Bio-Inspired Complementary Photoconductor by Porphyrin-Coated Silicon Nanowires

A symbiotically bio-inspired complementary photoconductor is demonstrated using a well-defined silicon nanowire (SiNW) and porphyrins. The observed direction of the conductance change by light illumination has opposite signs for n- and p-type SiNWs. On the basis of this observation, it is concluded that complementary photoconductors can be used to form functional logic gates of optical input with remarkably low static power dissipation.