Single wall carbon nanotube based optical rectenna.

We present an optical rectenna by engineering a rectifying diode at the interface between a metal probe of an atomic force microscope (AFM) and a single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) that acts as a nano-antenna. Individual SWCNT electrical and optical characteristics have been investigated using a conductive AFM nano-probe in contact with two device structures, one with a SWCNT placed on a CuO/Cu substrate and the other one with a SWCNT on a SiO/Si substrate. The - measurements performed for both designs have exhibited an explicit rectification behavior and the sensitivity of carbon nanotube (CNT)-based rectenna to light.