blending plasmonics with quantum optics. Lead author Eunso Shin, a PhD candidate, optimized designs and devised speed tests. Co-authors include Rachel E. Bangle, Nathaniel C. Wilson (Physics), Stefan B. Nikodemski (KBR), and Jarrett H. Vella (Air Force Research Lab).

Funded by the Air Force Office and Moore Foundation, this work exemplifies university-industry synergy. Aspiring researchers can explore faculty positions or professor jobs in similar fields.

Photo by Thorium on Unsplash

Future Frontiers and Challenges

Next steps: Embed pyroelectrics in the nanocube-gold gap for sub-30 ps times, scale to full cameras, and test ruggedness. Fabrication hurdles like yield at nanoscale persist, but CMOS compatibility promises affordability. Broader impacts include AI-driven spectral analysis for autonomous systems.

This Duke breakthrough signals a renaissance for thermal detection, blending broadband prowess with electronic agility. As Mikkelsen notes, 'We're heading toward cancer diagnosis, remote sensing, and beyond.'

In summary, the ultrafast photodetector redefines possibilities in academic careers in nanotechnology. Share your thoughts in the comments, rate professors like Mikkelsen on Rate My Professor, and discover openings at Higher Ed Jobs or University Jobs. For photonics enthusiasts, research assistant jobs abound.