Monolithically Integrated THz Detectors Based on High-Electron-Mobility Transistors

Monolithically Integrated THz Detectors Based on High-Electron-Mobility Transistors

We present THz direct detectors based on an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT), featuring excellent optical sensitivity and low noise-equivalent power (NEP). These detectors are monolithically integrated with various antenna designs and exhibit state-of-the-art performance at room te...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Adam Rämer, Edoardo Negri, Eugen Dischke, Serguei Chevchenko, Hossein Yazdani, Lars Schellhase, Viktor Krozer, Wolfgang Heinrich
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
room-temperature THz direct detectors
THz HEMT antenna integration
resistive mixing
on-chip antenna
TeraFET
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/11/3539
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We present THz direct detectors based on an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT), featuring excellent optical sensitivity and low noise-equivalent power (NEP). These detectors are monolithically integrated with various antenna designs and exhibit state-of-the-art performance at room temperature. Their architecture enables straightforward scaling to two-dimensional formats, paving the way for terahertz focal plane arrays (FPAs). In particular, for one detector type, a fully realized THz FPA has been demonstrated in this paper. Theoretical and experimental characterizations are provided for both single-pixel detectors (0.1–1.5 THz) and the FPA (0.1–1.1 THz). The broadband single detectors achieve optical sensitivities exceeding 20 mA/W up to 1 THz and NEP values below 100 pW/<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msqrt><mi>Hz</mi></msqrt></semantics></math></inline-formula>. The best optical NEP is below 10 pW/<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msqrt><mi>Hz</mi></msqrt></semantics></math></inline-formula> at 175 GHz. The reported sensitivity and NEP values were achieved including antenna and optical coupling losses, underlining the excellent overall performance of the detectors.
ISSN:1424-8220

Similar Items