Controlling the red boundary of the tunneling photoeffect in nanodimensional carbon structures in a broad (UV-IR) wavelength range

The tunneling photoeffect (PE) has been studied in a microdiode with an electrostatic field localized at an emitter based on a nanodimensional carbon structure. It is established that, when the carbon nanoemitter is exposed to laser and LED radiation photons of low energy (below work function) in the spectral range from near-UV (380 nm) to near-IR (1150 nm) at micro- and milliwatt optical power, a tunneling photocurrent can be initiated by controlling the electric field strength in the emitter-anode gap. The observed phenomenon can be adequately interpreted using a modified Fowler-Nordheim equation for non-equilibrium photoelectrons. Specific features of the construction and operation of photodetectors based on the tunneling PE with a controlled long-wavelength threshold (red boundary) of photoelectron emission are considered. The bandwidth of photoelectron emitters is evaluated, and the possibility of their operation in the wavelength range from UV up to far-IR is predicted.