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Photoelectric tunable-step terahertz detectors: a study on optimal antenna parameters, speed, and temperature performance

Ran Chen, Ruqiao Xia, Jonathan Griffiths, Harvey E. Beere, David Ritchie Orcid Logo, Wladislaw Michailow Orcid Logo

Nanophotonics, Volume: 13, Issue: 10, Pages: 1917 - 1928

Swansea University Author: David Ritchie Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1515/nanoph-2023-0864

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 thi...

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Published in: Nanophotonics
ISSN: 2192-8606 2192-8614
Published: De Gruyter 2024
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67666
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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.
Keywords: Two-dimensional electron gas, in-plane photoelectric effect, photoelectric tunable-step detector, far-infrared detection
College: Faculty of Science and Engineering
Funders: R.C. thanks China Scholarship Council and Cambridge Trust for a CSC Cambridge International Scholarship. W.M. thanks Trinity College Cambridge for a Junior Research Fellowship. The authors acknowledge EPSRC funding from the HyperTerahertz grant, no. EP/P021859/1, and the TeraCom grant, no. EP/W028921/1.
Issue: 10
Start Page: 1917
End Page: 1928

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