We propose a mechanism for optical-to-electrical power conversion on a metal nanostructure by taking advantage of the plasmonic properties in the nanoscale metal. The key is to carefully design the geometry of the nanostructure and create two regions (Region A and B) with completely different plasmonic responses. Upon optical excitation at the interface between them, a local electrical polarization can be generated and detected as a voltage/current through the external circuit. There is an exciting opportunity for an all-metal solar cell based on this mechanism.
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