Photoelectric tunable-step terahertz detectors: a study on optimal antenna parameters, speed, and temperature performance
Author:
Chen Ran1, Xia Ruqiao1, Griffiths Jonathan1, Beere Harvey E.1, Ritchie David A.12, Michailow Wladislaw1ORCID
Affiliation:
1. Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge , CB3 0HE Cambridge , UK 2. Swansea University , Singleton Park, Sketty , Swansea SA2 8PP , UK
Abstract
Abstract
Field effect transistors have shown promising performance as terahertz (THz) detectors over the past few decades. Recently, a quantum phenomenon, the in-plane photoelectric effect, was discovered as a novel detection mechanism in gated two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs), and devices based on this effect, photoelectric tunable-step (PETS) THz detectors, have been proposed as sensitive THz detectors. Here, we demonstrate a PETS THz detector based on GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction using a dipole antenna. We investigate the dependence of the in-plane photoelectric effect on parameters including the dimensions and the operating temperature of the device. Two figures of merit within the 2DEG, the maximum electric field and the radiation-induced ac-potential difference, are simulated to determine the optimal design of the PETS detector antenna. We identify the optimal antenna gap size, metal thickness, and 2DEG depth, and demonstrate the first PETS detector with a symmetric dipole antenna, which shows high-speed detection of 1.9 THz radiation with a strong photoresponse. Our findings deepen the understanding of the in-plane photoelectric effect and provide a universal guidance for the design of future PETS THz detectors.
Funder
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council China Scholarship Council Trinity College, University of Cambridge Cambridge Trust
Publisher
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Subject
Electrical and Electronic Engineering,Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials,Biotechnology
Reference57 articles.
1. B. Ferguson and X.-C. Zhang, “Materials for terahertz science and technology,” Nat. Mater., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 26–33, 2002. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat708. 2. A. Rogalski and F. Sizov, “Terahertz detectors and focal plane arrays,” Opto-Electronics Review, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 346–404, 2011, https://doi.org/10.2478/s11772-011-0033-3. 3. A. Leitenstorfer, et al.., “The 2023 terahertz science and technology roadmap,” J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., vol. 56, no. 22, p. 223001, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/acbe4c. 4. B. B. Hu and M. C. Nuss, “Imaging with terahertz waves,” Opt. Lett., vol. 20, no. 16, pp. 1716–1718, 1995. https://doi.org/10.1364/ol.20.001716. 5. Z. Yan, L.-G. Zhu, K. Meng, W. Huang, and Q. Shi, “THz medical imaging: from in vitro to in vivo,” Trends Biotechnol., vol. 40, no. 7, pp. 816–830, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2021.12.002.
|
|