A polarization detector based on the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons on the periodically corrugated metal surface of Schottky structures is presented. The surface modes are only excited by light having the appropriate polarization; they are leaky at the metal-semiconductor interface and are thus radiated into the semiconductor, where they generate charge carriers. By this mechanism the photocurrent of the device is enhanced and depends strongly on the polarization angle of the incident light. By use of two detectors with different grating orientations the polarization of the light can be determined unambiguously.

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The reradiation of leaky surface plasmon polaritons into the semiconductor of a sinusoidally structured Schottky structure is investigated, to our knowledge for the first time. One of the two possible plasmon modes is bound at the metal-air interface, and is leaky at the interface between the metal film and the semiconductor. It is reradiated into the semiconductor either directly or by coupling with the grating. Therefore, emission of light from the back surface of the sample can be measured at two different angles of observation. The intensities of the two single emission beams and their ratios were measured at various thicknesses of the metal film and were found to be strongly dependent on this parameter.

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